A Hope of My Own

My heart sings for the Lord! He is
      Unfathomable, mysterious
           Unending. He is
      All-knowing, searching our deepest 
Thoughts and feelings
Knowing us better than we know ourselves,
We hold no mystery for Him.

Though we blossom and fade in a breath,
The Eternal One takes note of us,
      Values us,
      Loves us.

Our hearts were made to sing for the Lord!

Oh, Lord, what You have lavished on me!
An extravagant love.

You do not love my facade,
The polished exterior,
The oft-hypocritical perfection.

You love my soul.
Beneath the wounds and the imperfections,
The flaws, the warts, the secret sins
Of judgement and of pride

Past all of these, You see my soul
And find me lovable.
Worthy of extravagance in Your
Unbounded Love.

Lord, the gratitude I feel for Your grace
Cannot stay locked,
Silent, in my breast.
You have given me a voice,
A lovely voice,
With which to sing of You.

I have been grateful,
But I have sung in silence,
To myself only.

You have given me a voice, and a song.
Let it ring out in praise of You!

My joy is for the Lord
His beauty surpasses that of the world
He created.

My soul bursts with gratitude
That he whose Word spoke life into being
Places His hand on my heart and my life.

Ever loving, ever just,
Holy, holy, holy Lord.

Special days dawn,
But without our special ones.
The gulf between the living and the dead
Is too wide
To be filled with tears or
Bridged by longing.

Only Your love, Lord, can bridge
The gap between those who love and long,
And those who are lost to our sight.

Your Hope is sure.
Your Love gives us new wings.
Your Promise folds the gulf of death until both sides are suddenly one.

But not soon enough,
Never soon enough.

Lord, take our glass hearts into Your hands
Cradle them.
Heal them.
Give them rest from the tears,
And enough strength to go on.

We do not grieve as those who 
Have no Hope, but our hope 
Feels thin and threadbare.

Fill our weak hope with Yours,
Let Your Love link us forever
And let Your Promised One come again soon.