Confession ... A Prayer

Sometimes in human-natured hasty expectation of God

 I overlook/ forget about the scale that would find me wanting,

but for the saving grace of Christ through his shed blood!

My Want grows impatient, rather than filled with humble joy

 established and enriched through faithful fellowship with God, 

whose timing and purpose does not fail.

Forgive me Lord, when I want the answer to my prayer

rather than You!

Any relationship we have is only as healthy as the time we put into it!

This is esp. true in our relationship with our Heavenly Father.

Ps.103:13-14

As a father has compassion on his children,

so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.

For He knows our frame;

He is mindful that we are dust.

Ps.130:3-4

If You, O LORD, kept track of iniquities,

then who, O Lord, could stand?

But with You there is forgiveness,

so that You may be feared.

Sweet Hour of Prayer with Lyrics by Alan Jackson

Forgive me, Lord, when I complain and do not worship as I ought

Forgetful of salvation’s gain through my atonement Thy death wrought

Forgive me when I fault Thy grace; Thou does not force obedience

Nor does Thy perfect love erase the intercourse of consequence

Forgive me when I shake thought’s fist rather than in repentance, bow

Before Thee, who cradles the mist of mortal days in mercy’s vow

Forgive me when I nurse my pride, wounded by Want, sadly misplaced

Enough, Thy love that doth abide and hath my debt of guilt erased

Forgive my proneness to delight, not in faith’s knowledge, but in sight

Thy armour fits me for the fight; forgive me when I shirk its might

Choosing to be the naked prey of the Tempter; easily stirred

By cunning craft that leads astray the heart, unguarded by Thy Word

Forgive me, when indulgence, rude, seizes Thy gifts most greedily

Without a thought of gratitude, or awe that thou remem’brest me

That every good and perfect gift comes from Thy goodness-mercy-love

Thy salvation bridges hope’s rift that else would impassable, prove

Forgive me when I fail to tell Thee of my delight in Thy law

And love that seals the gates of hell; this ought to kindle endless awe

Forgive me when I rush ahead of the purpose Thou hast in store

Lord, help me wait on Thee instead and learn to trust Thee more and more

Thy grace is sufficient for me; no need transcends Thy able will

When doubt deters humility, and bids me haste, help me be still

And know that Thou art God alone and what Thou hast said thou wilt do

Forgive me then, when I bemoan the fires faith must journey through

When I am weak then Thou art strong; forgive me Lord, when I neglect

To sing, seeking a sweeter song than hymns Self does not interject

I love Thee, Lord, for Thou dost know that I am dust and doth forgive

My sins and will ever bestow forgiveness as long as I live

Thy love is unwavering, Lord; Thy sacred holiness is too

This is no frivolous reward that waits for faith that remains true

Forgive me Lord, when, with face pressed against Time's darksome glass between

I fail to simply, sweetly rest in Evidence of things unseen 

Janet Martin

Amos Raber - I Just Steal Away and Pray (Official Music Video)

Happy May!

Today's poem is inspired in part by the first day of May,

and then, because of May's awesome debut I was drawn to Psalm 19!

The first and last verses of this beloved Psalm are very familiar!

And tucked between the beginning and end 

we have verses of profound worship;

awed recognition of God's holiness and righteousness

 evoking contrition and humbler desire for obedient submission/service!

(Psalm 19 included below)

The sun is drawn from ether deeps

Its glory rends night’s veil. amen...

The sun is drawn from ether deeps

Its glory rends night’s veil. amen

Thank God, His watchful kindness keeps

Perfect vigil beyond our ken

He loves this human race, sin-cursed

Oft blinded by desirous schemes

That often do not seek Him first

In hidden worlds of hopes and dreams

With precision that God ordained

No astral orbit spins awry

All celestial circuits maintained

Beyond the reach of you and I

And always, without fail the chill

That slows the splendor of bud-birth

Will, given time enough, fulfill

Our joy for flower-dappled earth

How very foolish to despair

And fret when wishes disobey

Thank God, He rules the school of air

And always, always brings us May

Janet Martin

Psalm 19

1The heavens declare the glory of God;

And the firmament[a] shows [b]His handiwork.

2Day unto day utters speech,

And night unto night reveals knowledge.

3There is no speech nor language

Where their voice is not heard.

4Their [c]line has gone out through all the earth,

And their words to the end of the world.

In them He has set a [d]tabernacle for the sun,

5Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,

And rejoices like a strong man to run its race.

6Its rising is from one end of heaven,

And its circuit to the other end;

And there is nothing hidden from its heat.

7The law of the Lord is perfect, [e]converting the soul;

The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;

8The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;

The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;

9The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;

The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

10More to be desired are they than gold,

Yea, than much fine gold;

Sweeter also than honey and the [f]honeycomb.

