I am reminded this morning of the lessons taught by my blocked ears and blinkered eyes,
The times when I sought to rush ahead of God,
When I tried to push God along at my pace,
Thinking that I knew better than what he did,
Instead of being able to wait I was a know it all,
I thought my plans should be blessed by God.
But, I learned the tough lessons of humiliation,
Understanding what it is to wait and listen,
Finding my new heart that was Mercy’s gift at the beginning,
These lessons were hard to learn but restored my soul,
Hope is returned to my sad and sorry story,
I join in the redemption song that belongs to my family,
The words we know too well but need to sing more,
Celebrating what is always true and is true for me today.

Disappointment demands that hope be found,
Despair comes when there is only silence,
The question I want to be answered is….
Will I be forgiven yet again?
Mercy is married to clarity for the life set free,
Hopeless is left behind in a forgotten past,
I have counted my failures again and again.
My list never ending til I choose to listen to Mercy,
She has only tender words that soothe my anxious heart.

I share my hope with a multitude of saints,
We belong to the forgiven crowd,
Those who know that the touch of mercy,
That lets go of our shameful past mistakes,
Rest is the blessed solace of the forgiven,
Together we make a home in Eternity’s restfulness,
A home created for eternity with a room set aside for me.

Freedom is the difficult path that seeks honesty,
Freedom is the heart that listens to the poor,
Freedom is being attentive to God first,
Freedom comes from saying no to second best,
Freedom comes from confronting deceit,
Freedom is seeing that work is designed for good,
Freedom is not perverting work by making an idol,
Freedom is not listening to the voice that says, “failure”.

I want to live life looking truth in the face,
Allowing nothing to distract my path to Eternity,
I want to make my life show Contempt’s shame,
I want to fill my heart with love and compassion.
That confronts anything less with steely determination,
My life a witness to the the blessing found in obedience.

Bless the Lord from the deepest reaches of my heart,
Bless you Lord for seeking out truth in my life,
Breaking my heart open to a brighter light,
Opening up my world to life’s fullest blessing,
Bless you Lord for a name that contains love’s fullest expression,
Bless the Lord for all that today celebrates,
Bless the Lord for what tomorrow has in store.

I am brought to my knees when considering God,
This day begins with gratitude for all I have,
I am surrounded by blessing heaped on blessing,
My hardest task is selecting just one to talk about,
The tough work of choosing love is reaping rewards,
My joy comes in seeing my gifts reach to eternity,
Forgetting about the way that closed behind,
I will not cling to yesterday’s hopes that died,
They do not hold hope of resurrection,
The future is spread out before me,
It is a never ending smorgasbord of possibilities,
Eternity’s hand beckoning me to all its promises.

From my prayer mountain I see all that lies ahead,
An unfolding vista that stretches to new horizons,
Love finding its truest expression in all I do,
Gratitude and thankfulness bring fresh discoveries,
Life lived in fruitful activity the secret of blessedness.

My daily tally of tasks completed matters little,
When I only build a legacy of busyness,
Foolish activity counts as wastefulness,
Unless it’s centred on Eternity’s horizons,
My heart desires to give everything to God,
My prayer is that my vision will be big enough,
That I won’t baulk at the impossible,
But, I will see it as an opportunity for faith,
My rest found in a task that’s big enough for Eternity.

My life is blessed by my children’s love,
I wonder at the gift they bring to my life,
I count the blessings of our shared heritage,
Hoping that their life will be steeped in Grace,
That they will always hear the cry of the poor,
My heart swells as I celebrate their precious hearts.

I am unapologetic for my first love,
My desire for God present in every conversation,
It’s the gift that forms every thought I have,
The reward that concludes the final word,
The beginning and the end of who I am,
Is cherished with Eternal Love’s approval.

I will no longer be bound by selfish intentions,
Instead I am confident to claim all God’s gifts,
Even when hate words are thrown at me,
Help my trust to stand firm despite their anger.

Test my heart this morning Lord,
Bring blessing to my God centred plans,
Help me to cast aside every distraction,
Temptations belonging to this world are obvious,
Open my eyes Lord to their easy deceit,
So that I can choose my God path,
The one that brings my heart to restful peace,
My life centred in faith while surrounded by anxious activity.

My final thoughts tonight are turned to heaven,
The day is almost completed, tomorrow is yet to arrive,
I long for a life that asks the lasting questions,
Questions like; What can I find that is beautiful here?
Or, What is the gift that is in this conversation?
And, the realisation of how precious is the time that we spend together,
I desire to see in everyone’s eyes their true soul.

I pray that I will resist the temptations of pride,
The arrogance that takes and then repays with vindictive greed,
The one who never has enough,
Talking about love but delivering hate freely,
Mercy poured His healing waters on my life,
My day ending remembering God’s blessing given to me.

