Redemption's Groaning Gate Flings Wide...

 My sister Lucy's granddaughter picked these wildflowers for me the other day...

I don't think she noticed the tears I choked back as I was honoured

by her innocent eagerness.

The mug seemed the perfect vase for my utter joy and sorrow!

Below is a collection of verses to treasure as they comfort and cheer the soul

and remind us of what matters most!

Psalm 25:14

The LORD confides in those who fear Him, and reveals His covenant to them.

Psalm 84:11

For the LORD God is a sun and a shield;

 the LORD gives grace and glory;

 He withholds no good thing from those who walk with integrity.

Psalm 115:13

He will bless those who fear the LORD—small and great alike.

Psalm 5:12

For surely You, O LORD, bless the righteous; 

You surround them with the shield of Your favor.

Ps.69:15

But as for me, my prayer is to You,
O Lord, in the acceptable time;
O God, in the multitude of Your mercy,
Hear me in the truth of Your salvation.

Ps.119:153-160

153 Consider mine affliction, and deliver me:

 for I do not forget thy law.

154 Plead my cause, and deliver me: 

quicken me according to thy word.

155 Salvation is far from the wicked: 

for they seek not thy statutes.

156 Great are thy tender mercies, O Lord:

 quicken me according to thy judgments.

157 Many are my persecutors and mine enemies; 

yet do I not decline from thy testimonies.

158 I beheld the transgressors, and was grieved; 

because they kept not thy word.

159 Consider how I love thy precepts:

 quicken me, O Lord, according to thy lovingkindness.

160 Thy word is true from the beginning: 

and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.

 

Redemption's groaning gate flings wide and a new day is born...

A multitude of mercies smiles upon a world sin-worn... 

Redemption's groaning gate flings wide and a new day is born

A multitude of mercies smiles upon a world sin-worn 

The Author of Salvation who appoints what none can trace

Once more anoints creation with un-stoppered love and grace

Regret, remorse, repentance spar within the human heart 

God's holiness and man's pride are a humble prayer apart 

Oh Lord, rebuke my erring will, waiting to cause offence 

So the purposes You fulfill/instill may have preeminence 

The truth of your salvation comforts all who fear You, LORD 

Imbue deep dedication to the counsel of Your Word

Lest, for the lack of earnest heed I look away and drift

Forgetting who supplies my need with truths that do not shift 

Delight thrills all who love Your law with thoughts too rare to speak

My spirit thirsts for constant awe, but oh, my flesh is weak

Prone to descend the slippery slope of half-truth to appease

The carnal foe to Living Hope with 'come soul, take thine ease '

Each edict of your Word is true, where faith sees but in part  

Lord, help me learn it through and through and hide it in my heart 

So that I do not grieve you, Saviour, but with yielded will

Reverence the Shield of Your favour as Your mercies spill

Janet Martin  

 

 

Preludes to Amen... or, Today

Happy, Happy green, gold and blossom-pink

month of May!

This cheery. warbling songster enticed me from my cozy slumber to greet the day and May!

Have you ever longed to rush the ways

 of wisdom or nature;

to become wise overnight

instead of weathering/suffering growth

like a tree or a child?

In order for a flower

to mature into full bloom

it cannot skip one step of the development

and unfolding;

so too with faith and wisdom

***

Last fall my cousin  gave me some money as a gift to buy

a keepsake plant in memory of Lucy.

I chose a few 'special' peonies.

(in memory of my peony/flower-loving sister)

I wish I could hurry them into

big, beautiful bushes of full bloom,

but I cannot.

\

we cannot hasten growing things..

a tree,

a child,

the wisdom

that experience brings

better to live with patience then

rather 

than push

or try to rush

God's gracious hand

*Amen~

© Janet Martin

God does not give us surplus strength

we can store up for tomorrow,

nor knowledge that usurps faith,

nor detours, shortcuts or bypasses

to His commands in his Word

in an attempt to hurry the gain of His blessing...

...and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.

Deut.33:25

 

*My, how very special and sacred then, is Today

because by each 'amen' lifetimes are born! 

Sometimes, in the heat of hello 

and farewell's beck and call

Of morn-to-eve-tides ebb and flow 

in seamless rise and fall

Where sun and shadow ups and downs 

Like friends and strangers meet

And bittersweet, its artwork crowns

Both triumph and defeat

...sometimes we tend to overlook

or undermine the way

These fill the pages of life's book

Entitled thus, Today

And, how each Good we wish would be

is worth the work/wait, though hard

 As faith believes, but does not see

As love learns no holds barred 

So, better, than to analyze

details of dust-to-dust

 Or air the grievances of 'why's

better turned into trust

Pray, we press on with humbler heed

to what we do and say

Because the fruit of scattered seed

begins again, Today 

What universal, noble cause

anoints each morn-to-morn

Hark! mercy breaks dawn's seal of gauze

As new Today is borne/born

From God to man and back again

filled with responses, where 

Pray, preludes to today's 'amen'

are filled with thankful prayer 

© Janet Martin

Rom.13:8-14

8 Owe no one anything except to love one another, 

for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. 

