Showing posts with label encouragement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label encouragement. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 2, 2024

Sorrow's Silver Lining

Lam.3:31-33 NIV
For no one is cast off by the Lord forever.
32 Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
so great is his unfailing love.
33 For he does not willingly bring affliction
or grief to anyone.

***
Some sorrow-crosses are borne on backs,
and are easy to recognize,
some are borne in hearts and souls
known fully, only to God's eyes
This life, full of sorrow-inducing care
Is weathered best, tethered to prayer
Because wherever/whatever the cross may be
None are too hidden for God to see
No matter what hurt has fashioned its frame
Healing is found as hope trusts in His Name

*** 

Isa.40:31 NIV
...but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.
 They will soar on wings like eagles;
 they will run and not grow weary, 
they will walk and not be faint.



Sorrow can be a plumbless pit
Where worship could wither away
Or, it can be the key to fit
The bearer of its cross to pray
To help faith’s posture learn to lean
Completely on God’s perfect will
To guide through gates to pastures green
To lead us beside waters still
And drink from Living Streams, our fill

…where, though Evidence of things seen
May fill our Cup of Circumstance
With sorrow’s bitter go-between
Vexing hope’s perplexing substance
He shepherds and restores our souls
He leads in paths of righteousness
And sanctifies self-seeking goals
With a more Calvary-like ‘yes’
As we cling to His promises

Sorrow could drown hope in sad tears
And blind us to ‘joy set before’
And choke us with a noose of years
Where Yester’s futile shadows roar
Or sorrow can invite us to
Come unto He who gives us rest
To taste His comfort, kind and true
For He bore sorrow’s greatest test
Thus understands our sorrows best

Ah, here sorrow dons eagle’s wings
Though grief may hound time's brief sojourn
Hope's silver lining gleams; joy sings
Like a bird sensing Morn’s return
The valley of death’s shadow grants
The Shepherd's rod and staff to cheer
The Cup of bitter Circumstance
While Heaven’s gate/wait is drawing near
The hour of faith’s final tear

© Janet Martin

Psalm 23 NKJV

The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not [a]want.
2 He makes me to lie down in [b]green pastures;
He leads me beside the [c]still waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will [d]dwell in the house of the Lord
[e]Forever.

Monday, November 27, 2023

Through The Ups and Downs of 'Becoming'


Nothing in life stays the same for long, does it?!
Seasons change. People change.
Change is constant but something I read this morning reminded readers
that rather than just seeing ourselves, or situations as changing, 
to view it as 'becoming'.
This attitude helps us be more merciful and prudent 
with both ourselves and others!

So off we go to meet the ups and downs of
a new day and a new week, of Becoming
all by the changeless grace of our changeless, loving God.
p.s. it's worth every precious while we take
to think about how much God loves us!


Doesn't the canvas of a new day sometimes almost take your breath away,
considering humankind's track-record?!!



Oh, the ups and downs of living
Oh, the cups that fill and drain
As torrents of take-and-giving
Rush hearts with pleasure and pain

Oh, the highs and lows of loving
Oh, the ties that strain and bend
In the thick and quick of proving
Love’s faithfulness to the end

Oh, the Yet of have-and-holding
Oh, the letting go it bears
Teaching us the art of folding
Life-long learning into prayers

Oh, the tug of wars we weather
Oh, the hug that bids release
Oh, the testing of love’s tether
As God works its masterpiece

Oh, the rise and fall of laughter
Oh, the prize and gall of tears
Caught between before and after 
While a lifetime disappears 

Oh, love's fumbles, oh, life's stumbles
Oh, the bumbles we repeat (or, oh, the humble pies we eat)
While God's grace and goodness tumbles
New 'becoming' 'neath our feet 

Oh, the beauty of His favor
Oh, the duty of reply
Oh, the love of Christ, our Saviour's
'Upsy-daisy, here am I 

Through the ups and downs of living
In the cups that fill and drain
With torrents of take-and-giving
Here am I to help again'

© Janet Martin

May we take heart through
Solomon's Benediction, as relevant now as then!