11Moreover by them Your servant is warned,

And in keeping them there is great reward.

12Who can understand his errors?

Cleanse me from secret faults.

13Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins;

Let them not have dominion over me.

Then I shall be blameless,

And I shall be innocent of [g]great transgression.

14Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

Be acceptable in Your sight,

O Lord, my [h]strength and my Redeemer.

Prelude to Heaven or Happy Last Day of April

Happy Last Day of April!

Growth is beginning!

Though sometimes it feels slow in coming we know...

Gen.8:22

“As long as the earth endures, 

seedtime and harvest, 

cold and heat, 

summer and winter, 

day and night will never cease.”

and that's just the beginning of hope!!

because...

1 Cor.15:19

If only for this life we have hope in Christ,

we are of all people most to be pitied.

To rush the thorn with blushing rose...

Behold, after the winter, Spring!

The barren bough runs rife

With gold and green embellishing

Each treetop with new life

Like an ocean-tide ebbs and flows

So too the seasons surge

To rush the thorn with blushing rose

Like daybreak's virgin verge 

Hope orchestrates a holy hymn

In both nature and hearts

Behold the blossom-furbished limb

The kiss of sun imparts

Behold God's covenant fulfilled

'as long as earth remains'

And the prelude to Heaven spilled

In bud and birds refrains 

Janet Martin

The One Thing No One Else Can Do

Without trouble, honestly, how much would we think to pray?!!

In our human nature/weakness we forget, 

or judge wrongly, the purpose of 'trouble'.

When we see someone suffer we want to ease 

their suffering and even remove it if possible!

 so we try to help each other the best we can.

 But if we were able to remove the trial then

 we/they would never discover the wonders of God's private ministry and fellowship

 to our souls as we learn the humility of deeper trust and looser grips...

I cannot live your life or learn your lessons,

nor you mine!

But oh joy, we can cheer each other on

and not learn alone!

Romans 15:1
We who are strong ought to bear with the shortcomings of the weak

 and not to please ourselves.

1 Thessalonians 5:14
And we urge you, brothers, to admonish the unruly, 

encourage the fainthearted, 

help the weak, and be patient with everyone.

Galatians 6:2
Carry one another’s burdens,

 and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Did you Think to Pray?

Though side by side we walk life’s road and share love’s creature cares

Through helping hands or words to goad the faith that authors prayers

Though we may commune, heart to heart and weep with holy plea

Nobody else can do the part that God assigned to me

Only my ears can hear His voice, only my heart reply

I am the owner of my choice; the merchant of my sigh

No matter what the cause may be that kindles praise or rue

You cannot pray my prayers for me nor I your prayers for you

I account for the words I say and you account for yours

Only my feet can walk the way that God alone secures

I, but a speck amidst the roar pressed to eternity

Yet, no one else can answer for the life God granted me

I am the trav’ler of the route God’s perfect purpose drew

I am the reaper of the fruit I glean from seeds I strew

I weather, come whatever may, the passage to the goal

And I alone choose ‘yay’ or ‘nay’ to He who saves the soul

Though side by side we walk life’s road of common day-to-day

And do our best to humbly goad and cheer us on our way

Though we may shoulder trouble’s strife and mingle mortal pleas

We, by God’s grace each live the life that He alone decrees

Janet Martin

On Growing (our) 'Old'

Psalm 39:4-5

“Show me, O LORD, my end and the measure of my days. 

Let me know how fleeting my life is. 

You, indeed, have made my days as handbreadths, 

and my lifetime as nothing before You. 

Truly each man at his best exists as but a breath.

 Selah

I remember as a child, telling my mom I want to be a nice grandma, 

like my grandma, when I'm old and she told me

 that to be a nice old person begins, 

not when we're old, but when we're young!

So, however young or old we are, let's begin today 

to make tomorrow's older version of ourselves

 a bit more patient, humble, caring and kind.

Last night I visited my aunt (Naomi) in the hospital,

not because I'm so kindly faithful at visiting my aunts!!

 but because she happened to be in the room beside my sister-in-law's room.

I blinked and blinked as I gazed at my aunt, 

feeling like I was looking at the face of dear grandma from years ago!

My aunt is a beautiful 'old' person just like her mother/my grandma was 💝🙏

Whatever we are doing, who/wherever we are today

we are 'growing' who we will become when we are old-er!

Let's 'bloom' like a beautiful flower; like my mom's amaryllis! 