9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,”

 “You shall not murder,” 

“You shall not steal,” 

[b]“You shall not bear false witness,”

 “You shall not covet,” 

and if there is any other commandment, 

are all summed up in this saying, namely, 

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor;

 therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

11 And do this, knowing the time, 

that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; 

for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. 

12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. 

Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, 

and let us put on the armor of light. 13 

Let us walk [c]properly, as in the day, 

not in revelry and drunkenness, 

not in lewdness and lust, 

not in strife and envy. 

14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, 

and make no provision for the flesh, 

to fulfill its lusts.

Life's Hold-and-Let-Go Minuet

 

Off on a long anticipated trip to England!

...before moving out for the summer.

Last night the sun set on life-as-I-know-it for a while...

Today marks the beginning of a four-month empty-nester season

...though, thankfully this 'nest' is rarely empty for long!

Eccles.3:1

To every thing there is a season, 

and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

...so here's to cherishing every moment

of every fleeting season of life!

Let me let nothing

pass me by

Let me leap for joy,

let me fly

And fall and taste

the salt of tears

Let me smile in the face

of fears

And never shirk

the work it takes

To make love’s

Memory-keepsakes

Like dreams come true

and birthday cakes…

Let me crave love’s pangs,

And the sting

That season change

is bound to bring

Then brave the brunt of

yes and no

To learn a humbler

letting go

Let me linger

but not too long

to catch the lyrics of

love’s song

That, as it fades

Grows sweet and strong

…still tangible

where echoes waft

The noise of boys and girls

grown soft

Upon the air

of night to night

And prayer on prayer,

oft taking flight

As hello hugs

and farewell tears

and tender tugs,

love's souvenirs

Compose tableaus

of yesteryears

...where, in the wake

of noon to noon/June to June

The ache of happiness

is strewn

Like minuets that

ebb and rush

Across shorelines,

blurred by a brush

that leaves no trace

save on my brow

where once-upon

a younger Now

Turned older

And meeker, somehow

...where love now wears

The priceless pain

Of sorrow like

A diamond-chain

I bind  it round

My neck and heart

Like a valuable

Work of art

That I would never

Choose and yet

That I never want

To forget

Life's Hold-and-let-go

Minuet

© Janet Martin

Luigi Boccherini: Minuetto (classical)

Strauss - The Blue Danube Waltz

Sometimes I Miss The Bliss of Ignorance

This post began taking shape through some very precious get togethers

 with friends of Lucy's who have now become friends of mine.

What bittersweet joy these friendships hold...(for both sides)

as we near the 7 mo. mark since she left this world for the next.

Today marks a year since this community

mourned/mourns the loss of a dear wife, mother and friend...

This poem is written

In Loving Memory of Kelly and Lucy

These photos were lovingly composed mementos from a caring friend...

 

Sometimes I miss the bliss of ignorance borne happily

Till sorrow tore the front door from the hinges of my heart

And I welcomed in strangers who were friends waiting to be

To teach me lessons about love and friendship’s priceless part/art

Sometimes, in the raw longing of remembering Her face

I fear that I would trade them all for one more sacred chance/dance

To linger without looking at the clock, in the embrace

Between hello and the farewell that Time never recants

Sometimes goodness and mercy’s Tender Shepherd steals my breath

He comforts me; and crowns my grief with joy, words cannot spell

He draws my want beyond the somber outer folds of death

(Futile to lean upon the place where last Her shadow fell)

Beyond the somber outer folds of Death, I gaze because

The bitter cup of grief when tipped is like a curtain-rise

Then, sometimes when I miss the bliss of ignorance, I pause

And thank God for the unveiling of angels in disguise 

© Janet Martin

 

 

 

Dear Lucy, Though We Miss You So

Deut.29:29 (the theme verse for Lucy's funeral message)

“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, 

but those things which are revealed belong to us 

and to our children forever, 

that we may do all the words of this law.

John 11:25-26

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. 

He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.

 26And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. 

Do you believe this?”

Today Lucy would have turned 56...

Mom, my sisters and sister-in-laws who were free to come

as well as one of her closest friends,

had a precious time sharing a potluck lunch around her table.

The absence of Lucy bustling about the kitchen making sure

everyone had more than enough to eat or drink

was keenly felt by all💔🙏

Thank-you everyone, for your loving messages and prayers!