1 Kings 8:54-61
Solomon’s Benediction

54Now when Solomon had finished praying this entire prayer and petition to the LORD,
he got up before the altar of the LORD,
where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven.
55And he stood and blessed the whole assembly of Israel in a loud voice, saying:
56“Blessed be the LORD, who has given rest to His people Israel
according to all that He promised.
Not one word has failed of all the good promises
He made through His servant Moses.
57May the LORD our God be with us, as He was with our fathers.
May He never leave us nor forsake us.
58May He incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways
and to keep the commandments and statutes
and ordinances He commanded our fathers.
59And may these words with which I have made my petition before the LORD
be near to the LORD our God day and night,
that He may uphold the cause of His servant
 and of His people Israel as each day requires, 
60so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God.
There is no other!
61So let your heart be fully devoted to the LORD our God,
as it is this day, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments.”

Monday, November 13, 2023

What A Friend We Have In Jesus


No matter who or where we are,
 what we shoulder or what we face...
What a Friend We Have in Jesus!


But I will sing of Your strength 
and proclaim Your loving devotion in the morning.
 For You are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.


Psalm 46:1
God is our refuge and strength,
 an ever-present help in times of trouble.



I love you Lord, my Help, the One in whom I put my trust
I love you Lord, my Hope until I shed this garb of dust
I love you Lord, my Joy in grief, my Comforter and Friend
I love Your Word to cheer and keep Faith faithful to the end
I love You for You understand each wordless groan of prayer
I love You, as You walk with me through valleys of despair
I love Your Hand to hold me as life doles its ups and downs
I love You. You console me when anguish my gladness crowns/drowns
I love You, Lord; You are my strength; through You I will endure
I love You, Lord, for I am rich when my spirit is poor
I love You Lord; your grace and mercy pour as I beseech
I love You, for You minister where no one else can reach
I love You Lord; You are my song in the night and the day
I love You. You forgive my sin and wash my guilt away
I love You, Lord; You are my anchor when storms test and toss
I love You; death defeated through the power of the cross
I love You; Lord, You are my peace when fear seeks to prevail
I love You with the love You give; Your love will never fail

© Janet Martin






Monday, October 9, 2023

With Groans too Deep For Words

Luke 21:28
Now when these things begin to happen, 
look up and lift up your heads,
 because your redemption draws near.”

We weep and pray for you, 
(With groans too deep for words)
dear, suffering fellow-believers
in Israel, as well as those in many others countries in 
Africa, Europe, and Asia😥💔🙏

And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, 
and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: 
for the Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.
19 For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem: thou shalt weep no more: 
he will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; 
when he shall hear it, he will answer thee.
20 And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, 
yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, 
but thine eyes shall see thy teachers:
21 And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, 
when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left...





The whole earth groans with pain as we wait eagerly
For Thy return and none knows when Redemption’s Day will be
Thy hope has set us free from bondage of decay
The power of the enemy cannot Thy will dismay
Thou, Beginning and End, Thou, The First and the Last
Thou, Heavenly Father and Friend, will hold Thy people fast

Thou, Salvation and Light, quells lurking dreads and fears
In Thee we put our trust; Thy might breaks bows and shatters spears
Greater art Thou in us than evil’s hate unfurled
Futile is the ruckus, of he whose kingdom is this world
This world is not the home of those who trust in Thee
Though waters roar and foam and mountains fall into the sea,

…though kingdoms crumble, oh, and nations rage and moan
You bid us to be still and know that You are God alone
Ancient Fortress and Stay, faithful Ancient of Days
In Thee we put our trust for aye; exalting Thee with praise
Come all, and trust in He Whose Coming We Revere
Stand up and lift your heads and see redemption drawing near

© Janet Martin

Rom.8:18-27

I consider that our present sufferings are not comparable to the glory that will be revealed in us.
  19The creation waits in eager expectation for the revelation of the sons of God.
  20For the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, 
but because of the One who subjected it, in hope
  21that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay 
and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

22We know that the whole creation has been groaning together
 in the pains of childbirth until the present time.
  23Not only that, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, 
groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
  24For in this hope we were saved; but hope that is seen is no hope at all. 
Who hopes for what he can already see? 
25But if we hope for what we do not yet see, we wait for it patiently.

26In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. 
For we do not know how we ought to pray, 
but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words.
  27And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, 
because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.


Psalm 46
God Is Our Refuge and Strength

For the choirmaster. Of the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth.a A song.