Prayer is my safe haven each morning,
This morning I join the faithful choir,
Turning our thoughts firstly to God,
I wait this morning in eager expectation.
For the words that God wants to say to me.

Obedience is my act of faithfulness this morning,
Even though my life is scattered in busy activity,
I bring all my uncertainties about today to Him,
Choosing to stand with those who want this too,
Belonging to those who know their poverty,
Yet are willing to share their Creator’s broken heart.

I pray that I will bring peace to the lives that touch mine today,
I will not be afraid of the thought of rest,
Even though the world demands frantic activity,
I trust my life will be a witness to waiting with God,
My family will be well cared for in the midst of a thousand temptations of selfish desires,
I will love courageously knowing its painful risk,
My gifts given with no reserve, no expectations,
Seeking blessing for all those that I serve,
Come peace today, find a loyal heart this morning.
Amen

When life crowds in to overpower hope,
And, I am frantically seeking my escape route,
I know where to find the help that I need,
I will forget the shallow promises that offer everything but do nothing,
Instead I will remember God’s kind loving words.

He will be with you during your worst days,
When the fog of despair flows in and blocks the view,
During your sleepless nights He will be there too,
When your thoughts won’t stop rushing around,
Their busyness not allowing sleep to bring rest,
Day or night he is waiting to help out,
Always ready to bring calm to a turbulent life.

I shelter in God’s caring gaze,
Knowing that everything that I do and say is cherished,
He doesn’t ever let up in his pursuit of loving me,
Creator of the world focussed on my on my life,
He knows what my heart really belongs to,
Watching and waiting to bless me in all I do.

Deceit is the brick of betrayal forming a fragile foundation,
On which a wall of hate is built on my sorrows,
My cry is to God to help me understand, Why?

God will show the easy path of betrayal it’s fate,
Each lying sharp barb will return to haunt soon enough,
God is with me and we will not give up on truth.

I make my home in a beautiful green field,
Next to the quiet lake that witnesses beautiful sunsets,
When I am surrounded by beauty I am encouraged to seek the beautiful response,
Here I stand with my God,
Sharing the connection that belongs to a trusted friend,
Talking about our love for peace,
He shelters me from the hater’s vicious attacks,
I am ready for anything trusting God for everything.

Gratitude is the first note in my song of happiness,
Eternal love is my wall of sound.
Surrounding me with those who sing and laugh with me,
Eternal love is my song to sing.

When my back was pressed against a wall
that offered no further retreat,
I had no place to go, no friend to rely on,
He offered me a safe haven,
Reaching into my soul parts that ached the most,
Condemnation spat at me at the start of the day,
Despair the parting gift to end work’s agony,
Encouraged to die in my darkest moment,
I was ready to take the most awful of advice,
I believed the lies that confused all truth,
Disorientated by the shifting sands under my feet,
My best defence found in my humiliation,
Left with nothing was the beginning of fresh horizons.

Trust no one but love abundantly,
Is the wisdom that comes from a life shaped by disappointment,
My focus is on Mercy not revenge,
Forgiveness conquers hatred every time,
It’s no easy victory that comes from choosing love first,
The corpse of hatred left to rot on it’s own,
Here I stand a living witness to what love can do.

Rejection was the final straw,
But, also the new beginning,
All my despair wrapped up and tossed away,
A new foundation of hope became my guiding light,
Each day drawing me to new ways to praise.

God’s life touching mine is blessing felt,
All the family are joined as one in this blessing,
We hold our heads high as we walk in step,
Unity is declaration of our shared desire,
To praise God without holding back,
To live life in total abandonment to God,
To love abundantly holding nothing back.

Praise is the heartbeat of life,
Eternity lifted high on forgiveness’ shoulders,
Carried along in open hearted celebration,
The crowd gets bigger with each step forward,
The thrill of this shared adventure ,
Sending a shiver through my body,
I have joined Eternity’s party,
And this is now my life forever,
Thank you Lord,
I am always grateful for this chance to love you.

I love my God who is always ready to listen,
The one who holds the world up with one hand,
Is the one who stops everything to listen to me,
I never think for a minute that I am an inconvenience,
Welcome is the first word that is spoken,
My every word treasured and heard,
Holding my one precious life in holy awe.

When I was wandering lost in the pits of despair,
“Alone” the biggest lie constantly spoken,
Trapped by a wily foe who wielded kindness
As his weapon of choice that sought to first disarm,
then confuse and finally used to destroy anything –
that is beautiful or treasured or hoped for.

When nothing was left that was trustworthy,
I put my trust in God, totally,
All of my tears were wiped by the softest touch,
Of a hand that desired to touch my deep pain,
When my body was wracked by sobs,
My entire body trembling as I wept daily,
The hand with the soft touch,
Was also the hand that lifted me into life,
The miracle of renewal was his gift to me.

