Consider Him who is faithful-Poem for those who are waiting on God

The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. Lamentations 3:25-27 (ESV)

Consider Him who is faithful.

I turn dreams to heavy things,

Demanding, like a child.

I lose sight of vision

Staring at the present reality

As if it were the only one.

I seek the Lord for answers.

Already given in the vision world

Of faith and certainty. 

Oh, faithless heart, distraction of my sight!

My soul grows faint in battle

With my soddened self.

I cry for mercy, relief from such a foe. 

Mercy always comes. And such a sweet face.

The Lord smiles.

My soul finds rest in the gleam of His eye.

I stand again to move through one more day,

Just present reality,

And reach the vision set in trust for me. 

Then there will be one more.

Do You Know How Much God Loves Us

What does it mean that "God loves us"? This kind of love is beyond what we can comprehend with our natural minds. 

God created man in His own image (Gen 1:27) to fellowship with Him, to be stewards of the Earth, and reflect His divine life. God knew in this beginning about the first murder, the betrayal, the idolatry, and human self-glory, yet God still created man because of God's great love for us.

There was a time when God regretted that He created humanity, and the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the Earth, and He was grieved in His heart. Gen 6:6. But, before he destroyed his creations, He found a man who loved him, and gave this man, Noah, the knowledge needed to avoid destruction. 

After the flood, when the Earth was once again dry, Noah offered praise to the Lord. And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma. Then the LORD said in His heart, "I will never again curse the ground for man's sake, although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done. Gen 8:21E

This is an excellent example of God's all-encompassing love. God purposed in His heart that He would always love humanity despite the failings and betrayals.

The closest example I can think of is the love that I have for my children. What mother doesn't love her newborn unconditionally? What that means is days of diapers, hours of feeding, being on call for any cry, holding and rocking, and there is no sleep. And as the baby grows despite the tantrums and misbehavior, love lives. Love doesn't count, it keeps, kisses, and wonders at the miracle that is your child.

More than the love we know for our child, the love of God is greater, totally unconditional. These are paraphrased words from Clay Davidson's song "Unconditional." "The child said, "I hate you," and slammed the door. The father replies, "You can't stop my love for you; it's a given. You can turn away, forget me, curse my name, but love won't let go, it's unconditional." 

To me, this sums up how much God loves us. 

Unbelief-This is Woe

The Israelites wandered in the desert because they refused to make the decision to walk by faith, and not by sight. For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people who were men of war, who came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they did not obey the voice of the LORD—to whom the LORD swore that He would not show them the land which the LORD had sworn to their fathers that He would give us, "a land flowing with milk and honey."
NKJV Joshua 5:6

Struggling in this sifting sand

with no firm ground below,

Among this crowd of nomads,

wondering in woe.

Wandering within these walls

of blue and white hot light,

Days spent walking forward,

Resting quietly each night.

Finding bread each morning

spread across the sands like dew.

Witnessing a stone being struck

and water flowing through.

Following a column

lighting one step at a time,

What now seems so uncertain,

Was it once so all divine?

My legs do not grow weary,

My clothes do not decay,

I follow, I am silent,

I do not know the way.

I'm curious about the land

beyond what I can see.

I know the land that's now behind

and burns my memory:

As fear and worry capture me

I ponder at my plight

Give voice to discontentment

And rail against this flight.

To choose to stay, or choose to slow?

But if I leave, where will I go?

Dwelling in the land now past

Freedom was my dream.

But in these walls of desert

What freedom can be seen?

I cry aloud, to God..

And pause. Wipe blinding sand aside.

I remember I was rescued

I walked through walls of tide.

My steps grow quick, a song bursts forth.

I lift my voice, now strong.

I hear the praises echo

through this great nomadic throng.

I look up to the light again-

A steady, constant glow.

And steady now my heart responds

That where it leads, I'll go.

I know now what is woe.

These are Sacred Things

Sacred things:

Keeping secrets,

Listening when you’re busy

Holding memories tight

And opening your heart.

Loving the unlovely

Smiling when you’re worn

Patiently tying a child’s shoe

And opening your heart.

For all the sacred thoughts and dreams

For holy smiles and words

For sunshine on a winter’s day

We hold our sacred things

Gently, like young children,

And sacredly open our hearts.

Life happens as we breathe

Enjoy every day in your life. Smile often and look for the good. Our life is like a flash of light, burning bright, then gone. 

From breath to breath, we are born and die.
First flashing as a star, shining with every promise,
Then settling into orbit, steady into life as breath exhales.
We turn, and what we leave is what we bring
Between the breaths.

Ecclesiastes 3 begins: There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens. In this book, Solomon explores the meaning of life. By the end of chapter 12, Solomon understands that the lures and adventures of life alone are meaningless and shares, "Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil."

I wrote this poem to read at my brother's memorial. My brother fell off the dock where he worked and hit his head. It was a sudden passing.