1God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in times of trouble.
2Therefore we will not fear,
though the earth is transformed
and the mountains are toppled
into the depths of the seas,
3though their waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake in the surge.
Selah

4There is a river whose streams delight the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5God is within her; she will not be moved.
God will help her when morning dawns.
6Nations rage, kingdoms crumble;
the earth melts when He lifts His voice.
7The LORD of Hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah

8Come, see the works of the LORD,
who brings devastation upon the earth.
9He makes wars to cease throughout the earth;
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
He burns the shieldsb in the fire.
10“Be still and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted over the earth.”
11The LORD of Hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah

Wednesday, September 27, 2023

Of Highs and Lows (that life bestows) or Faith's Footpath


So much to rejoice in 
and so much to mourn
This is the battle to
which we are born
But He who made us 
fits us for the fight
Because faith's footpath
Is not walked by sight!

Wishing you a precious sense of His Presence
in the highs and lows that life bestows

As the mountains surround Jerusalem, 
so the LORD surrounds His people, 
both now and forevermore.



Someday the highs and lows that life bestows will turn to mist
The all-consuming here and now will no longer exist
Someday all will reply to a call, none knows when will be
When, in the twinkling of an eye man meets eternity
As final breath eclipses mortal groaning and applause
As moment-let ellipses 
meld into 
A Life That Was

Meanwhile, this day the Lord has made beckons us to rejoice
In mercy’s evidence portrayed where morning lifts its voice
And lays beneath faith’s stumbling steps and agonies of dust
Sufficient grace to help mortal ineptness to entrust
Today’s unknowns to He who knows, who attends and sustains
Through highs and lows 
that life bestows 
as long as time remains

The beauty of the earth is scarred by consequence of sin
The best of man is marred by Adamic natures within
The heart, des’prately wicked, (yet not without hope!!), through He
Who left his throne to pay the debt that sets doomed sinners free
As true repentance and belief receive salvation’s gift
Life's highs and lows 
of joy and grief, 
faith’s footpath through Time’s rift

Someday yon hills will spill with rose gardens that never fade
No ill will mar the thrill of endless day the Lord has made
Someday ‘the way things are’ will cease, in pastures ever-green
We will behold love’s masterpiece with no dark glass between
As we pass through a curtain-close thought cannot comprehend
Someday, when highs and lows 
that life bestows 
come to an end

© Janet Martin







Thursday, May 11, 2023

This Little Flicker of a Tree

 



Sometimes dread tries to drive a wedge between joy and hope’s promises
Sometimes it tries to trump the pledge of mercy’s renewed faithfulness
Or darken the doorway of dawn with doubt and fear for the unknown
Until I hear the voice of One who whispers ‘You are not alone’

Sometimes the weight of creature care could rob me of would-be delight
Love’s load in constant need of prayer, life’s road a walk by faith, not sight
Sometimes the winds and waves of love could defeat courage thoroughly
Until I am reminded of ‘no longer I, but Christ in me’

Sometimes a formless enemy hisses and kindles vain debate
This liar tries to threaten me with Logic while God whispers ‘wait
Where sometimes discouragement bends this little flicker of a tree
Until I cry to God who sends angels to minister to me

© Janet Martin




Jer.17:5-8
This is what the Lord says:
“Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who draws strength from mere flesh
and whose heart turns away from the Lord.
6 That person will be like a bush in the wastelands;
they will not see prosperity when it comes.
They will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
in a salt land where no one lives.

7 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
8 They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.”

This cross in the sky felt like a tangible whisper this morning!!


Psalm 147:1
Praise[a] the Lord!
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful.

God's Precious Promises- Dr. Charles Stanley





Friday, February 17, 2023

Like Glimpses Through a Gate


Psalm 16:11
You will show me the path of life; 
In Your presence is fullness of joy; 
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.


The thrill of February spring was short-lived,
...as was the clean up from previous ice-storms, 
 We woke to a world ensconced in nature's glitz!

How oft the Creator consoles
Earth's happiness, so full of holes...





February is always a struggle for me, poetically-speaking, 
and this February is no exception, so emotionally demanding/draining
 with so much local trouble and sorrow,
not to mention globally!
But hallelujah,
 God Was, Is, and Ever Will Be in perfect control!

