Of Unrelenting Mystery

I'm SO excited to share the link to my friend's

 (and long ago next-door neighbor's) latest venture;

one she has been in training for in a sense, almost her whole life!

Check it out!

Nourish Body and Soul-Bringing peace to your table through nutrition and faith

As I read about her journey to this point

it reminded me to remember no matter what season we are in,

when dreams seem stagnant in streams

 of Commonplace Commitments

or mundane musts 

or dire detours teaching trust,

God is always prepping the soil or

pruning the plant,

for the dream/hope to flourish and flower in

His perfect Timing.

Does it not make us all take heart exactly where we are,

 if but to simply pray,

'God, help me shine and grow for You today?'!

(where the Unrelenting Mystery of tomorrow waits...)

Wherever we are called to be

Whatever we are called to do

We have one charge, ultimately

To be a vessel God shines through

The highs and lows of day-to-day

Serve purposes we cannot guess

While we are learning to obey

And trust God’s faithful promises

Experience is not in vain

How often we are blindly blessed

While wisdom we have yet to gain

Is veiled in the pain of the test

The Here-and-Now that we are in

Is but a steppingstone whereby

We advance, always to begin

So much more than yet meets the eye

Petal by petal, buds unfold

Where masterpieces wait to spill

Like we, cradled in the kind hold

Of God’s perfect timing and will

What sacred common ground we share

Of Unrelenting Mystery

For who knows what waits to prepare

Us for what is waiting to be 

© Janet Martin

1 Corinthians 10:31
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do,

 do it all to the glory of God.

What Do I/We Know But This...

'Being a follower of Jesus is so sweet and wonderful and easy!' I said to myself yesterday,

...while sitting quietly in the comfort of a church pew

...being fed from God's Word!

Then BOOM!! As soon as I get up reality hits!

 I stick my foot in my mouth,

 I blunder,

 I err in judgement and desire,

I let Satan mock me, 

unnerve me, 

discourage me, 

oh!! the battle is real 

and relentless 

and hard!

Prayers often reduced to nothing more than 

 a flood of tears and groans...help me, God, help me 

to know how to honor and glorify You and only You.

this morning His answer seemed to flow distinctly through the

Bible in a Year: Genesis 39 - 40; Matthew 11 passages 

summarized in two words 'trust' and 'obey'!

(I originally wrote this in first person but then changed it to 'we'

because together we weather the wants and woes and taunts and blows 

of faith's highs and lows...)

What do I/we know but this; when I/we trust and obey

The blessing of God’s presence is sufficient for the day

When God’s Words contradict what logic deems as right

Obedience and trust commit to walk by faith, not sight

God’s higher thoughts and ways hone hope’s humility

Blessed is the one who obeys unconditionally

Satisfied to believe what is not understood

Knowing God’s promises achieve His purpose for our good

Oh God, forgive me/us when I/we err in what I/we seek

The spirit is willing, amen. But oh, the flesh is weak

Lord, rebuke stubborn pride and teach me/us how to pray

Because wisdom is justified when I/we trust and obey

© Janet Martin

Trust and Obey

(sharing another good old hymn by David Wesley)

I think I started over 5 times with today's poem...

resorting at last to what we were repeatedly advised to do

when I was part of a writer's group years ago

'write what you know'...inspiring the first line instantly

'what do I know?? but this...

Age Old Assurance for the Newness of Now

 O God, our Help in Ages Past

Nothing is Impossible With God

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.

Miracle-worker

As I prayed about the various uncertainties that life runs rife with

no matter who or where we are, my prayer became a plea

for God to work a miracle of steadfast trust/faith in me.

Many today are hoping for a weather-miracle!!

This morning's weather headlines are no joke,

and we should pay attention!

God's Word is full of warnings too

and we should pay attention!

It is hard to hear Him, isn't it,

without the comfort and caution of His Word in our hearts

to guide, cheer and equip us for the fight of faith!

May the miracle of trust in God's unfailing promises

transform our outlook and attitude!

In all things giving thanks with awed sincerity

Where the framework of circumstance is but the part we see

Oh, pray that in the Must of dust-to-dust’s ado

That God would work a miracle of trust in me and you

With vision undeterred, not to be ruled by fear

But through the power of His Word, to feel God’s presence near

Then, with hope’s strength renewed, oh pray for the increase

Of miracles of gratitude to instill joy and peace

© Janet Martin

2 Cor.4:18

...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.

O, come All Ye Faithful-Don Williams

A Priceless Presence...

What waits today to spill and fill its shell

We cannot see...

But He who feeds the birds knows it full-well

He cares for you and me

Savior, Lead Me

God is our refuge and strength, 

a very present help in trouble.

