Like A Celestial Love Song

Like a celestial love song, light strums darkened strings until

The harmonies of heaven in triumphant daybreak spill

As, rolling from an eastward page a wave of music swells

Across earth’s sorrow-seasoned stage mercy tolls morning’s bells

Darkness is overcome with day where grace extends its lease

An orchestra begins to play a hymn of hope and peace

Above the groaning turmoil that afflicts a broken world

A chorus of God’s faithfulness is gloriously unfurled

Like a celestial love song we look up; hark and behold

The notes that rush and melt the dark with chords of blush and gold

The Maestro beckons us to sing, where we had stood aloof

God’s mercy, new each morning fills the firmament with proof

And humbled by His faithfulness we join the jubilee

Merge with the worship canticle that throbs o’er land and sea

Like a celestial love song that no mortal can ignore

The love of God pours out His mercy to mankind once more

© Janet Martin

But this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:

22The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;^b
his mercies never come to an end;
23they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”

25The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
to the soul who seeks him.
26It is good that one should wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.

Lam.3:21-26

In The Valley of the Shadow...HE IS!

 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,

Psalm 23:4

So many people are walking through the valley of the shadow of death

and we would surely fear evil without

God's rod and staff to comfort us!

My friend and I were chatting a bit last night about

how the mind can be an enemy if we let fear dominate...

instead, we said, isn't it a great picture to visualize, as we pray,

Light bids dark evil flee 

for prayer defeats the enemy!

In the valley of the shadow where death stalks its primal prey

Waiting to besiege the pilgrim with Dark Fear’s deceptive sway

HE IS, still mighty in power through the Author of His Name

For in Calvary’s dark hour He fought Death and overcame

In the valley of the shadow where death lurks at every turn

Like the enemy in ambush, (but already overcome)

HE IS, like a tender shepherd never forsaking His sheep

Lifting us upon His shoulder when the shadows grow too deep

In the valley of the shadow where death would its dread instill

There His rod and staff bring comfort and we do not fear evil

HE IS preparing a Table in the presence of the foe

With His goodness and His mercy Heaven’s wellspring’s overflow

In the valley of the shadow where death lies in shrouded wait

Prayers are rising like a fortress evil cannot penetrate

HE IS, WAS and ALWAYS WILL BE, He IS behind and before

And He hems us in until we dwell with Him forevermore

© Janet Martin

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

Psalm 139:5

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.^a
3He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness^b
for his name’s sake.

4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,^c
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

5You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6Surely^d goodness and mercy^e shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell^f in the house of the Lord
forever.^g

Limbo-land

Oh, just to be stuck in  rush-hour traffic behind a school-bus!

 Oh, to be free of COVID-19!

Oh Lord, that we would not be too stubborn to learn to lean on You!

I've remarked a few times how I didn't realize till this lock-down how much of life is Plans...

often we forget to say if the Lord wills we will...

James 4:13-15

 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town 

and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”—  

 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. 

What is your life? 

For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.  

 Instead you ought to say,

 “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”

Living in limbo these strange days it seems

Plan stands akimbo as we gaze at dreams

All we once witnessed without second thought

Sparkles with richness we nearly forgot

Stirring fond longing for mem’ry-made Things

Work-a-day love-song while tool-of-trade rings

Caught in the traffic behind a school bus

Turn up the music while we fret and fuss

To market, to market, without fearful word

To bicker and barter and shout to be heard

To mosey, enchanted, indulge in the bliss

That we took for granted…big hug, handshake, kiss

To wish to be jostled by crowds bargain-mad

To be pushed and scowled at won’t seem so bad

To chat (bumping carts) about everyday tasks

Not six feet apart behind mittens and masks

To ruffle the curls of baby girls, freckled chaps

And cuddle the world as they climb on our laps

To not furrow brows at the Sunday noon clock

While Preacher runs overtime rousing the flock
Or dock the poor server of nickel and dime
Because lunch took longer than it did last time

Not spiteful and quick to pinpoint people’s flaws

But gentled by sickness-induced worldwide pause

Beneath deathly pall of ‘ah, this too shall pass’

Urging the hours to fall through time’s glass

Till all this is over, then pray we will be

A sister and brother worldwide family

More giving, more thankful, more fully aware

Of living more mindful of love’s creature-care

More patient and humble, need each other more

Less reason to grumble than we had before

When all this is over and we realize

The gift of each other is life’s truest prize

© Janet Martin

May we be part of a worldwide choir, even now
Praising God for His daily mercies!
Some sweet day we will gather to sing in choirs

And That Believing We...

 But these are written that you may believe^[a] 

that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, 

and that by believing you may have life in his name.

John 20:31 

….and that believing we have life through His eternal name

Amidst this world’s trouble and strife we have hope without shame

No matter what mankind may do they cannot touch the soul

If we believe we have the pow’r of faith to make us whole

A joy unshakeable, though all else shakes our confidence

We know that we are able through Calvary’s consequence

He who suffered on our behalf for forgiveness of sins

Will never leave us Comfortless in this world’s sufferings

For we have the assurance in the trials that we meet

They forge firmer endurance so that faith may be complete

…and that believing we learn to be constant in our prayers

As we fix humbled yearning beyond this world’s sad affairs

Where joy we count comes from a fount they cannot comprehend

Until Belief opens our eyes we are like lost, blind men

But then, believing we receive the reason Jesus came  

To give life more abundantly through His eternal name

© Janet Martin

So many verses to encourage us 

in these darker days of health and economy!

May all who are seeking find

joy and peace through

Jesus' Name;

The True Light and Life-giver!

Romans 8:18-21 

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing 

with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 

For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, 

but because of him who subjected it, i

n hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption 

and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God...

A Pity-Party Poem (just for fun)

Some people have time to wonder and rhyme

And others don’t

Poor things

Some people have time to wander and climb

And others don’t

Poor things

Some people have time to sip cuppa tea

And others won’t

Poor things

Some drink the ink of poetry

Others just read,

Poor things

© Janet Martin