The tragedies and maladies of life
All serve a saving purpose for the saint
For struggles that surmount a life with strife
Become the hues with which our Lord doth paint
O’er ev’ry evil, Elohim prevails
Effulgent Savior, holy thaumaturge
From death’s embrace, the true Messiah hails
And makes what brought despair to heal and purge
Now watch as broken daughters rise to dance
Now see as sickly sons stand up to praise
The vilest horrors help to fix our stance
The worst oppression only lifts the haze
No pow’r is held by any enemy
All things do work as one for good to me
Poetry
Linger
Let us linger
This our prayer
Here surrender ev’ry care
Humble praises
Fill the air
Come and meet us
Savior Jesus
Worn and weary
Here we wait
Be the bread upon our plate
Broken vessels
Recreate
Holy Father
Perfect Author
Resting, growing
Sanctify
On you now we fix the eye
Kingdom, glory
God most high
Sin now felling
Spirit dwelling
“Nevermore the Same”
Tenebrific tendencies
Tender for the flame
All of flesh abandoned now
Glory to the Name
Sin no longer satisfies
Life has filled the sinner’s eyes
Hope now grows as darkness dies
Nevermore the same
God’s messiah is revealed
Way and truth and life
Holy kingdom now at hand
Bringing joy and strife
Captive souls, he liberates
Darkest sin, propitiates
Open now are heaven’s gates
Enter, rescued wife
Glory that outweighs despair
All-surpassing hope
Trial now the exercise
Sanctifying trope
Healing wrought in bitter pain
Death: the door to greatest gain
Now removed is every stain
Life: eternal scope
Let Me Be Found Faithful
Let me be found faithful
In the task at hand,
Working so to never earn
A word of reprimand.
Let me always listen
To the Master’s voice,
Never speaking ill of him,
But learning to rejoice.
Let me walk in wisdom
Each and every day,
Knowing that apart from Christ
There is no other way.
Let me know my limits,
My true state to see,
Resting in the love of God
In sweet humility.
Let me walk in freedom,
Nevermore to sin,
Following my Savior till
I die to live again.
Wondrous Redemption, Mysterious Mercy
What kind of God would answer sin
With mercy, grace, and love?
Who pardons one so dark within
With blood from One above?
What Lord would take the rebel wretch
And make of him a son
While sending his own Son to fetch
Through death the wicked one?
How can it be that I should see
Your love on full display
When, even as I follow Thee,
I still do you betray?
I stand in guilt before your throne;
You throw my sin away.
You say I’ll never be alone;
Your Spirit here will stay.
O Lord of all, I worship you
In spite of who I am
For who you are and what you do,
O sacrificial Lamb.
A Joyful Cogitation
What beauty does exist for those
Whose lives are lost for better life,
For from the death of flesh arose
Freedom and vict’ry over strife!
In Christ, the perfect priest of hope
Indwelling all whom he has gleaned,
No devil now can interlope
Near to the souls the blood has cleaned.
A joy now reigns in time of loss,
And loss of all is highest gain.
Salvation, that the crux – the cross,
Succeeded in the Savior’s pain.
Pure now, the slate of sinful man,
Purged by surrender to the King.
“Repentance! Glory! Heaven’s plan!”
Redemption opens lips to sing.
Destruction now can not destroy.
Despair no longer holds its pow’r.
Temptation fails to be a ploy
Though hell should loose itself this hour.
Christ’s work has won a life of peace.
Creation’s hope we recognize.
Old, earthly treasures we release.
Onward we march! On to the prize!
Security
Though through the darkest valleys I
May pass in my pursuit of thee
I will remember thou art nigh
And call to mind your love for me
And though my path be wrought with pain
From broken hopes and shattered dreams
I will find joy in you again
And rest in you by peaceful streams
And though the sorrow may increase
Beyond all limits I perceived
You are for me a constant peace
The Lord in whom I have believed
Though weakness and despair abound
As mortal flesh its limits reach
In you, my strength afresh is found
As I your aid do now beseech
Rejoice, O joyful Christian
Rejoice, O joyful Christian
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Faith
O blessed joy of ignorance
As to what lies ahead,
For fears assault my common sense
In search of steps to tread.
My future lies unknown to me
Beyond my line of sight,
And as I look to what I see,
My heart is filled with fright.
This drives me to despair in hope
In what I can create
Until, as I in darkness grope,
I learn to sit and wait.
O blessed desperation which
Destroys the idol’s hold
And shows me that I am not rich
In faith like saints of old.
O blessed pain that pushes back
Against my comfort’s walls
And makes me see my state of lack
Instead of white washed halls.
Oh bless the trial that makes me know
I have no hope but one.
I can’t complain if I would grow
In light of God’s own Son.
My flesh is strong, my weakness vast,
My hope in self has died.
His love is proved from ages past.
In him, I shall abide.
Thanatopsis
Thanatopsis
The time will come when mortal moments cease,
When breath will leave these lungs to draw no more.
It matters not my state of war or peace:
Death still shall come to knock upon my door.
Then I shall greet him not as foe, but friend,
For his is not the victory to gain.
Although, in time, my life may seem to end,
Eternity my soul will then attain.
For I have died already, yet I walk,
Alive because the Word did more than talk.
as i learn to walk 