Psalm 46:1

Lord, take the lead, our need is great and we are prone to dread

Help us to trust, not be afraid; you know what lies ahead

Draw nearer than the fears that be, sustain us through Your Word

Through eyes of faith help us to see Your Presence undergird

Lord, take our hands, You love us so and know that we are dust

By Your command cast out the foe that heckles hope and trust

And help us humbly fix our gaze on Your unfailing care

Fill our hearts with holy praise and fully yielded prayer

Lord, take us not from our cross but let the cross endear

The bond of fellowship that draws Your flawless favors near

To cheer us on toward the joy this world cannot afford

Lead us with grace and truth’s alloy into Your Presence, Lord

© Janet Martin

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.

Leaning on the Everlasting Arms-Alan Jackson

Sweet Comfort and Joy

Psalm 139:5

You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.

In our small group bible/sermon studies through our church, last night

we were contemplating the verse below and how we can be mightily transformed in our

thinking and actions if we truly take God at His word!

Heb.13:5

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, 

because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

In today's Daily Bread Devotion  we are reminded

 that no one knows what will happen!

Life is always full of uncertainties.

God and his Word the one constant certainty!

Hallelujah!

God, Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

What sweet comfort and joy

Before, behind, beside

A safeguard nothing can destroy

Shields us from evil’s tide

Where, though storms ebb and flow

And oft we weep and groan

What sweet comfort and joy to know

We are never alone

Dear one, do not despair

No matter what betide

God keeps us in His faithful care

Before, behind, beside

No foe can penetrate

The bulwark of His Word

No guard on earth can compensate

For God’s arm undeterred

What He says He will do

His vow is bona fide

He accompanies me and you

Before, behind, beside

Nothing seen can compare

To the peace faith receives

As humble trust turns into prayer

And utterly believes

How near The Unseen draws

As sweet comfort and joy

Transcends The Seen with hope because

Of what none can destroy

© Janet Martin

Isa. 40:28

Do you not know?

 Have you not heard? 

The LORD is the everlasting God, 

the Creator of the ends of the earth. 

He will not grow tired or weary,

 and his understanding no one can fathom.

To Cling, Rather Than Understand

If we relied only on what we understood we would all be atheists!🙏

Prov.3:5-7

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

And lean not on your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall [b]direct your paths.

Do not be wise in your own eyes;

Fear the Lord and depart from evil.

Deuteronomy 13:4

You shall follow the Lord your God and fear Him;

and you shall keep His commandments,

listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him.

Psalm 63:7-8

For You are my help;

I will sing for joy in the shadow of Your wings.

My soul clings to You;

Your right hand upholds me.

Isa.41:10

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God;

 I will strengthen you, I will help you, 

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand”

What waits we cannot tell. Lord, all that we would ask

Is for Your Spirit to compel and fit us for love’s task

To run with hope, no, fly! To rise on eagle’s wings

And bid humility reply while to Thy law hope clings

To find our rightful place within your counsel true

And to commit this day of grace and what it brings, to You

To repent of pride’s sin and yield our will and want

To You, rather than flounder in a world of futile taunt

To trust in You; not lean on sight-impeded ken

But to cling to what is Unseen, forevermore, amen

Then, with pure joy to know the peace Your love imparts

Your right hand on our shoulders and your Word within our hearts

What waits to try and test we do not know or see

But to cling to Your Promises seals our victory

To know, at your right hand are pleasures evermore

To cling, rather than understand, oh Lord, thus we implore 

Amen

© Janet Martin

Isa.40:30-31

Even youths grow tired and weary,

and young men stumble and fall.

But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength;

they will mount up with wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not faint.

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.

Cling To Christ

 

Judge of the Secrets of the Hearts of Men

God's Fingerprints

Now I see His (God's) fingerprints all over this experience. '

wrote my friend as she looks back on 3 years 

filled with tumultuous tests of searching for God's will 

and waiting on His timing...

It made me think of all of us in the middle of

a finished frame...

Some waiting/hoping to find their one true love

Some who have found and married their one true love

and are weathering the challenges/disappointments

that marriage is bound to bring

and some whose marriages are broken

Couples who would love to be parents but that dream is withheld,

Parents whose wisdom, energy and patience are stretched to the max

by 'dreams' not withheld...

Many of us find ourselves in some kind of 'frame' of waiting.

What good cheer to visualize God's fingerprints

putting what looks to us like broken or forgotten pieces, in perfect place

if we trust, seek and wait on Him...

Have Thine Own Way, Lord

Sometimes in the middle

Of a broken heart

We can't grasp the goodness 

In God's works of art

In dark disappointment

Of dreams not come true

We can't see the glory

Waiting to shine through

Sometimes in the middle

Of 'Remember When?'