They truly make all the difference.

Dear Lucy...

You've slipped beyond the realm of days

And though we miss you so

And our hearts still ache in ways

Only love can bestow

We do not want to question He

Who grants each breath we draw

But rather, trust His Sov'reignty

With humble, thankful awe

You've slipped beyond the realm of years

But left behind the part

We cherish with laughter and tears; 

A memory-filled heart

And though love's scenes are bittersweet

Because we miss you, dear

We thank God, as grief and joy meet

For hope's unfailing cheer

You've slipped beyond the realm of Time

And though we miss you so

Faith grants us visions of a clime

Where no tears ever flow

No fear or pain can enter where

Your Soul has been set free

To worship God in perfect prayer/beyond earth's care

For all eternity

You've slipped beyond our touch and sight

But death is not in vain

For Jesus conquered death with Life

We die to live again

So, though we mourn, what joy to know

That death is not the end

Dear Lucy, though we miss you so

Soon we will meet again

Janet💕

Ps. 103:15-19

As for man, his days are like grass—

he blooms like a flower of the field;

16when the wind passes over, it vanishes,

and its place remembers it no more.

17But from everlasting to everlasting

the loving devotion of the LORD

extends to those who fear Him,

and His righteousness to their children’s children—

18to those who keep His covenant

and remember to obey His precepts.

19The LORD has established His throne in heaven,

and His kingdom rules over all.

Be Still, My Soul

Dear Lucy...Perfected At Last

After this poem was written, I realized that it was in a sense a reply to

some of the last words shared by Lucy on Instagram...

Today marks six months since she left this world.

(the photo was taken from her front porch)

Pen cannot fan to flame again,

 the span of spent Septembers

But it can kindle fires from tender tinder of thought

Where sanguine scenes still warm a heart-shaped hearth of glowing embers

And spill into the silence,

 bouquets of forget-me-not

Pen cannot lure to life again 

that which is dead and buried

But it can keep alive a memory that else would fade

I see you waving from your porch; and yet, your voice is carried

Not on Time’s winds of change

 but from a doorway Heaven-stayed

Pen cannot write/right away the wrongs

that love is bound to weather

But, like a splash of sunshine it can pen a hymn of cheer

To bind love’s wounds with syllables that weave a kind of tether

That draws us close together

 until Time’s mists disappear

Pen cannot press away the pangs

that sweeten joy with sorrow

Ten-thousand poems cannot write away the loss of one

You were a poem penned by God not to keep, but to borrow

Perfected at last; not by Time, 

but by faith's triumph won

Love forever,

Janet Martin

Ps.138:8 KJV

The LORD will perfect that which concerns me;

 Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever; 

Do not forsake the works of Your hands.

My heart still aches beyond words 

and our Heavenly Father still comforts with His words.

He is faithful.

Ps. 145:13-14 NIV

The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises
    and faithful in all he does.[c]
 The Lord upholds all who fall
    and lifts up all who are bowed down.

To Think, Dear Day...

Today, the canvas of each and every lifetime!

Matt.6:34

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, 

for tomorrow will worry about itself. 

Each day has enough trouble of its own.

A stampede of Duty-dues assaulted my waking senses

threatening to thwart awareness to the whisper of mercy-renewed

and thus, reply of gratitude...

Yesterday I was visited by two little girls...

(dolls and outfits including shoes, handmade by local Talent)

oops, I mean four!! 😂

My granddaughter and my sister Lucy's granddaughter...

(where a few times I replied to the bittersweet title of Gram, um, Janet)

They giggled when I told them they made my dream come true...

a little home by the mountains and a lake!

Day...such a little word for all it unfurls

of troubles and triumphs and giggle of girls...

To think, I sometimes suppose you as common at first glance

Where opportunity is new, preceding consequence

Where the dictation of demands can consume praises owed

For it is not by human hands your favour is bestowed

To think I sometimes dare to state your mist as mine, somehow

And I am apt to underrate your mien of Here-and-Now

Where you are always caught between what was and waits to be

A sacred stage set with each scene that begets history

To think, sometimes the part I/eyes see can blind my finite gaze;

On the brink of eternity, the trail you blaze conveys

A fleeting caravan of fellowman from Here to Where

You yield your dust of Season-span to He who put it there

To think sometimes I rise without a rush of gratitude

For what none can surmise because of God’s mercy renewed

Where beauty you unfold is but a little foretaste of

The end of you, when we behold the Mystery of love

To think, I sometimes miss the wonder of your holy ground

Because the thunder of what is unfurls its sight and sound

To think, dear day, sometimes I suppose you as Duty’s toll

Rather than the highway hosting the carriage of the soul

© Janet Martin

a sacred stage set with each scene that begets history...