We walk by faith, not by sight!
2 Cor.5:7


How oft the Creator consoles
Earth's happiness, so full of holes
Where grief exacts love’s bitter thorn
As dreams are dashed and hearts are torn
…and then the morn heaps hope’s buffet
As mercy’s masterpieces splay
Like glimpses, through a gate ajar
Where everlasting pleasures are

How often our faith could be
Disillusioned by tragedy
This, but part and parcel of Time
Tethered to weathered season-chime
Where rhyme and reason could dismiss
God’s goodness with betrayal’s kiss
Until, like glimpses through a gate
He reminds us of joys that wait

How often we could lose our way
If we relied on logic’s say
Where wise and fool alike concede
Man’s days are few and full of need
But, the best this world can demand
Pales, compared to God’s Promised Land
Glimpsed through a gleaming gate, agape
With impressions of its landscape

How oft the poet’s flound’ring prayer
Could yield to pirates of despair
Where unholy taunt plunders thought
And steals joy with blessings forgot
Until God opens downcast eyes
To impact us with sweet surprise
Unveiled, like glimpses through a gate
Where worship’s endless pleasures wait

How oft life's weight of care could wage
A war that nothing could assuage
Without more than this world can host
Of temporary toast and boast
Hoisted between eternities
A flail of mortal agonies
While glimpses through yon Gate remind
The man of the soul's transient rind 

How oft the Creator consoles
Earth’s happiness, so full of holes
With glimpses of Heavenly Hills
From whence our Help and Comfort spills
To cheer us onward in the flight
Of walking by faith, not by sight
Until Yon Gate eclipses grace
And glimpses become face-to-face

© Janet Martin

Psalm 121:1-3
I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
From whence comes my help?
2My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.
3He will not allow your foot to [a]be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.












Monday, February 13, 2023

A Precious 'Pressing' Presence



'prayerfully pressing into His presence.' 
is the final phrase in today's Daily Bread Devotion.

Oh, what would we do without this refuge?! 
When all else fails, never God. 
No matter what may seem...

Ps.31:19
How great is Your goodness,
Which You have stored up for those who fear You,
Which You have wrought for those who take refuge in You,
Before the sons of men!



He gives sufficient grace where Unknown’s tempest rolls
He tests the treasures we embrace as we pour our souls
Goodness and mercy’s trove no trial can expend
Nor drain the storehouses of love no thought can comprehend

He teaches us to trust only as all else fails
He reaches through our rue of dust to hoist hope’s weathered sails
His promises endure to comfort mortal care
He keeps faith’s falt’ring bark secure as we press into prayer

…where God’s presence defends faith’s groaning cruciform
As peace, not of this world transcends the substance of the storm
Where no power on earth can begin to compare
To the inimitable worth of full surrender’s prayer

© Janet Martin





Monday, January 30, 2023

(Temporary) To-do List/Must

The gray, sunless stretch of weather continues!!
sometimes it seems to threaten to seep into our spirits😏😐




Do you ever wake up feeling defeated before you begin
a new day, a new week, as struggles and battles seem to hit 'repeat'?!!
Call on God, call on a friend, 
call on a mother, spouse, sibling
but whatever we do, let's not try to do it alone!




Do you ever wish for a life without care?!!
(I confess, sometimes I do! But,
a life without cares would make us 
pretty careless and self-reliant, wouldn't it?!

On the other hand, sometimes we can create cares
 by being careless and self-reliant!
Here is the balance challenge:
To not become complacent,
 yet, to not become discouraged
as we shoulder the yoke of faithfulness!
 The only way to accomplish this requires
constant refueling in God's company/His Word!

(To keep our eyes on faith's prize is impossible
if we love the world...more)

1 John 2:15-17 (BSB)
Do not love the world or anything in the world.
 If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 
16For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh,
 the desires of the eyes, 
and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world
17The world is passing away, along with its desires;
 but whoever does the will of God remains forever.

Happy Monday!
Let's make the most of to-do lists 
not simply with what we have wherever we are,
but with Who we have wherever we are,
 (if we have believed in He who is able!)
💓🙏

this hard-to-do to-do list kind of unfolded as I contemplated
what to write about, as I weighed wishes and wants with what is, etc.
Some successes, no matter how hard-fought 
seem to evade, maybe because we're not ready for it yet!


...to loathe the pride that lurks inside accolades of success
To hunger for still waters and green pastures of His Word
While feasting on a five-star meal of hope with thankfulness 
And to pray without ceasing, leaning wholly on the Lord

To love our neighbor as ourself without selfish reserve
To be more kind and patient where we all have much to learn
Where only by God’s favor we have more than we deserve
A glorious inheritance that we could never earn

To fight against desires that wage war against the soul
To count spiritual blessings and to covet more and more
Its measure, life’s true treasure beyond time’s transient toll
When at last, we will see what now we are yet striving for

To make Heaven our goal, so that we labor not in vain
To remember, the garment of the soul will soon decay
And what once seemed so far off and arduous to attain
Will be an everlasting crown that never fades away

© Janet Martin

1 Cor.9:24-27 (NIV)
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run,
 but only one gets the prize? 
Run in such a way as to get the prize.
 25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. 
They do it to get a crown that will not last, 
but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
 26Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly;
 I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.
 27No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave 
so that after I have preached to others,
 I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.