God is gently drawing

Wonder's awed 'amen'

Sometimes colors baffle

Sometimes pages crease

Living in the middle

Of the masterpiece

Sometimes God's kind whisper

Transfigures pied glints

Unveiling a picture

Of His fingerprints

Janet Martin

Waiting on God's Timing part 1

Waiting on God's Timing, Part 2

What Ifs Versus What Is...

He who promised is faithful.

Heb.10:23

A flower isn't a flower until the bud unfolds the bloom!

What Is in bloom now?

Peonies in the flower garden!

And the Flower of What Is, in life...

The ‘what ifs’ of regret cannot undo what has been done

Where What Is sets time’s tables with fresh favors, mercy-spun

What if instead of wishing for what no wish can undo

We make the most of what is within reach of me and you

God’s mercy new each morning and His all-sufficient grace

Forgiveness for repentance, and His Word to gird our faith

What if instead of fretting and forgetting favours wrought

We focus on remembering What Is, with grateful thought

What if we trusted He who will our every need supply

Where What Is always hinges to far more than meets the eye

Far more goodness and mercy than mortal can comprehend

And love that has no boundaries of beginning or end

The ‘what ifs’ of yesterday and tomorrow borrow care

Today is overflowing with what is enough to bear

What if we take what is, in spite of so much that is not

And humbly honor He who gives us everything we've got

His everlasting promises, His love that will not fail

His wind beneath our wings, His anchor in the galling gale

The ‘what ifs’ of regret are futile; this new day set free

Is brimming with what is waiting for us to ‘taste and see’

What if we love God first and our neighbour next because

What is still most important has always been these two laws

Then what if we rely on He who is in full control

And simply love Him with all of our heart and mind and soul

© Janet Martin

Not all 'what ifs' are 'if onlys'

Sometimes What If is the spark that kindles the dream/bud before the flower!

Originally, the second line in this poem was

'Where What Is sets time’s tables with fresh battles to be won'

but the more I pondered (though the battles are real and often grueling)

the battlefield is cradled in His mercy!

His redemption is complete!

His loving kindness faithful!

Psalm 34:8

O taste and see that the Lord is good: 

blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

Psalm 100:5

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; 

his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Phil.4:8

Finally, brothers and sisters, 

whatever is true, 

whatever is noble, 

whatever is right, 

whatever is pure, 

whatever is lovely, 

whatever is admirable—

if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—

think about such things.

A Rich Canvas (of God's Flawless Poetry)

Where Mercy's faithful essence renews more than barren limb

He cheers us with His presence as we place our trust in Him...

Green deepens, a rich canvas for nature’s calligraphy

The land is young; it dances with God’s flawless poetry

Where wonder, like an elixir reminds the careworn heart

To trust in the Creator of earth’s unparalleled art

This life, so full of care would be too hard to bear, but for

The Lord’s unrivaled majesty only proud fools ignore

Where Mercy's faithful essence renews more than barren limb

He cheers us with His presence as we place our trust in Him

Hunger and heartache’s Texas vexes worlds beneath our skin

The belly of the whale perplexes well-laid schemes of sin

Where all we have is lent; God gives and takes, for He is Lord

Where spring is like a bower bent with hope and grace restored

Vales deepen; a rich canvas for faith's meek and fervent plea

Though spirits groan, hope dances as God spills pure poetry

Where a whole world of wonder waits to tune faith's ears and eyes

To trust in He who tends the gates/straits that lead to paradise

© Janet Martin

Psalm 138

I will praise You with my whole heart;

Before the gods I will sing praises to You.

2 I will worship toward Your holy temple,

And praise Your name

For Your lovingkindness and Your truth;

For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.

3 In the day when I cried out, You answered me,

And made me bold with strength in my soul.

4 All the kings of the earth shall praise You, O Lord,

When they hear the words of Your mouth.

5 Yes, they shall sing of the ways of the Lord,

For great is the glory of the Lord.

6 Though the Lord is on high,

Yet He regards the lowly;

But the proud He knows from afar.

7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me;

You will stretch out Your hand

Against the wrath of my enemies,

And Your right hand will save me.

8 The Lord will [a]perfect that which concerns me;

Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever;

Do not forsake the works of Your hands.

 The Old Cross Road (click link to listen) 

James Rowe 1920

1. There are many paths through this world of sin,
   But there’s only one I shall travel in;
   ’Tis the old Cross Road, or the way called “Straight”—
   There is just one way to the pearly gate.
   • Refrain:
     There is just one way to the pearly gate,
     To the crown of life and the friends who wait;
     ’Tis the old Cross Road, or the way called “Straight”—
     There is just one way to the pearly gate.
2. There are some who sneer at the old Cross Road,
   At the pearly gate and the soul’s abode;
   Yet I mind them not, but, with happy song
   And assurance sweet, still I press along.
3. Others risk their souls on some new-made way,
   Thinking they will come to the gate someday;
   Oh, may they find out, ere their lives are done,
   That the old Cross Road is the only one.

