A MONDAY MORNING MOMENT
A workday morning-cold, dark and rainy,
another dollar . . . another day . . .
feeling slightly teary . . . discouraged and weary,
I hardly had the wherewithal to pray . . .
anything I could say had already been said
so many times before,
but with an audible voice, I lifted my head
and called out to my Savior once more.
Lord, I need . . . . . . . .
I need . . . . . . . .
I don’t know what I need,
but I’m sure I don’t like feeling like this.
I need . . . . . . . . .
I need . . . . . . . . .
I’ll tell you what I need ~
today, Lord, I just need from you . . .
a kiss
then I closed my eyes
and felt oppression lift.
†††
A RAY OF LIGHT
Dark, billowing clouds overtake the sky.
United, they block the sun.
Gloomy shadows are cast upon the earth
and it seems as though night has come.
Where once the light glittered amongst the leaves
and bright rays danced upon the ground;
where once the sun shone with such clarity,
now only storm clouds abound.
Why did the clouds choose to gather here?
How long will the darkness endure?
Powerless to cause them to dissipate,
how I long for the sun to return.
Helplessly I glare at the threatening forms,
when slowly, so silently,
a small ray of light filters through the mass,
disrupting its unity.
Though the sun itself has not yet appeared,
that tiny ray is a lifeline for me –
an assurance of things that are hoped for;
a conviction of things unseen.
And so it is with the Son, Jesus Christ,
when the storm clouds of life come to call.
His promises become our ray of hope.
The Son is above it all!
†††
GOOD-BYE FOR NOW
I must say good-bye for now;
the Lord has called you home.
And though my heart is filled with grief,
it’s eased because I know
the place that you have gone to
is much better than this place.
You’ve finally met our Savior;
now your days are filled with praise.
You’ll never hurt or cry again.
You’ve been joined with family,
and I can almost hear you singing
as you stand before the King!
Though I know I can’t be with you now,
this good-bye is not forever.
My friend, I’ll see you later
and we’ll praise the Lord together!
†††
Grrrrrrrr . . .
The alarm rings, it’s raining and it’s Monday,
40-plus hours of work are straight ahead,
the interstate drive will be challenging,
office projects this week, demanding,
irritation starts to raise its ugly head . . .
Grrrrrrrr . . . reat is our Lord and His mighty power;
His understanding is wise and infinite.
Who knows better than He,
all the things ahead for me?
Should not my praise for Him also be infinite?
Grrrrrrrr . . . reat is Your love, it reaches to the heavens;
Your faithfulness, it reaches to the skies.
You are ever faithful to me
to provide everything I need.
That alone should cause my praise to rise!
Grrrrrrrr . . . reat, oh, Lord, is Your love toward me;
You’ve delivered me from the grave.
If I would think upon this thing,
my heart should do nothing but sing,
no matter the irritations of the day.
Grrrrrrrr . . . reat peace have they who love Your law,
nothing can make them stumble.
And so irritation has to leave,
it will have no affect on me.
I’m Yours and this is the day that You have made!
Ahhhhh . . . all better.
†††
HE’LL STILL LOVE ME
Will the final years of my life end in loneliness?
Will the Lord have taken those I hold most dear?
As I walk through my house, will the echo of my footsteps
be the only living thing I ever hear?
Having borne no children – I am barren,
will my heart reflect the same if I’m alone?
Will the children of my siblings have no time to spend with me
since they’ll have aged parents of their own?
When I contemplate how someday my life might turn out to be,
I must pause and rest assured of whose I am.
I’ll never be alone, neither now nor when I’m old
because Jesus Christ will always be my friend.
Should everyone forsake me, he’ll still be there.
If there’s no one else to call on, I’ll call him.
When it’s all said and done, he’ll still love me
and I know that I will still be loving him.
†††
IN A WORLD GONE MAD
What is the future for a world gone mad?
With lunatic leaders and terrorist attacks,
Avian flu and pandemic threats,
hurricanes, earthquakes
and millions of deaths?
And how will things ultimately turn out for me?
My health, job, finances,
and my family?
