Faith-Booster

In need of a faith-boost?

Today's devotion is a beautiful reminder

of truths that abide, regardless of what may seem!

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

Only a Holy God -Praise and Harmony

We walk by faith and not by sight

No need to know or fret or fear

As step by step we trust the Light

Of God's Word to direct and cheer

Faith walks by the way of the cross

For sinless Christ bore mankind's sin

And suffered Mercy's Albatross

This is no minor, trifling thing

Faith walks in the power of prayer

How limited is mortal might

How finite is the thoroughfare

That winds through highs and lows of sight

Our God forgives when we confess

Faith believes and walks in His grace

As far as east is from the west

His love/blood removes transgression's trace

Ah, what more do we need than this;

To have a God who intercedes

Though much may be sadly amiss

We walk by faith because God leads

Among all gods, none are like Thee

Thy words and works beyond compare

Transcending the small part we see  

We walk by faith; faith walks by prayer

Unite our hearts to fear Thy name

Lord, let Thy law be awe's delight 

Until, returned from whence we came

Help us to walk by faith, not sight

Armed with the Spirit's sword, Thy Word

Faith's shield to quench enemy darts

We step into the fray, oh Lord

Open the eyes of our hearts

Janet Martin

Sharing this chapter as well so it may minister to your soul

as it did to mine this morning. 

Ps 86

Bow down Your ear, O Lord, hear me;

For I am poor and needy.

2 Preserve my [a]life, for I am holy;

You are my God;

Save Your servant who trusts in You!

3 Be merciful to me, O Lord,

For I cry to You all day long.

4 [b]Rejoice the soul of Your servant,

For to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

5 For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive,

And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.

6 Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer;

And attend to the voice of my supplications.

7 In the day of my trouble I will call upon You,

For You will answer me.

8 Among the gods there is none like You, O Lord;

Nor are there any works like Your works.

9 All nations whom You have made

Shall come and worship before You, O Lord,

And shall glorify Your name.

10 For You are great, and do wondrous things;

You alone are God.

11 Teach me Your way, O Lord;

I will walk in Your truth;

[c]Unite my heart to fear Your name.

12 I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart,

And I will glorify Your name forevermore.

13 For great is Your mercy toward me,

And You have delivered my soul from the depths of [d]Sheol.

14 O God, the proud have risen against me,

And a mob of violent men have sought my life,

And have not set You before them.

15 But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious,

Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.

16 Oh, turn to me, and have mercy on me!

Give Your strength to Your servant,

And save the son of Your maidservant.

17 Show me a sign for good,

That those who hate me may see it and be ashamed,

Because You, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

A World of Summer Wonder Waits...

Ps.24:1 

The earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness, 

The world and those who dwell therein.

Dawn bursts through gates of summer day, and what does its first light unveil?

A fresh and burgeoning buffet of summer-beauty, fleet and frail...

A world of summer-wonder waits to woo replies of awed applause

Before its blitz of blooms abates, let's feast our eyes on God because

The earth and its fulness thereof belongs to Him, yet He delights

In overflowing founts of love to thrill us with scents, sounds and sights

Dawn bursts through gates of summer day, and what does its first light unveil?

A fresh and burgeoning buffet of summer-beauty, fleet and frail

Beckoning us to slow our stride while hastening from here to there

To open eyes, ears and hearts wide to handiwork beyond compare   

...because the world of summer soon slips from earth's sill of dust and dew

Its blue and yellow afternoon fades and loses its petals too

So, as dawn flings ajar yon gates, let's walk slow enough to be awed 

Where summer's world of wonder waits for us to feast our eyes on God

Janet Martin 

Reason to Rejoice in Truth

Every single person in the world,

no matter how 'together' they may seem,

has struggles, fears, disappointments and sorrows!

The verse below is as true now as the day

it was God-breathed to humankind! 

Ps.146:5

Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
    whose hope is in the Lord their God.

Phil Wickham - Living Hope (Lyrics)

Praise God; the power of the cross, no foe can overthrow

Nor ever annul Redemption’s inestimable worth

No matter what the argument, tis by God’s grace we go

His breath of life fills our lungs, His glory fills the earth

Praise God; though generations come and go, His Word abides

Faith’s Lighthouse and hope’s anchor in a world of pagan noise

What confidence and peace as Want its agony confides

His Word ministers to our souls and kindles countless joys

Praise God; His goodness and mercy, no tragedy can quell

Though the father of lies tries any guise to guard sin’s wage

Faith fixes eyes beyond Time and sight’s fleeting citadel

To a Prize where God’s love will reign from age to age to age

So, praise Him now with every breath He grants, and do not faint

For His sufficient grace sustains a tow’r of strength within

Then, whatever today demands, proceed without complaint

Servants of righteousness and truth rather than slaves to sin

Praise God, the power of the cross cannot be overthrown

His promises cannot be broken or His purpose swayed

He reaches down and sets in place each grace-laid Steppingstone

So, rejoice in the Lord for this new day that He has made

Janet Martin

Dawn's/Worship's Alabaster Flask, Refilled!!