Who we turn into when we’re old begins when we are young

The golden years of childhood mold the makings of the man

Like learning the rules of respect, and how to hold the tongue

What habits we should not neglect and doing what we can

To make this world a kinder place with gentler word and deed

To treat one another with grace rather than spite and greed

To be who we imagine when/if we reach ripe eighty-three

Begins long, long before the benediction of fleet/sweet youth

Better to begin now to hone the way we hope to be

Before we look back and bemoan the telling toll of Truth

Tis no small thing to train a child to live/love the way they should

To tame tempers that else run wild, and never lead to good

To be a wise old woman-man is not by accident

We ought to prize, the best we can each opportunity

To mine for wisdom in life’s sacred lease of moments spent

Rather than wasting acres with wild-oat futility

Because Time seems to quicken haste with every passing year

Thus, no one can afford to waste the wealth of Now and Here

Who we want to be when we’re old begins anew, today

To treasure like nuggets of gold, life’s moments as they spill

From choices into consequence we cannot wish away

As they augment investments Time is eager to fulfill

Sooner than we suppose we feel and see and bear the truth

Of what once seemed strange and surreal, turned into living proof

This life is full of schemes, it seems, to teach us how to pray

 And give to God our hopes and dreams, while weathering the art

Of ever growing older with each precious, passing day

While turning wrinkles bolder, while nothing new tries the heart

While often we forget while we are busy being young

The things we do habitually, shape who we will become 

Janet Martin 

 

Temporal Trinity-Faith, Hope and Love

1 Cor.13:13

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three;

but the greatest of these is love.

This was first one four-stanza poem...

Before it caught fire, and became three poems in one

Just as the light of morning breaks the dark of night, so too

By faith and hope in Him, God wakes a love we never knew...

By Faith in God we are made whole and fitted for its test

By Hope, God anchors our souls where warring winds molest

By faith, the part we cannot see defends the part we do

By hope, secured at Calvary, we know love, kind and true

By faith we trust in Jesus' name; by faith our fear is awed

Because hope brings us, not to shame but to the love of God

...and as His love is shed abroad in our hearts, we find

The joy of faith and hope in God brings peace to soul and mind

*** 

By faith our hope was justified the hour we believed

And rejoiced in Christ crucified for the grace we received 

...because the love of God did not reject atonement's price

He gave Himself; redemption wrought through I AM's sacrifice  

Just as the light of morning breaks the dark of night, so too

By faith and hope in Him, God wakes a love we never knew

His love empowers and sustains the faith and hope we boast

In Christ alone whose love remains true to the uttermost

***

Faith is the substance of Hope's Roar; of Evidence unseen

Until Love swings ajar a Door with no dark glass between 

Then, face to face we will behold Him; glorious Three-in-One  

Faith and hope will melt like a mold of mist kissed by the Son 

The peace that guarded heart and minds with Love's surpassing pow'r

Will rend the mortal bud that binds the petals of the flow'r

Where love will forever endure, and praise will ever be

Worship's fragrance, perfect and pure throughout eternity

Janet Martin

Rom.5:1-5

Therefore, having been justified by faith,

 [a]we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand,

 and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, 

knowing that tribulation produces [b]perseverance; 

4 and perseverance, [c]character; and character, hope. 

5 Now hope does not disappoint, 

because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts

 by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

"By Faith" from Praise and Harmony's Resurrecting God

The Fruit of Patience

Song of Solomon 2:11-12

...for behold, the winter is past;

the rain is over and gone.

 The flowers appear on the earth,

the time of singing[a] has come,

The fruit of patience overflows with ecstasy in nature’s prose

Where bluest blues and greenest green delight a world sandwiched between...

The fruit of patience beams and brims

And bursts into a world of hymns

As if to sing away all thought

Of wishing for what yet was not

While ill chill gale, with dauntless ease

Assailed to vex Want’s ‘pretty-please’

The fruit of patience overflows

With ecstasy in nature’s prose

Where bluest blues and greenest green

Delight a world sandwiched between

The earth beneath, the sky above

As hearts grow light with hope and love

The fruit of patience bids us dance

Like David of old; God still grants

Goodness and mercy all our days

To overflow our hearts with praise

To worship and sing joyfully

‘there is no other God but He…(2 Sam.7:22)

Who overthrows winter with spring

Whose breath instills each living thing

Whose thoughts and ways past finding out

Should anchor faith and vanquish doubt

Though patience groans and weeps and aches

Its fruit is worth the time is takes!'

Janet Martin

Colour of Reflection... Guest Post #2

Yesterday morning my friend Christina sent me a poem

 she wrote after her morning walk!

It blessed me with such joy!

She has given me permission 

to share this delightful poem with you!

Thank-you again, Christina!

Colours of Reflection

by Christina Ward

The quietness of a daily walk

Hearing excited children and parents talk

The vibrant colours of flower's new bloom

Awakening from the cold and gloom

Bright sunshine to fill the day

Peaceful thoughts as  I bow to pray

Healing and forgiving is what I need

And only God can do that deed

I will lift my hand in praise

As the words of worship in my voice I raise

Colours of reflection is what I see

All around and inside of me

🌷🌷🌷🌞🌞🌞💚💜💚