Who knows? God knows.
And that’s good enough for me.
There’s such peace in the knowledge of that.
Life.
I can’t control it,
direct it,
correct it,
or perfect it;
but when I submit it,
commit it,
and to the Lord give it,
the burden becomes His
and not mine.
And whatever prophetic event lies ahead,
He’ll give me the grace to endure it,
and someday quite soon
I won’t even recall it
when the reality of eternity
is mine.
And there’s great peace in the knowledge of that.
†††
IN THE MIDST OF DARKNESS
The sun goes down
and with it the sound
that accompanies the day,
but I stand quietly
in the darkness
and the night sounds
begin to arise.
Crickets chirp and locusts sing,
a bat on the prowl, the flutter of wings;
the volume increases
and the cadence intensifies
as the hour grows later.
In the midst of the darkness,
creation still worships its Creator.
And in the midst of dark days,
this creation still worships her Creator.
†††
IN YOU I TRUST
Why do small children sometimes die?
Why must your people suffer?
Why are some of us miraculously healed
and, even though we believe, not others?
My Lord, I know I am out of line
by always asking why,
but so many things make so little sense
to my tiny, human mind.
Help me, Lord, to have more faith
and remember you are God.
Your ways are so much higher than mine
and your thoughts are not my thoughts.
Humble me, Lord; help me keep in mind
who you really are,
and as I demand answers I need not know,
that I’m not the one in charge.
Instead of asking, “Why, Lord?”,
let me say, “In you I trust”.
And as others question their circumstances,
show through me your caring love.
†††
MIDNIGHT CONVERSATION
It’s a silent, silent night
when I call out
and there’s no response . . .
darkness engulfs the silence
as my ears strain
to hear Your voice.
I wanted a long dissertation . . .
full counsel on how to proceed,
but now just a single word
spoken by You
will gratify . . .
satisfy . . . .
me . . .
just to know
I can still
hear You speak . . .
Peace, be still . . .
and I fall gently
to sleep.
†††
NEVER DESTROYED
Trust me when I say you can trust in the Lord;
I know because I speak from experience
and the outcome will often contradict human sense;
it’s about God getting all the glory . . .
it’s about the miraculous.
So whether sick or in pain or in sorrow,
pressed in from all sides or unemployed . . .
remember,
we’re persecuted, but never abandoned,
cast down, but we’re never destroyed.
In those times when you want to cry, “Uncle”,
let “Father” instead be your cry.
When all you can do is throw up your hands,
He will take them and lift up His child.
†††
NO NEED FOR WORRY
When I wake up in the morning
feeling grouchy or slightly blue.
It’s an effort to get moving,
yet I have so much to do.
It’s then that I remember
and my spirit starts to soar;
there’s no reason for feeling blue,
and cheer fills my life once more.
When things aren’t running smoothly,
it’s the scripture’s words I hear:
“Be still and know that He is God”,
and my worries just disappear.
I love the Lord so very much;
He knows my every need
and because He loves me faithfully,
He’ll always take care of me.
During the day when the job gets tough
and the boss is throwing fits;
the work is piling up sky-high
and I’m ready to call it quits.
I pause and then remember,
and quiet peace just fills my soul.
Smiling at my boss, I tackle the work;
why there wasn’t so much after all!
So many things can upset us:
lack of money, fear of storms,
depression, sickness, or a loved one’s death,
arguments, catastrophes, wars.
Yes, trials are sometimes plenty,
but true peace is always near.
By taking a moment to trust in the Lord,
He’ll remove His children’s fears!
†††
ONE WORD ALONE
When the world around you seems about to crush your soul
and the stress of life just takes your breath away,
with hands clenched, you long to shout, “no more, please no more”,
a resting place is just a word away.
Jesus . . . one whispered word will bring you quiet peace.
Jesus . . . there is power in the holy name you speak.
It only takes a moment to receive the peace you seek,
one word alone . . . and it is “Jesus”.
When troubles overcome you and your future is unclear,
you’re burdened by the crisis that you face,
sleepless nights and worried days are filled with trembling and fear,
calm assurance is a single word away.