See what great love the Father has lavished on us...1 John 3:1

Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness. Lam.3:22-23

Today, Lord let me recognize the alabaster flask I hold

Lowered from extravagant skies of purple mist and blushing gold

Wherein like precious ointment of great value, moments will reveal

The nature of my deepest love by at whose feet I come to kneel

And at what cost I prove the part that words alone do not disclose;

The sacred throne-room of the heart, and whose reign my devotion shows 

Lord, pray Thee when today is spent; the alabaster flask of dawn

Broken, and its utter content of priceless love lavished upon

The feet of my Lord/lord  You will say with kind and tender sympathy

'she has done all she could today to show her heart of love to me'

Or else, as too oft the case, Lord (and here ashamed, I bow my head)

Forgive me, where I dumbly poured love's perfume on myself instead 

Today, Lord, grant me eyes to see Dawn's Alabaster Flask refilled

With mercy for humanity, before Worship's Spikenard is spilled 

And lavished on the head and feet of that which I most dearly love 

Where rationale of talk is cheap, as I my lord/lord and Master/master prove

By how the moments of today are perceived, measured and outpoured

Either to howls/jowls of dust and clay or with grateful praise to Thee, Lord 

What love you lavish on us Lord; whether we love you in return

Or turn our backs upon your Word, grace shatters dusk's dust and ash Urn

And brushes eternity's brink with virgin hues beyond compare

The perfume of mercy runs pink-blue-gold through daybreak's supine air

Lord, before we start today's tasks and face the foes that vex faith's guard

Tune us to alabaster flasks where worship waits to spill its Nard 

Janet Martin  

Great Is Thy Faithfulness with Lyrics | Lydia Walker

Mark 14:1-9

Now the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were only two days away,

 and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. 

2 “But not during the festival,” they said, “or the people may riot.”

3 While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, 

a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard.

 She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.

4 Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, 

“Why this waste of perfume? 

5 It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages[a] 

and the money given to the poor.”

 And they rebuked her harshly.

6 “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? 

She has done a beautiful thing to me. 

7 The poor you will always have with you,[b] 

and you can help them any time you want. 

But you will not always have me. 

8 She did what she could. 

She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 

9 Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, 

what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

In the Quietude of Awe...

Just as the body needs nourishment to thrive...

so too, the soul!

Ps.34:8

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good;

Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

Matt. 5:6

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

For they shall be filled.

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!

Psalm 119:103

How sweet are Your words to my taste—

sweeter than honey in my mouth!

Jeremiah 15:16

Your words were found, and I ate them.

Your words became my joy and my heart’s delight.

For I bear Your name, O LORD God of Hosts.

Ps.46:10

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth.”

Isaiah 30:15

For the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said:

 “By repentance and rest you would be saved; 

your strength would lie in quiet confidence—

but you were not willing.”

***

We have within, a sacred rill from which our spirits draw

But it runs dry lest we are still for God to will and do

His good pleasure of restoring our souls to holy awe

So we can face life's roaring tolls, refreshed by heaven's dew

Be still where living bread is found and living water flows  

Take off your shoes where holy ground of earth and heaven meet 

Like Elijah, drink from the brook the Word of God bestows

In life's wildernesses, ah look! Here manna, honeysweet 

What profit this; to gain the world at the cost of the soul 

To haste and miss the Fount unfurled, where healing tides are spilled 

To discover the pure delight of faith cheered and made whole

As we hunger and thirst for righteousness, then and there filled 

Be still and know that He is God; then let His love renew

Our strength so we can run and not weary; walk and not faint

For unless we are still, how can God fill the rill with Dew

That nourishes the soul of man and empowers the saint 

On storm-tossed sweeps, dew cannot fall, but oh, when we are still

So still, we do not even call on Him with creature-cry

Then, in the quietude of awe showers of grace refill

The rill within, so we can draw and not find it run dry 

Janet Martin

Be Still, My Soul-Libera Boy's Choir

With Heart Laid Bare

What grand irony that, in spite of, and in the plight of unutterable grief

in a world filled with hurt and brokenness,

we have free access to inexpressible peace and joy.

What sweet consolation; the sufferer of 'the Easter Story' 

is our Saviour and the Sustainer of faith's hope of glory.

Small wonder as we come to Him that sometimes we are speechless!

The world groans with the need of Jesus!

Jesus, sinless Lamb of God,

who suffered in our stead to break the curse of death,

that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life!

