Winter into Spring

Another gray day
As winter fights
The coming of spring.
I must fight
The grayness in my soul
As hopelessness fights
The eternal love of God.
The Comforter is always with me,
But sometimes I still feel all alone.
Wrap your loving-kindness around me.
"Because thy loving-kindness is better than life..."
Let me know your presence.
Forgive my sins.
Walk with me this day.

Thorn in the Flesh

Paul asked for healing
Three times,
That the thorn in the flesh be removed.
Three times,
God answered, "No."
Paul believed that in weakness
He was strong.
Can I follow Paul's example?
Can I be strong in weakness?
Only with God's help.

Sadness

I am filled with sadness today.

Memories of the past haunt me.

Too many loved ones are gone.

I am alone.

The Psalms bring comfort.

"Weeping may endure for a night,

But joy cometh in the morning."

Let my night be over.

Let morning come.

Lord, be with me.

Preface to Eternity

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for,the evidence of things not seen.

I think of myself as logical,

Trained in science,

But I am a believer.

When the world around me is filled with shadows,

I pray.

I depend on God.

Reality fills me with fear.

Faith gives me courage.

Today may be full of pain and suffering.

Tomorrow is a promise of eternal peace.

I know with a certainty that I cannot justify,

That God is with me,

That life is but a preface to eternity.

Lost Sheep

Dusk falls.

I miss the light

I have heard it said

That like sheep

We nibble ourselves lost.

Does grayness envelope our soul

When we wander away from God,

Just as grayness surrounds us

When the sun sets?

Will the darkness of the soul follow

If we do not seek God's will?

No.

The light always seeks us,

Just as the shepherd

Leaves the ninety and nine

To find the one lost sheep.

Let me greet the light

And know the shepherd.

Seek Me

Last night I gazed into the sky
And beheld the miracle of the light:
From the moon,
From the planets,
From the stars.
I marvel at the vastness of space.
Where in this infinite emptiness do I find You?
I remember Your promise.
To be with us always.
I will keep that in my heart,
And not feel so alone,
So insignificant.
When I gaze into the heavens
I will remember that throughout history
God sought us.
Seek me.

Love Your Enemies

Christ told us to love our enemies.

Do we heed his words?

Do we love terrorists?

Do we pray for them?

We need to protect ourselves from evil deeds,

But remember that human beings are the perpetrators.

Those caught in the net of hatred and revenge

Need our prayers

That they may be released.

Christ met violence with submission.

The Lamb of God,

He had no fear.

Maybe that is the answer.

If we trust God,

We will not fear,

So we can love even those that hate us.

Always

"I am with you always,

even unto the end of the world."

Matthew 28:20

Lord, I'm impatient for spring,
But winter continues to battle on
With gray days and damp skies.
I need to know that spring will come
Just as I need to know that you will come.
Lord, I thank you for your promise
To be with us always.
Let me know the reality of that promise
As I try to be your follower.

Blessed Are the Meek

Blessed are the meek;

For they shall inherit the earth.

Matthew 5:5

We have come to equate meek with weak,

But that was not Jesus' meaning.

Being meek meant being controlled,

Having great spirit and energy,

But channeling both to good purpose.

Like a great stallion that has been trained

To obey a rider and does it superbly,

We must be meek

And allow God to command our spirit.

If we yield our will to God

And obey,

We will inherit the earth.

Time

We seek to trap God in time with us.

We are bound to experience existence

With the flow of time.

For us, there is no going back.

For us, there is only the future.

Is God so ensnared?

I think not.

God stands outside of time

And beholds all of creation:

Past,

Present,

And future.

For God, all is now.

Through God's grace, we escape

The chains of time

And experience

The Eternal Now.

What Does God Require?

What doth the Lord require of thee,
But to do justly, and to love mercy,
And to walk humbly with thy God?

These words come from Micah,

But still command us today.

I must remember to treat others

As I would be treated,

Better yet,

How God would treat them.

Our society is not geared toward mercy.

We are too eager for an eye for an eye.

Let me choose leaders that know mercy.

Let me show mercy.

Remember always that I am but a servant

In God's kingdom.

I owe all to God's mercy.

My talents are God's gifts.

Let me use my talents to honor God

And tell others that all is God's doing.