I bring my praise this morning as an offering,
To my God who will treasure every word,
My promises are easy to say and hard to live,
But, I seek God in every sacred vow I make,
Set free to declare it boldly to anyone who listens,
Hear my praise this morning Lord!
As I join with those who celebrate with me today.

Praise has one true name,
Love declares to everyone that I know it,
There is one true source of faithful friendship,
And, I am one of his closest companions.

Everyone is rushing around trying to create truth,
Making up new gods every day,
Each built on the dead bones of the previous god,
They are the outcome of stupidity’s foolishness,
Their only response to pain is ignorance,
Their understanding limited to blank stares,
Compassion betrayed by the pursuit of selfish gain.

Eternity’s close knit family know about trust,
Known in the truest form of the rescued soul,
When I was left dangling on the cliff’s edge,
I grasped for anyone to reach down to me,
Desperation sought any false hope,
It was God’s hand that lifted me from the precipice,
Aloneness was sheltered by total trust,

I was never forgotten by God,
He knows the lessons that I needed most,
Using every painful reminder of failure,
As the way to restore the broken life.

Love seeks to discover the gift of abundance,
Most of my day is spent counting my blessings,
Knowing that nothing is trustworthy in this life,
Except what is promised from Eternity’s love,
Love’s voice will not be silenced by death’s wishes,
The hollow croaks of revenge’s threats,
Are overwhelmed by praise’s victory shouts,
Celebrations are all around me,
Welcoming me to join in the party.

Redemption is my broken hearted story,
Life lived in the shadows feels important,
Bright lights trying to hide the dark night,
Rushing around busy completing useless tasks,
Frenetic activity seeking to calm my anxious mind,
Feeling like overwhelmed is the easiest path,
Until the self constructed life breaks in pieces,
Fragility masked by the clutter of riches.

The redeemed look arrogant rebellion in the eye,
Watching it retreat from the light,
Finally acknowledging that truth is never busy,
Honesty knows the miracle of forgiveness,
That brings creation into completeness,
Life flows freely from my trusted source,
Anxious fear forgotten forever.

 

Eternity celebrates a faithful heart,
The heart that knows his true name,
Grace calls my special name formed from love,
My imagination cannot contain the praise,
Not one creature is missed by His love,
Every piece of ground is witness to His light

Every person is called to worship God,
From the arrogant power mongers,
To the smallest child,
Only one God has lived among us,
Coming close so that his breath joined with mine.

Today’s defeat is tomorrow’s opportunity,
God’s calling is the ultimate equaliser,
Beloved, is the name of every last child of His,
Seated with all His loved children,
Brought together through love’s sacrifice,
Excited by the possibility of eternity,
And, the never ending opportunity to give thanks.

My delight begins with finding words to praise God,
And, in celebrating the lessons of disobedience,
The firm reminders of God’s hand on my life,
Tell me that nothing is left to chance.

Blessing has come from my wilderness wanderings,
When I had nothing left then beauty was found,
Light drew me to mercy’s soft eyes,
To the place where kindness speaks loudest,
Where compassion is heard and justice received.

I have decided about the life I want to live,
This is the life of hope that welcomes every day,
Firstly to listen to God’s voice and to obey,
Then, to live a truly generous life,
One that shares grace abundantly,
Trusting God for every moment lived,
Seeking greatness in every small opportunity,
Searching out the needs of others,
Giving out of blessing,
Knowing that there is always more to come.

I want the life of victory,
Where fear is kept where it belongs,
A life that knows about broken trust,
But, chooses to find what is trustworthy,
A life that has seen the fruit of selfish gain,
But, chooses to give without counting.

I am ready to leave selfish ambition behind,
He has prepared well for his own destruction,
Basking in his angry hollow threats,
That are forgotten and confused by the next lie,
His threats fading into the the abyss of nothing,
All his words a prison of endless frustrated anxiousness.

My delight comes from seeking out praise today,
The promise of seeking and finding answered again,
My heart’s deepest gladness celebrated in prayer,
Blessing after blessing found in praise.

I am surrounded by praise,
When my thoughts centre on His majestic plan,
My soul’s longings are my never dry well, my life source,
Understanding bringing a smile to my lips every day,
Providing for my needs and my heart’s cry,
Reaching out to me in loving compassion,
Showing me how to love unconditionally,

Doubt is in the distant past of my memory,
Never again can I ignore the truth in front of me,
God’s action in my world has left a clear mark,
There is no question about who I belong to,
My wilderness of disobedience forgiven totally,
My broken promises forgotten with a new start,
Life begins again with a fresh hope.

Insight from failure is the beginning of wisdom,
Life begins by giving God the respect he deserves,
Obedience is the humble pilgrim’s path,
The only way to enjoy life with no reservations.