Says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil,
To give you a future and a hope.
Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me,
And I will listen to you.
And you will seek Me and find Me,
When you search for Me with all your heart.
I will be found by you, says the Lord,
And I will bring you back from your captivity.
Jeremiah 29:11-14, New King James version
Tears awaken me.
My mind turns the problem this way, then that.
No solution,
Just more tears.
Then, suddenly, I remember God.
Wasn't I doing things for Him today?
I remember! I was writing down all of His names:
Almighty, Ever Present, Glorious Counselor.
A glow of joy begins to fill me.
Ah Yes, Worthy to be Praised! Gentle Savior.
Hosanna. All Powerful.
Maker of Heaven and Earth.
My tears are completely gone.
A year from now this problem will just be a memory.
But He, who is and was and is to come, Slain that we might live,
Glorious, Wonderful Father, He shall be Everlasting! Lord of All.
***
Eyes
Father, there is so much pain in all of our lives.
Pray for them,
But as for you,
LOVE ME.
Father, there is so much fighting in the world.
Pray for them,
Weep for them,
But as for you,
LOVE ME.
Father, there are children dying in wars, dying of starvation.
Pray for them,
Weep for them,
Care for them,
But as for you,
LOVE ME.
***
Rooted In Love
As a beam from the sun
Lights all of the way through
The surface of a leaf,
It changes its color.
Its holes and tears become
Cascading beams of wonder and beauty.
Suddenly, more than all the other unlit leaves,
It is unsurpassed, and glorious in its splendor.
So too, does the love of Christ light
All the way through the lives of those He loves.
Then, once lit by His love,
The life of His loved one cannot help but change,
Because like the leaf,
They will glow in the Son-light,
And reflect His penetrating glory.
Rejoice!
For unlike the leaf,
Our Sun does not "set".
He does not get tired of shinning
Or of illuminating hidden things.
We walk always in the light of His love.
***
Savior
No one likes me!
They hated Me first.
I have nothing!
The Son of Man had no place to lay His head.
I live in a trailer!
I was born in a manger.
Everyone turns from me!
My disciple betrayed Me with a kiss.
I try, but it doesn't seem to matter!
God sent Me, but they did not hear.
I feel rejected!
They choose to free another than Me.
I was abused!
I was beaten for your sins.
I feel that I've failed!
I was nailed to a cross.
I have no direction!
I rose from the dead.
Peace.
There is life.
***
Wellspring
A challenge lies before me.
I know it
And I am afraid.
I pray I will not cry,
But I know I shall.
I always do,
For I am afraid,
And sad,
And confused,
And hopeless within myself.
There is nothing I can do to solve my problem.
It is old, perhaps as old as the generations.
But my Lord has prepared for me!
He knew of my problem even before I did,
And He has prepared the way before me.
He has sent His spirit to comfort me
For He knows
I listen to hear His words.
He has sent His hope to lift me,
And soon,
Within His loving attention,
I am calm again.
I am assured of His love
And comforted by forgiveness.
I am deepened in my understanding,
And totally,
Totally
In love
With my
God!
***
Sunsets
Do you think others
Are better than you
Because they have not sinned
As you have?
No, I tell you,
This is not so,
For The Father loves
All of His children.
If you were wounded,
Would He not care for you?
If you were trapped by wolves
Would He not die for you?
Understand My love.
I am God.
You do not have any earthly thing
To compare to My love,
Except, in some way, a sunset.
Can you not see the beauty in every sunset?
Is not every sunset different,
Yet, still beautiful?
Have any two sunsets been alike since the beginning of the earth?
Yet, all are special and breathtaking.
Such are My children to Me,
Each beautiful, each loved.
***
"Go Up."
As a butterfly unfolds its wings
To sail upon the hidden wind,
So is my spirit to the Lord.
For while the butterfly is seen,
It is the wind that holds it up.
Such is the spirit of the Lord to me.
Without Him
I could not fly,
No, not even crawl;
For without the Lord
I am but a worm,
Eating continuously
With no purpose,
No hope for life
Above the surface
Of the leaf.
But the Lord in all His glory has said,
"Fear not, you worm Israel!"
And through grace
He has given us
Wings
That we might sail
Upon His spirit
And know
His love.
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