Nothing and no one in all time in all the world

 can make or keep such a loving promise,

It Was For Me {with lyrics}

The highest thoughts I think or pray at best are still so small

And oft I know not what to say as on my knees I fall

With heart laid bare before the One who knows and loves me best

Whose grief is greater than my own, whose joy transcends the test

Whose promises do not betray, whose purposes prevail

Whose grace, sufficient for the day will not falter or fail

Who does not leave me comfortless but does not turn blind eyes

To loves and habits ruinous or lesser gods I prize

Who knows the flesh is full of wants and wills that disobey

Prone to indulge the voice that taunts with ‘did God really say?’

He loves me still with thoughts and ways no mortal comprehends

And understands my stuttered phrase and makes perfect amends

With heart laid bare, Lord, well You know how wretched I would be

But for redemption You bestow, purchased at Calvary

But for fellowship you restore through faith that made me whole

With heart laid bare, I bow before the Saviour of my soul 

Janet Martin

Eph.3:20

Now to Him who is able 

to do exceedingly abundantly

 above all that we ask or think,

 according to the power that works in us,

 21to Him be glory in the church 

by Christ Jesus to all generations, 

forever and ever. 

Amen.

Lord, shield us from the perils of self-pity and doubt

lest they foster bitter despair.

Instead, as we follow your footsteps that lead to Calvary

may the incomparable love that purchased hope's incomparable gift

transform our perspective and humble our plea.

Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross

1 Pet.1:8-9

Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; 

and though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him 

and rejoice with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 

9now that you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Come, Holy Spirit, Intercede

Heartbreak; It's all around us!

The world groans!

God's Spirit if we ask/trust Him

will intercede with unshakeable hope

Hope; it's above us, beneath us and hems us in on every side

It lifts us up on eagle wings.

It is no magic cure for life's ills and aches

but it is strength, joy and peace in the thick of them!

It is love's/God's gift to us when we put our trust in Him.

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.

Remember your word to your servant,

for you have given me hope.

  Psalm 119:49

Come, Gracious Spirit

Come Holy Spirit, intercede

Anoint my fumbling quest

And through redemption's favours plead

On my behalf, Thy best/the rest

Come, Holy Spirit, stir my soul

To hope in Thee alone

As I relinquish full control 

With this; Thy will be done

Once I, a woman at the well

Would vainly draw and draw

But could not satisfy or quell

My thirst with loot or law 

Until, my Lord, You bid me come

To trust and taste and see

The Living Water flowing from

The fount of Calvary 

The Fount that drew Thee from Thy throne

Hope's groaning breach to span

To be the Lamb that would atone

 And save the soul of man 

To rend the temple's veil and then

To overthrow the grave

You crushed the serpent's head. Amen

With love, mighty to save

Come, Holy Spirit, intercede

With discipline divine

Till Gethsemane-like groans concede

 Not my will, Lord, but Thine

Come, Holy Spirit, intercede

Until 'then, face to face'

I hear Thy final verdict plead 

Salvation's gift of grace

And then forevermore to lift

My voice, with ceaseless breath

To praise the Giver of love's gift

That saved my soul from death

Janet Martin

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?”

There Is A Fountain Filled With Blood

Lead Me To Calvary with Lyrics (Hymn) - Don Moen

Love's Favour or Sunrise Symphony

Watching the morning break was like having a front row seat at a

Second-to-none free-for-all Symphony 

This was a performance like never before

and never will be again, as is each daybreak!

Ps.139:17-18

How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!

How great is the sum of them!

If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;

When I awake, I am still with You.

Blush-brushed beauty, ushers duty to Time's kindly-kindled Wick

Heaven trembles with ensembles, soon cut to progression's Quick

Mercy quivers, love delivers That which only God supplies

Age-old token crowns the broken with glimpses of paradise

Crowns the rubble of Time’s trouble with covenantal embrace

Seals the treasure of His pleasure with His signature of grace

Like a chorus, gold and glorious from a welkin wellspring borne

While the Teacher cheers the creature with love’s favour of fresh morn

The Creator awes spectators like no other god can do

Peals of wonder humbly thunder in the likes of me and you

Janet Martin

Holy, Holy, Holy

In The Gladness For God's Goodness...

Psalm 5:3

In the morning, O LORD, You hear my voice; 

at daybreak I lay my plea before You and wait in expectation.

Psalm 119:147

I rise before dawn and cry for help;

 in Your word I have put my hope.