Jesus . . . one whispered word will bring you quiet peace.
Jesus . . . there is holy power in the name you speak.
And the power of His name will soothe the trembling of your heart,
one word alone . . . and it is “Jesus”.
Jesus . . . He’s your peace-giver.
Jesus . . . He’s your deliverer.
It only takes a moment to whisper out His name,
one word alone . . . and it is “Jesus”.
†††
OUT OF THE RAPIDS
I’ve rowed and rowed . . . it seems . . . upstream . . . forever,
watching raft after raft approach and pass me by,
although Christ-like, moral and fair,
with oars positioned to sail with flair,
I never seem to get anywhere,
and I cried out “Why?”
He softly replied,
Rewards are not achieved through human striving;
and earthly achievement is not really victory;
your treasure and your reward
will not be found upon this earth.
It’s in my presence, child.
Your reward is found in me.
Lead me out of the rapids, Jesus,
into the peaceful stream,
where the roaring waters
and thundering winds subside.
Away from human striving,
selfish conniving and contriving,
wasted energy expended to direct and protect this life.
Let my vessel float instead in the Living Water,
where Son-kissed breezes soothe and refresh me,
where treasures abound this world can never offer –
in that place, Lord, where it’s only you and me.
†††
TEARS FOR AMERICA,
TEARS FOR NEW YORK
Broken bodies, broken buildings, broken families;
orphaned children, wives and husbands, ripped apart;
innocent lives, vaporized, by a mad man’s insanity;
still America presses on with a broken heart.
Frustrated by my far-away location,
I see your faces; hear your stories, through the news.
Oh, that I could reach out through the television
to wipe away your tears and tell you that I love you.
For I see the tender, wounded ones of America,
and I feel a great compassion from the Lord.
I know He’s weeping with this country in this hour,
and I know that His tears are falling on New York.
How I long to be His arms of great compassion,
His hands of healing and His voice of gentle love.
He wants to comfort all the hearts that have been broken,
and He longs to draw each one unto Himself.
So I say to the wounded, frightened, and the weary,
I love you . . . I really love you in Jesus’ name.
And though I can’t be with you in your time of grieving,
Jesus can, and for each of you, that’s what I pray.
†††
THE LIGHTHOUSE
It’s been such a long, long journey
as the old ship is tossed to and fro;
the waves slam against the weather-worn bow
and the winds never cease to blow.
Bruised by the pummeling of rain and hail,
I peer into the blackest of night,
for I know just ahead lies protection;
just ahead lies a beckoning light.
Diffused by the mist, there’s a glow in the east;
it’s the light on which I can depend.
In its direction I eagerly steer;
peace and safety are mine, once again.
Though the darkness may try to confuse me,
and the storms of life seem not to cease,
the light of my Lord always guides me
to a harbor of safety and peace.
†††
THE SMALL STUFF
Why do we sweat the small stuff,
the silly details of life?
Why should unimportant things
cause us such pressure and strife?
After all . . . the things we do down here,
to make us look good or efficient,
really count for nothing at all
and are spiritually insignificant.
We work so hard to “look good”
(often pressured to the point of tears)
that we need to consider the question:
who’ll remember in 100 years?
Will God?
“My kingdom is not of this world.” John 18:36
†††
THOUGH THE GROUND MAY SHAKE . . .BE GROUNDED
(Definition of “grounded”: the secure feeling of being in touch with reality)
The Lord says to his people
be grounded
be grounded in what you believe
be grounded in My Word
be grounded in Me
in the reality of eternity
for dark days are ahead
ones of sorrow and tribulation
of despair
hopelessness
and death
do not be grounded in the world ~
if you are, you’ll collapse when it’s shaken
instead know what you believe and in whom you believe
keep your heart and your mind on your Savior
and though the ground may shake
uncontrollably
you will stand
stand in faith and peace
if you’re grounded
grounded
in Me.
–Cheri Henderson, hendersonct@aol.com
Lyrics for the Lord by Cheri Henderson 