Prayer for Wisdom

Dear Lord, Master of the universe,
Giver of life,
Praise you above all.
May your will be accomplished,
Now and through eternity.
Give us understanding;
Give us wisdom.
Forgive our foolishness,
As we forgive the foolishness of others.
Drive away the grip of ignorance.
Give us the gift you gave Solomon,
A tiny sliver of your wisdom,
So that we can be your useful servant.
Amen

Deborah and Barak

I turn to Judges
And the story of Deborah and Barak.
She was the fourth Judge;
He was the fifth.
Together they saved their people
From the Canaanites.
Is there a message for today?
I do not know.
Clearly, a woman then a man
Led the nation.
So, today a woman or a man
Could lead our country.
Which would be best?
That answer does not lie in Judges.
We must pray that we choose wisely,
But remember that God can use
Anyone.

Deborah

Choosing our Leaders

As a roaring lion,

And a ranging bear,

So is a wicked ruler

over a poor people.

The prince that lacketh understanding

is also a great oppressor...

Proverbs 28: 15-16

Words to remember as we choose
The person to lead this nation.
Who is wicked?
Overt acts make for easy judgment.
Few who reach for power
Have made such blatant mistakes.
Evil disguises itself.
Our duty is to look deeper,
To know the soul of the power seeker.
How do they treat those around them?
Who are their friends?
Listen to their words,
But hear their meaning.
People of faith
Must pray for guidance.
Remember Christ's words:
"And ye shall know the truth,
And the truth shall make you free."
Pray to know the truth.

Wait for God

This day I pray that your kingdom comes
And comes quickly.
Almost two thousand years have passed
Since you walked this earth.
You sent the Holy Spirit to comfort us,
But sometimes I feel so alone,
I must remember to
"Wait for the promise of the Father."
I will still my thoughts,
Focus on your love and sacrifice.
And pray that I will know your will.
I will wait.

Submission

My thoughts turn to the passage in Ephesians

That deals with relationships.

How do I understand submission?

My Southern Baptist brethren emphasize

A woman's duty to submit.

But Paul tells us that as Christians

We should submit to each other.

I believe that is the truth.

Jesus told us the last shall be first.

Can I humble myself before others?

Only with great difficulty.

Our society teaches achievement,

No matter the cost.

Christ tells us we must always

Count the cost to others

In our actions and our words.

Lord, give me the strength to obey you.

Love and Service

"And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three;

but the greatest of these is love."

Paul tells us this in 1 Corinthians,

But do we really hear his words.

Are we so eager to be better than others,

That we forget that we are commanded to love above all?

Do we desire judgment for others,

But not ourselves?

I fear the answers to these questions.

Christ told us we must be servants,

Not masters.

He washed his disciples feet

To remind them of the grandeur of servitude.

Perhaps we should realize that

The people we pay the least often do the most:

Care for our children; care for our elderly.

Let us love them.

Prayer: God's Will in the Presidential Race

Author of all creation, I praise you in all your aspects,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
I acknowledge you as supreme and
Hope that all will know your loving kindness.
Help me as I face the decisions of daily life.
Help me to choose wisely and with your Spirit in my heart.
Our nation must choose candidates for President.
I have only one vote,
But I want to cast it in light of your will.
Guide me to see these people as you see them
And to choose wisely.
I know that others will not vote as I do,
But feel just as I do that they voted in accordance with your will.
Help me to understand how that can be.
Help me not to let my emotions drive
My reactions to those who choose differently,
The temptation is so great.
Let me remember that in your creation
You can use whoever wins the Presidential race
To guide and protect this nation.
You are master of all,
The past, present, and future.
Always let it be thy will, not mine.

Amen.

The Golden Rule

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Words you spoke.
Words to live by.
But can I?
If I turn the other cheek,
Will I only receive more abuse.?
If I allow someone to steal from me,
Will I be able to care for my family?
What is the answer?
I know.
We must show to others the mercy you have given us.
It is not so much that we forgive ill behavior toward us,
But that we remember how you forgive our bad behavior.
Let me show mercy, Lord.
Let me be merciful in my heart.
Forgive me.

Coveting

Ahab coveted another's land.
Jezebel ordered the death of an innocent man,
So that Ahab might have what he wanted.
God punished them both.
Do I covet what others have?
I say no to that question
But in my heart is doubt.
Doubt that I am as pure in heart and mind
As I should be.
Oh, I would never murder or condone murder,
But would I put my well-being before others?
I fear that answer.
Let me remember that in your kingdom,
The last shall be first
And we must be servants of all.