Monday, January 9, 2023

While We Wait (let us not grow weary...of love)

Just as an army general must rally his troops from time to time,
so too, those who put on the armor of God, need to be 'rallied'
lest we grow weary of servanthood and doing good!

Hopefully today's poem serves as a bit of a 'rallying of faith's troops'!

2 Tim.2:3-5
You therefore must endure[a] hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
 4 No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, 
that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. 
5 And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned
 unless he competes according to the rules.


For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.
12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions,
and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,
13 while we wait for the blessed hope—
the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,
14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness
and to purify for himself a people that are his very own,
eager to do what is good.
Titus 2:11-14

And let us not grow weary while doing good, 
for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. 
 Gal.6:9


'What on earth are you doing?' asked Hubby on Saturday
as I pulled down the window and stood on the sill so I
could see as much as I could see😅
'I'm feasting on the view', I replied, 
'Don't you see this every day?!' he asked, a little mystified.
'Well, yes, but never quite like this before!!'


...and on that note here's to a new day, a new week, a new year,
much the same as many previous but never quite like this before!




While we wait for Thy appearing, let us not grow weary, Lord
Weary of love’s awed revering of Thy everlasting Word

Weary of love’s faithful praying for those of faith’s dear household
And for those still lost and straying in a world, corrupt and cold

Weary of love’s exaltation for salvation’s blood bought gift
Of love’s devout consecration to Thy calling, lest we drift

Weary of worship and living to give glory to Thy Name
Weary of love’s glad thanksgiving for what faith alone can claim

Weary of love’s meek pursuit of God-ordained obedience
Of examining the fruit of choice that leads to consequence

Of encouraging and cheering one another on with joy
As we wait for the appearing of Christ’s glorious convoy

As we wait for the unveiling of the hope that we profess
To behold Thee; love’s unfailing Keeper of Thy promises

Let us with unwearied purpose do good without doubt’s despair
For love’s Due Season of harvest will be worth the getting there

Will be worth the persevering of each second mile we trod
…while we wait for the appearing of the glory of Thee, God

By the grace of Thy salvation and the power of Thy Word
With love's renewed dedication, let us not grow weary, Lord

© Janet Martin







Monday, January 2, 2023

Age Old Assurance for the Newness of Now

 O God, our Help in Ages Past





Whether at the beginning of a year
the middle or the end
the bedrock of 
faith's hope, joy and peace 
remains the same; trust God

A New Year.
A New Day.
The same God
Come what may

Though the way
No one can see
Faith in God
Seals victory

God's Word like
A steadfast Hand
Leads into
The Promised Land

His Word does
Not lead astray
As we hope
And trust and pray

In the power
Of God’s might
Faith will be
Equipped to fight

Pray we never
Run this race
Without God’s
Armor in place

Then and only
Then will we
Be fitted
For what will be

Then faith will
Be undeterred
Through the power
Of God’s word

Where without God
We are weak
And we know not
What we seek

… or what master
To obey
In the newness
of Today

A new day
and a New Year
The same God
To commandeer

...the same goodness
truth and love
Fills the Unknown
with Enough

© Janet Martin

Heb.11:8
By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place 
he would later receive as his inheritance,
 obeyed and went,
 even though he did not know where he was going.





Wednesday, December 14, 2022

A Prayer-Poem of Hope and Praise



The magnitude of this morning's sunrise 
was impossible to capture in the lens of a camera...

A little like God's goodness and love 
are impossible to capture in
the lines of a poem!

Dear Heavenly Father,
A prayer-poem of hope and praise!

From strength to strength in You
Sweet consolation this
Whatever valley we pass through
Whatever grief afflicts
Whatever tries joy’s cup
Whatever storm we face
From strength to strength, You bear us up
By your sufficient grace
Where nothing in this world
Transcends Your love so true
Like a majestic Light unfurled
To guide us home to You

© Janet Martin

Psalm 84:5-7
Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
    whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baka,
    they make it a place of springs;
    the autumn rains also cover it with pools.[d]
They go from strength to strength,
    till each appears before God in Zion.