Roly-polies...leftover pie-pastry tradition! 

And today's devotion!

On Learning Love's Darling Price

Last week love's privileges and duties pressed to the forefront

 so much so that poetry needed to take a quiet break. 

Part of me softly mourned the loss of a sister who checked in most days 

to see what was happening on my 'porch' and on a week like last week,

 most surely she would send a text. something like 'is everything okay? missing your posts'. 

At church on Sunday morning a friend mentioned that it was a quiet week on my blog?? 

and I told her why and also how special her checking in was.💝🙏

 Later another friend also encouraged me, not to fret about writing,

 but to be content when time does not permit! 

It means a lot when someone cares about what is going on in our little worlds, doesn't it?!

 A reminder for me to look around to see who I could/should be checking in on.

Whatever our 'little worlds' hold, of good or ill,

true joy and peace begin with surrender to God 

who loved us so much He gave His only begotten Son, 

 that whosoever believes in Him

will not perish but have everlasting life.

 John 3:16

On Sat. night when I returned home

a loving friend had left a thoughtful gift at my door!

Thoughtfulness and kindness are gifts

money cannot buy, but sometimes

money purchases very touching and precious mementos

like this....

Here's to a new day of learning love's darling price...

True love is like a priceless gift we need to give to find

Love's Greatest Gift, God gave to save the souls of humankind

To give us an example we should learn/yearn to imitate

To teach us how we ought to love before it is too late

My sad record of failure would/should unfurl a ghastly noose  

But God, because He gave His Son, has cut death's lariat loose 

He gave His Word so we may know the truth that sets us free

To love Him first and then each other with humility   

Ah, pity all who look for love but cannot find its key

Who sift the dust of this world for love's immortality

Rather than reaching for the Gift only God can provide 

Then finding in love's giving love's longing is satisfied 

   

Ah, pray we endeavor to be at love's high beck and call

Because God, who so loves us gave Himself for one and all

To equip us with what/Who we need to learn love's darling price

How giving due glory to God yields living sacrifice

© Janet Martin 

John 13:34-35
A new commandment I give you: Love one another. 

As I have loved you, so you also must love one another. 

/ By this everyone will know that you are My disciples,

 if you love one another.”

1 John 4:7-11
Beloved, let us love one another, because love comes from God. 

Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 

/ Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

 / This is how God’s love was revealed among us: 

God sent His one and only Son into the world, 

so that we might live through Him. ...

Philippians 2:3-4
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride,

 but in humility consider others more important than yourselves. /

 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, 

but also to the interests of others.

The Love of God - Mercy Me [With Lyrics]

Oh God, The Giver of Our Days...

Create in me a clean heart, O God; 

and renew a right spirit within me.

Ps.51:10

Yesterday on Facebook, my youngest sister

 shared a treasured memory, from three years ago...

all the more treasured now,

 because never again will we three be together 

on this side of Heaven!

(I'm so thankful someone offered to take a picture of the three of us)

Click HERE for the last pic of the three of us,

on Lucy's last birthday...

(We three were together on my birthday in June as well

but no one thought to take a picture)

From left to right, Marlene, Lucy, Janet

Loss fine-tunes our hearts to the holiness of Today, doesn't it?!

because we are reminded that we never know

 what tomorrow will bring! (or today!)

Oh, how this perspective humbles our thankfulness for...

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, 

and cometh down from the Father of lights, 

with whom is no variableness, 

neither shadow of turning.

James 1:17

Oh God, The Keeper of our days

Anoint our lips with hymns of praise

For thy safe-keeping through the night

For mercy, kindling morning light...

Oh God, the Giver of our days

Instill in us a heart of praise

And fill our thought, not with want's trove

But with Thy hope, joy, peace and love

Waken anew, Thy sacred call

To serve Thee from morn to nightfall

Oh God, The Keeper of our days

Anoint our lips with hymns of praise

For thy safe-keeping through the night

For mercy, kindling morning light

For Thy faultless and faithful will

Thy perfect purpose to fulfill

Oh God, the Taker of our days

Instruct us in Your righteous ways

Equip us with Thy armour, Lord

The shield of faith, the Spirit's sword

In labor be our strength and might

In pleasure, be our pure delight

Oh God, the Lender of our days 

Evoke in us believing praise

To trust, rather than understand

The law of love's perfect command

And recognize, with humbler bent 

This Gift of Day that thou hast lent 

Oh God, beholder of our thought

Teach us to treasure what we ought

Where mercies past, in vast amount

Are far too copious to count

Then God, kind Giver of our days

Overflow humbler hearts with praise

In the Name of our almighty and everlasting God,

Amen

© Janet Martin

O God, Our Help in Ages Past