In the gladness for God’s goodness, grief finds joy, and worry, peace

Longing finds sweeter contentment as counted blessings increase

Hope is more than optimism; like a rose that does not fade

Goodness and mercy unfold the bud of this day He has made

In the morning, He will hear us as we lift each humble plea

All day long His goodness cheers us as we wait expectantly

In the comfort of each promise, He turns despair to delight

In the beauty of creation God gratifies faith with sight

In the gladness of good tidings of great joy for all mankind

Jesus, Author of salvation beckons all to seek and find

Sin’s eternal absolution, hope which cannot be dismayed

Because of love’s restitution, through the debt that Jesus paid

Hark! The herald angel’s message of great reason to rejoice

Lucid as the light of morning, the sheep know the Shepherd’s voice

Step by step He goes before us; bids us cast on Him each care

In the gladness for His goodness life becomes a living prayer

Janet Martin

Ps.118:24

This is the day the Lord has made;
We will rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 19:8
The precepts of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart;

 the commandments of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.

Psalm 97:11
Light shines on the righteous,

 gladness on the upright in heart.

Psalm 119:130
The unfolding of Your words gives light;

 it informs the simple.

Praise God For Man's First Christmas Gift

Acts 2:38-41

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you

in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins,

 and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, 

even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, 

Save yourselves from this untoward generation.

41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized:

This morning in majestic splendour, the heavens declared the glory of God 

and proclaimed the work of His hands...(Ps.19:1)

The God whose love gave us His Son, Jesus, so all who believe in Him

will not perish but have eternal life! (John 3:16)

The God who calls all of us to worship, 

not the created, but the Creator! (Rom.1:25)

All who beheld, worshipped one or the other!

Does His work not rouse a hymn of gladness for love's greatest work/gift of all?!!

Praise God for man's first Christmas gift; Jesus, Emmanuel

For the good tidings of great joy, which Is for all people

For promises of old fulfilled; for God's goodness unfurled

In the very first Christmas gift; the Saviour of the world 

Praise God for man's first Christmas joy, uncomprehend when 

Shepherds hastened to see the Baby boy at Bethlehem

Believing without understanding what the angels told

As the ancient redemption promise began to unfold 

Praise God for man's first Christmas hymn; glory to God on high

And on earth peace, goodwill to men,  rang from the midnight sky

 With a message of hope for all who believe in His name

Praise God for the first Christmas gift that faith alone can claim

Praise God for the first Christmas Day; the day of Jesus' birth

 The King of kings and Lord of lords stepped from His throne, to earth 

Praise Him for joy and peace because He conquered death and hell

Praise God for man's first Christmas gift; Jesus, Emmanuel 

Janet Martin

Jesus, Messiah 

Divine Dialogue

2025 November PAD Chapbook Challenge: Day 13

For the 2025 November PAD Chapbook Challenge, 

poets write a poem a day in the month of November. 

Day 13 is to write a dialogue poem.

The Lord's Prayer (Our Father)

Dear Father up in Heaven

How can I give/live my best?

Just love and look and listen

And let Me do the rest

Dear Author of creation

How can I honour Thee?

Just learn to be more patient

And leave the rest to Me

Dear Lord of my salvation

How can my love reply?

Trust without explanation

And watch Me satisfy

Dear Father up in Heaven

I bow with heart undone

Because I am forgiven

Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son

Dear child, then do not worry

In every word and deed

My Kingdom, pow'r and glory

Grants everything you need

Janet Martin

...and He is before all things,

and by Him all things exist.

Col.1:17

Of First Receiving ...

John 4:24

God is Spirit, and those who worship Him 

must worship in spirit and truth.”

If we were nothing more than what we could achieve

 by our own merit, we at best, would be pitiful.

Every opportunity we make the most of

 is possible only by abilities first God-granted.

The athlete, the artist, the architect,

the scholar, the teacher, the laborer, 

the business magnate, the journalist, the preacher etc.

pursues, performs, accomplishes and excels, 

only through the grace of first receiving

the gifts of health and strength, 

of intellect and perception, etc.

Because of these mercies/provisions/blessings we, 

not by our own merit but by the grace of God,

ought not hide in fear, but with constant courage 

each day ask God to make us a vessel He pours through.

 Then, whatever we get right is to His glory

and whatever we get wrong is to our refinement

as we keep learning, no matter who or how old we are.

so, no matter how great (like winning the World Series, 

(oops!! like trying to win the World Series)

 or small (like preserving pumpkins) 

we owe our best to He from whom we have first received  

So, no matter 

how great or small

The task at 

present seems

We owe our 

Very Best of All

To He who 

grants the means

To seize each 

opportunity

With noble 

intention

Because of who 

grants you and me

Ability. 

Amen

Janet Martin

Matt.6:9-13

In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

 Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

 Give us this day our daily bread.

 And forgive us our debts,

As we forgive our debtors.

 And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.

[a]For Yours is the kingdom

and the power 

and the glory forever. 

Amen.

Rock of Ages Cleft For Me