Showing posts with label Alan Jackson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alan Jackson. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Redemption-wrought Renewal


Surely all the suffering of sorrow, sickness, loss
would get the best of us without God's comfort through the cross
Praise Him; the best this life affords is free to one and all
Salvation through the sacrifice that saves us from The Fall
and breaks the curse of death and hell the hour we believe
renewing faith's hope day by day, through life yet to receive

John 3:16 (NKJV)
For God so loved the world 
that He gave His only begotten Son,
 that whoever believes in Him 
should not perish 
but have everlasting life.


2 Cor.4:16-18
Therefore we do not lose heart. 
Even though our outward man is perishing, 
yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 
 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, 
is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 
 while we do not look at the things which are seen, 
but at the things which are not seen. 
For the things which are seen are temporary, 
but the things which are not seen are eternal.


Renewed day by day
Where challenges we face
Would draw hope’s anchored joy away
Without God’s love and grace
Without His promises
To cheer our mortal clay
Without His perfect no and yes
To comfort as we pray
Without the confidence
Of Him, in full control
Without Calvary’s Providence
To save the deathless soul

...till the dark glass between
Faith and Sight melts away
The glory of what/Who is Unseen
Renews us day by day

© Janet Martin






Wednesday, December 7, 2022

Not a Once-and-Done Thing-Surrender

 

This poem was inspired in part by a conversation with a friend yesterday,
who has suffered some severe disappointments in the past few years 
and what appears to the naked eye, to be setbacks
resulting in trying physical and financial challenges!
But, I was so struck by the beauty of her spirit of surrender to God's will
as she spoke about joys she is discovering through her walk by faith, not sight.
Not easy by any stretch, but real! and a reminder for all of us
to yield and trust rather than fret and doubt!
On our own journeys (my own journey) of surrender,
 I pray, Oh Lord, for more
'trust with all my heart rather than leaning on my own understanding'!

Ah surrender, you are not once and done, but pray
with each surrender we demolish another stumbling block to full surrender!

Only Trust Him-Alan Jackson



The joy of surrender, oh, how can it be
Relinquishing want’s anxious hold
To trust in the Lord, where, though faith cannot see
It rests in the truths He has told

The peace of surrender, oh, how is it so
To yield amidst trouble’s travail
To the kind assurance God’s word will bestow
To know that He will never fail

The heart of surrender, oh, sweet, sweet release
To commit/submit to God’s perfect will
To find in the place of my pining, His peace
As storms of selfish struggle still

The bliss of surrender, unreserved and true
The beauty of bowing, undone
Allowing God’s Spirit to will and to do
The work He has barely begun

© Janet Martin

I remember my grandmother reminding me
'surrender is only a battle if we put up a fight'.

Utterly impacted; oh, that it could be
That the love of God would work
 love’s miracle in me!

Psalm 37:5
Commit your way to the LORD; 
trust in Him, and He will do it.

Prov.3:1-8
My son, do not forget my teaching,
but let your heart keep my commandments;
2for they will add length to your days,
years and peace to your life.
3Never let loving devotion or faithfulness leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4Then you will find favor and high regard
in the sight of God and man.
5Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and lean not on your own understanding;
6in all your ways acknowledge Him,
and He will make your paths straight.
7Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD and turn away from evil.
8This will bring healing to your bodyb
and refreshment to your bones.








Thursday, January 20, 2022

Save Pray...

 

From those who mourn for loved ones called from this world to the next,
(So, so many) 
to those who have lost or not found The Way in this world
(so, so many)
sorrow-storms roll, and what can we do
where no one can restore loved ones departed,
 or force repentance, 
or faith in God 
or love for Him?!
 Ah, yes. We can pray!
(for faith and love's increase in all of us)

It's been a little while since I shared
one of my most beloved hymns
(lyrics in above link)



What we can do nothing about (save pray) we ought to then
Rather than shake our fists and shout and berate fellowmen
Rather than fret and forget who (when we pray) hears us plead
The first thing that we ought to do is trust God with our need

Prayer is more than religious sport or platitude-regale
More than a sorry last resort, when all our efforts fail
Prayer is faith’s tender fellowship, as man to God confides
Where through His Word God will equip us for what life betides

Sweet hour of prayer, God meets us there; He comforts and sustains
He bids us leave our burdens where surrender rends dark chains
He stretches out His arms and draws us close; Love never fails
His whisper calms the storm that was, as ‘peace, be still’ prevails

What we can do nothing about (save pray) ah, pray we would
Rather than yield to dismal doubt while God works for our good
God, who is rich in mercy hears the humble heart’s request
And through our dialogue of tears, He works for our best