 

Little Life-Ladder

Psalm 143:8

Let me hear Your loving devotion in the morning,

for I have put my trust in You.

Teach me the way I should walk, 

for to You I lift up my soul.

I have a few friends going through terribly difficult seasons!

Whether we are in the valley of the shadow of death

or enjoying a view from the heights of success

we are where we are by the grace of God

on our way to beholding Him!

I wish I had a picture of Tot yesterday,

standing at the bottom of this ladder

and looking up, up as if wondering

to what wonderland it leads...

 I identified with the wee one, as I too sometimes

look up, up beyond the Meanwhile...

Leaning on the Everlasting Arms- David Crowder

Through the thick and thin of laughter

‘Neath the rise and set of sun

Before turns to ever-after

Gold and gray mingle as one

In the grin and groan of earning

Wisdom’s wonder-wizened crown

We will never outgrow learning

Till we lay these bodies down

Where ways once keener/greener and younger

Kisses faces with lost youth

We, honed by hope’s sacred hunger

Cling all the more to God’s truth

Not forgotten, not forsaken

As He draws us to the shore

Where death’s sleep is but to waken

In His Presence evermore

Through the highs and lows of living

Flows the wellspring of Enough

Where God, gracious and forgiving

Lavishes us with His love

In the hearing and the calling

Until death collects its claim

We are climbing and yet falling

Up, yet back from whence we came

In the valley of death's shadow

Or on heights of sweet success

Life is like a little ladder

Leaning on/leading to Eternalness  

 

© Janet Martin

Oh, imagine if we had the visual of our little life-ladder

(wherever we happen to be in time's climb),

 leaning against Eternity

held by He who is from Everlasting to Everlasting!

Psalm 116:5

Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;

Yes, our God is compassionate.

Reality Checkup

Ps.103:11

For as the heavens are high above the earth, 

So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;

CN Tower, Toronto, Ontario

It’s easy to find in life’s day-to-day grind

Of lessons that teach what they must

So many a reason, no matter the season

To fret rather than pray and trust

Its easy to miss in the muddle and kiss

Of hurry and worry and more

Midst giving and taking and dream-castles breaking

The Hand that is holding the door

Where doom and mayday groom longing with dismay

It’s easy to shift our gaze

From ‘Greater is He’ to the trouble we see

On pedestals of Numbered Days

It’s easy to be overcome with the plea

And thus, numbed to mercies that pour

God’s goodness unfurled in a beautiful world

That thunders with wonders galore

© Janet Martin

(not even close to daffodils this year!)

Psalm 117:2
For great is His loving devotion toward us,

 and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.

 Hallelujah!

To We Caught in the Tempo/Tempest (of Unknowns)

 

We Ontario-ans are caught in the tempo of a tempest this morning!

oops! I better fill the feeders...

Done!

The feeders are in an absolute Feather-FLURRY 

of finches, sparrows and juncos this morning!!

mostly gold-finches!

(they definitely prefers sunflower seeds to the deluxe mixed blend!)

What we have seen we know exists...

like the road and the vista beyond...

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed;

 blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

John 20:29

We cannot see into the unknown 

but The One who loves us beyond measure can!

Life’s unknowns loom in highs and lows so vast and deep and wide

The love and grace that God bestows exceeds its teeming tide

Goodness and mercy follow we who are a-travelling

Toward the hill and hollow of Unknowns unraveling

This life runs rife with minuets composed of circumstance

An arrangement of pirouettes and stumbles in the dance

On music sheets we call Today, notes tremble, spill and twirl

Heartbeats in a brand-new ballet, ‘Yet’s’ ensembles unfurl

Unknown's unwritten lyrics juxtapose with poems penned

How subtly the syllables of highs and lows co-wend

Where we, caught in the tempo/tempest of rhythms that rise and fall

Grasp only small mementos of the fullness of it all

Sometimes God sends a soloist when we prayed for a band

Sometimes as the Unknown untwists we do not understand 

The Maestro who is teaching us to trust His loving lead 

His mercy reaching far beyond what logic can concede

This life is a momentous merge of Knowns to Unknown knit

God knows, as highs and lows converge, the perfecting of it

Where grace and goodness mentor we learning the steps and scales

To a Masterpiece Melody of love that never fails

© Janet Martin

Romans 8:35-39

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? 

shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, 

or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; 

we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors 

through him that loved us.

For I am persuaded, that neither death,

 nor life, 

nor angels, 

nor principalities, 

nor powers, 

nor things present, 

nor things to come,

Nor height,

 nor depth, 

nor any other creature, 

shall be able to separate us from the love of God, 

which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.