Author: AHopeofMyOwn

The Taking

Your voice is almost soundless
But its message is clear.

I would dismiss it,
Deny it,
Cling to my worldliness.

Oh, the horror of hearing You
And denying Your Spirit!

But I do it anyway . . . .

Sear me with the brand of Your love.
Claim me with Your name.
Possess my heart and mind,
Every thought a slave to Christ.

My longing is not matched 
By determination or discipline.

I am soft, flabby, untested and untrained.

May it be to me as You will.

Mold me, Lord!
Even now.

Mortification

Lord, let me not be ashamed
On that day.
The day when You shine forth
In full glory,
Eyes of blazing fire,
Hair like snow.

Oh, Lord, let me not be ashamed 
On that day
For Your Name's sake.

For the sake of Your name,
Lead me and guide me.*
Put a bridle on my ego,
A muzzle on my lips,
A yoke on my neck.

May I pull with You
In harmony, 
Effortless in the face of Your divine plan.

I beg you, Lord,
Let me not be ashamed
On that day.

__________
*Psalm 31:3

Liberation

Your mercy flows over me in Your Words,
Washing away my tension,
Smoothing the wrinkles from my brow.

The mercy of Your healing love,
The richness of Your words and wisdom,
Are soothing to my soul.

Peace gives rise to praise and 
Praise, in turn, to joy.
Bring joy like the dawn, Oh, Lord!
With rose-colored skies and new hope.

Turn the locks of my heart
With Your truths.
They will set me free.
Your law and Your mercy are the 
Keys.
Free me to greet the new day.

The Giver

Lord, dare I say that I am beginning
To know You?

Your heart, in its love and mercy,
Grants my own heart fulfillment and joy.

When I follow You and push aside
My own dreams and desires,
You hand them to me with a smile,
Even better than I had imagined.
Or delightfully altered, turned on their heads
Fulfilled as only Your unique wisdom
Could have foreseen.

Phyllis

I think I know what you were feeling,
Though your thoughts remain a mystery.

When my heart does not want to smile,
And my thoughts turn inward,
It is time to be alone with them
And the ticking of the clock.

If I were younger, I would be crying.
But now there is only a tired sadness,
Without the release of passionate tears.

Staring at the sky outside your window,
No longer reading,
Slowly breathing in the smoke
Of your cigarette,
Time stilled for you.

I am not there yet.
Life continues to call,
And family knocks at my heart's door.

But we shared a knowing
And are sisters, in a way,
Down deep,
Where the currents of life and time
Run beyond word or thought.

I Wish I May . . .

Dear God,
May Your truth sink into my innermost being.
May Your living Word permeate my mind.

May I hunger for time spent in Your Word.
May I thirst for the Living Water
Poured out in Christ.

May my satisfaction be found in You,
My fulfillment in Your purposes.

You promise us that what we pray in Your will
Is given to us.
I claim that promise with regard to these,
My prayers for Your Word.

Help me to be patient.

Amen.

Grace

The love that we don't deserve is
The most beautiful of all.

It reveals to us the Lover's deep forgiveness,
Grace,
Magnanimity of spirit,
Selflessness,
Self-confidence and
True devotion.

The love that we don't deserve is
The greatest gift of all.

It heals our brokenness,
Covers our sins,
Gives us an example to which we can aspire,
Takes our focus off ourselves and puts it
On the One who loves us,
Increases our confidence in ourselves
And inspires our gratitude.

Lord, Your unconditional love is the key
To our complete joy.

A Thank You Prayer

Lord, thank you for this day.
I lived to see it, cancer-free.
I spent with with a group of boys
Who needed my leadership, love and my listening ear.

You used me for good in their lives today.
Boys who were strangers, many of them
On their way to being lost,
Felt Your touch, Your leadership and had
Your listening ear.

Thank you for giving me the patience
To do your work well today.

Lord, be with the Den 3 boys.
More than anyone, You know their hearts.
Please do not let even one
Be lost to You.

In the mighty name of Jesus,
I ask it.