God, who is rich in mercy because of His great love for us
While we were dead in sin, He made us alive through Jesus
Thus, now no matter what we face His kindness can afford
Exceeding riches of His grace through Jesus Christ, our Lord

What we can do nothing about (save pray) where evil lurks
We ought to then; faith without prayer is like faith without works
With meek and contrite attitude, then pray and do not cease
Until hope's cup of gratitude flows over with God’s peace

© Janet Martin

The past two Sunday morning messages 
were focused on one of my most beloved passages of Scripture;
Many are the times I whisper the sweet treasure of the beginning of verse 4:

But God, who is rich in mercy,
because of His great love with which He loved us,
5 even when we were dead in trespasses,
made us alive together with Christ
(by grace you have been saved),
6 and raised us up together,
and made us sit together
in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
7 that in the ages to come He might show
the exceeding riches of His grace
in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Lent to Lose (in order to find)


On Sunday our message was from Matthew 16
 including the challenge in verse 25;
"For whoever wants to save their life will lose it,
but whoever loses their life for me will find it."

Oh, how easy it is to forget
Life is a gift, lent!
...a gift with sacred reckoning
on how it is spent



This poem is inspired in part,
by a family tragedy...

On Sunday night my nephew's 19 mo. old son went missing on their farm.
His body was recovered on Monday in a manure pump.
Please pray for strength and comfort
for my brother Stuart and their family and
esp. for my nephew and his wife, Charles and Andrea!


Sometimes the certainty of sorrow tries to steal the glow
And make us worry ‘bout tomorrow and what none can know
Sometimes senses of satisfaction lose approval’s nod

Sometimes the trouble we are born to tests want’s willful way
Tempting man with doubt’s first question ‘did God really say?’
For we see only the pieces; the picture as a whole
Must wait until God’s will releases body from the soul

Sometimes people are prone to ponder Mercy’s Upper Hand
But we were born to trust and wonder, not to understand
Born to find strength in surrender, not in a fist we raise
Born to be a humble spender of numbered, gifted days

Sometimes our own idea of what should or should not be
Makes us rebel against replies of ‘be it unto me
Sometimes sudden loss reminds us not to take for granted
What we soon will leave behind us, back to He who lent it

© Janet Martin


 

 

 

Thursday, October 29, 2020

Universal Call/Cross


(can you whole-heartedly and honestly sing the hymn below without reserve?!)
Sometimes I feel like a hypocrite when I sing it.
I tend to get kinda stuck in My Ways😒



Nothing speaks quite so powerfully as a person's choices.
When we watch someone lay all of their own personal desires
on the altar of daily sacrifice to wholly follow Him.
We have a young man with a young family who is about to start fulltime
service at our church after leaving a secure job to answer God's call.
Will you pray for him (Andreas) and his family in this leap  step of faith...
And while you do could you add another man (Gary) and his family to your prayers,
joining our church family in January.
The rebuilding at WBC, around the hole Ron left begins...

Matt. 16:24 
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, 
let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

Luke 9:23
Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, 
let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.


There is a universal call to all who love God’s Son 
Though He has paid the debt for sin the cost has just begun 
For all who follow in His steps must be willing to die 
To the desires of the flesh and their own will deny 

There is a cross not made of wood that we are called to take 
To do the things disciples should for their dear Master’s sake 
Not to adhere to high decrees some prominence to prove 
But to follow where His call leads with no motive/credit but love 

There is a thorough reckoning that someday will come due 
Where reply to His beckoning is more than verbal spew 
Whether we are courageous or remain somewhat aloof 
Our answer spills in pages we fill up with Living Proof 

There is a universal call to repent and believe 
And oh, how very beautiful is Faith’s Gift we receive 
Where, though Redemption’s price is paid and salvation is free 
The cost is still cross-shaped as we respond to ‘follow Me’ 

© Janet Martin 

Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Believe To Receive

He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. 
Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."
Mark 5:34

Luke 18:42
"Receive your sight!" Jesus replied. "Your faith has healed you."

Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."
Luke 17:19

Luke 7:50
And Jesus told the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

Matthew 8:13
Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! As you have believed, so will it be done for you."
 And his servant was healed at that very hour.

Matthew 9:29
Then He touched their eyes and said,
 "According to your faith will it be done to you."

Faith is unlike any other gift;
We have to believe before we can receive.
Often, in this world we believe when we see!
Not so with faith...
How can we get faith?
By getting to know the One in whom we place it.
How can we get to know Him?
Only one way; by getting into His Word and
acquainting ourselves with His loving promises.



This poem came out of my personal struggle with letting go
of anxiety and to put my trust wholly in God
(to let faith make me whole) 



When we believe
Then we receive
Faith cannot first behold
Trust must rely
On God’s reply
With courage brave and bold

Lord, God we pray
That come-what-may
Our faith will make us whole
When we believe
And then receive
The healing of the soul

Belief, my friend
Cannot pretend
Faith has no seen façade
But we receive
As we believe
The promises of God

Then pray we trust
And yield this dust
To He who knows all things
As we believe
We will receive
The perfect peace faith brings

When we believe
Then we receive
There is no other way
 But we will find
Sweet peace of mind
When we trust and obey


© Janet Martin

The artist below (David Wesley) is a nurse here in Ontario, Canada. 
Let's remember to pray without ceasing for 
healthcare workers all over the world!





Isaiah 12:2
Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. 
For the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, 
and He also has become my salvation."

Isaiah 26:3-4
You will keep him in perfect peace,  
Whose mind is stayed on You, 
Because he trusts in You.
Trust in the Lord forever,
For in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength.


Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Joy-fix

I started writing this poem yesterday morning when dawn burst into bloom like a coral flower!
This morning's 'flower' is wet and gray😀 


...but then Victoria and I decided it might be the last Monday of the season 
to get in a nice fall-colour hike, so off we went!


When we got back since it was election day in Canada we went to vote,
before Grand-sonny arrived to 'help' Grandma with some outdoor fall chores...


...by the time these were finished it was almost dark.
When I returned to the poem this morning I was thinking about how thankful I am that we can 
fix our hope and joy on more than election outcomes!
(we will continue to pray for our leaders in government...
and do our best to be up-building citizens!)


Beauty breaks yon bower
Black of night unfolds
Morning is a flower
Bursting ancient molds
As waking elation
Glimpses He who grants
A kind invitation
To The Cosmic Dance

…where we, when forgiven
Through Jesus, God’s Son
Will inherit Heaven
After earth is done
By no self-wrought merit
Salvation, a gift
Father, Son and Spirit
Bridge damnation’s rift

Beauty breaks yon bower
Grace ignites hope’s flare
None can thwart the power
Of penitent prayer
While the seasons sally
One above Time’s toll
Stays the Divine Rally
Twixt Godhead and soul

…where we with kind courage
Trek this fleck of sod
Not in feckless forage
But with trust in God
For our joy is Jesus
Through Him we proceed
Where Perfect Love bids us
To follow His lead

© Janet Martin

our call to endurance is found in Hebrews 2:1-3
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race set out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.…



Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Of Vows Renewed

  

Lest we forget
Let's live as if
Today was life's final amen
Lest we forget
Let's love as if
We might not ever meet again~

 © Janet Martin

Remembering those who lost loved ones and those lost 18 years ago!


 

 
 



Saturday, January 26, 2019

The Reason I Pray


Yesterday I wrote the Reasons I Write Poetry.
On a far more sacred note today I write a few of the reasons I pray!

I pray to obey Love's command and appeal
Even when words fail me He knows how I feel
I ask God for trust where Unknown veils The Way
I praise Him for mercies unveiling new day
I plead for His Presence to guide, keep and such
For loved ones too far from my fingers to touch
His hand on their shoulder to protect and cheer
His voice in their choices, His Hope in their fear
His joy in their sorrow, His Light in the dark
His strength in their weakness, His word in their heart
I pray and in this way touch the Hand of He
Who fashions the flower and favours the field
With sunshine and shower for bountiful yield
I pray so that I may not forget His grace
Vile curse of sin broken, Death robbed of its goal
In Eternal life for the undying soul
I pray for those blinded by unbelief, hate
…that they will find Truth before it is too late
That they will repent, confess Him and receive
Blood-bought inheritance for all who believe
I appeal to him for forgiveness of sin
Lest an evil shoot starts to take root within
I thank Him for His Word that will never fail
For His perfect love to direct and prevail
I thank Him and thank Him and thank Him again
For Hope springs eternal in spite of life’s pain
For His Pardon suffered and sealed, once for all
Still, I pray for conviction where sin would befall
I pray for believers to fight the good fight
To lean on the One whose way is always right
His thoughts so much higher than man’s want and woe
I thank Him for peace within, while still without
The world suffers, writhing in hate, fear and doubt
I thank Him that no mortal power or threat
Can thwart or usurp I AM’s Immortal ‘Yet’
Jesus; His Lordship and His Righteousness
I thank Him that his joy is our strength and shield
That in His right timing all will be revealed
That in the meantime, we, humble human race
Hallelujah,
Amen

© Janet Martin