In a way, this poem draws on similar thoughts to those spoken by Corrie Ten Boom: “Look around at the world, and you’ll become distressed; look down at yourself, and you’ll become depressed; but look up to God, and you’ll find rest.”

“What we are and are not”

Lord, how often do we judge the state of our hearts and thought
By looking at others and assuring ourselves by saying “That is what I am not.”
And yet, we miss a life-saving truth by not recognizing what we are.
We cannot see that we are lost in sin, and from You are so away far.
But if we open our eyes, and realize just how we naturally stand before You,
Once we see our sin, the cleansing can begin and our spirits You can renew.
Then we may stand complete and whole, made clean by the power of Your blood,
Ready for the purpose You created us for, to be sent out like water in a flood
To all those who are still enslaved in sin. We show by our actions how we have died
And been changed by Your precious blood, and that all who come to Him can be purified.
So open our eyes, Lord, that we may see You
And be transformed as our minds You renew.

In this poem, I compare God’s will to our own desires. Sometimes, the truth can seem like sour medicine, yet it is so much better for us than the sweet poison that sin offers.

“Sour Medicine and Sweet Poison”

Lord, how hard it is when we feel that with us You are being unfair.
When You tell us “no”, we are sometimes drawn into believing the lie that You don’t care.
You love us, Lord, as our Heavenly Father, which means that when You say “no,”
It is for a good reason-although we may not understand why, we can be assured that what is best, You know.
However, sometimes, instead of accepting this, we find it easier to Satan give in,
Allowing him to enter our lives and fill us up with sin.
It tastes good for a while, and seems to take away the pain.
But in the end, all the enjoyment is in vain,
Because sin robs us of that which only You can give-
Peace, forgiveness, and the chance to abundantly live.
So, although it is sour, help us to accept when You tell us something not to do,
and let us not fall into temptation, but instead keep our eyes on You.

Hey, folks! Back again 🙂

Here is another addition from my compilation of college poetry (trying saying that 5 times fast). When writing this, I thought back to Jesus’ parable of the four soils; in my life, if I am being unfruitful, I imagine myself reflecting the soil with weeds (too concerned with worldly affairs to bear fruit). As such, I then pray that God would weed me out, removing any influence from my heart that does not glorify Him and replacing it with His presence.

“Doing the Will of my Father”

Lord, what is it that holds me back from following You with my whole heart?
Is it selfish desires, that choke out the faith that first had such a glorious start?
Lord, I desire to walk strong in You and end life’s race standing tall;
Yet, without allowing You to do a work in my life, I will only short of the mark fall.
Lord, renew the fire in my heart; help me keep my eyes on You.
Pour out on me Your Holy Spirit afresh, so that I may speak and live what is true.
Lord Jesus, You are the source of all that is good in my life.
Help me to live according to Your will, enduring pain, persecution, and strife.
Shepherd of my soul, Jesus my Lord,
Be the hand that guides my spiritual sword.

“Barefoot before the Lord”

Lord, so often we let pride prevent us from doing what we know
To be right. Yet in Your presence, humility is what we should show.
The Earth and all that is in it is yours, every sight, smell, taste and sound.
When You meet us in the place where we are, Your perfect presence makes it holy ground.
Just like Moses at the burning bush, You meet us here and now
With the same awesome power that causes us to You our faces bow.
I pray that we would never tire of the awesome way that You touch us
As we choose to follow in Your steps and You with Your Holy Spirit fill us.
May we remain humble before You, O God,
And may we live always to bring You laud.

“The Final Hour”

Lord, I lift up to You a prayer for strength in the final hour.
I pray that Your people would finish strong, whether the end be sweet or sour.
In so many ways, even Your followers who fellowship with You every day
Can allow the interests and tasks of life to draw them out of Your way.
Today it is so easy, it seems, to become distracted by the world and lose the fire
That was once so brightly lit in our hearts – to give up when we begin to tire.
I pray that You would give us the strength to finish well, like Peter and Paul
And so many others who, in their time, faithfully in You stood tall.
The end of the race seems very close – the finish line seems close at hand.
May we walk closer with You, so that, when the final hour comes, in Jesus’ name we may without fear stand.

“Being Spiritually Fed”

Lord, so often You desire to show
Great examples and lessons to those You know.
Yet often, we can keep ourselves so spiritually young,
Unable to let anything more than milk pass over the tongue.
Yet it is Your desire that we should grow, and become solidly rooted in You
So that we may understand what You say, every word of which is true.
I pray, Lord Jesus, for those still young, that You would provide for their need;
That You would raise up teachers and help them grow as they help to feed
Their fellow believers. I pray that we would follow You every step of the way
That leads to Heaven, where You will provide beyond anything that we can do or say.

Prayer is our means of talking to God; as a healthy part of our walk with Him, we need to “settle accounts” with God. We do so by praying specifically for areas of life in which we have been lacking; by lifting up specific areas of sin, we can truly repent and grow stronger in/closer to God.

“Settling Accounts with God”

Sometimes, I act without thinking about
How the end story of my life will turn out.
I get focused on things that, all in all, matter not
In God’s plan for me. Yet every single thought
And act that I do is recorded in a book
That one day will be revealed for all to take a look
And see how I lived my life and what I lived it for.
My very being will be revealed-my innermost core.
I will be judged according to all that I did;
Nothing at all from my life will be hid.
Then, God will make the final decision, and my life’s works will be tried;
They will pass through fire, and will be either refined or fried.
If my life was lived for God, then the works in my life story
That the world viewed as insignificant will be refined in God’s glory.
But if I lived my life for myself, even if I am covered by Jesus’ blood,
Then all I worked for will be destroyed, like the world before the Flood.
I will still enter Heaven, but I will not receive the full glory
Of having God as the center and foundation of my life story.
I pray, Lord Jesus, that from this day on,
I would not use the time given me in a manner wanton,
But instead live every day in a manner that pleases You,
So that my life would be made pure, through and through.

This was my final poem from high school; written in 2005, I wanted to express the end of one time in my life and preparations for a new one while holding on to the foundation of what it means to be a Christian.

“A Sold-out Soldier for Christ” (#55)

I have decided to follow Jesus, and I’m girding myself for war.
I am now a soldier for Jesus Christ, who has for me opened up the door
To eternal salvation. I’ve grown and matured as I have followed Him
Through snares and traps of the Devil, as well as toils and trials grim.
I have put on God’s spiritual armor and I am ready for the fight,
No matter what ahead awaits me-great battle or stands in corners tight.
I am willing to go wherever my Lord Jesus will send me;
I have given my whole life to Him, I have no other master but He.
Have given your whole life to Jesus-will you follow wherever He will go?
If so, then go forth with all speed, but if not, pray and closer to Him get to know.

“The Words of My Mouth” (#54)

Lord, You made me with a tongue so that I might use it to worship You;
As a Christian, I am to speak only what is uplifting and true.
But it’s hard to do, when all around men are using their words perversely-
Demeaning their fellow people with their words, cursing and casting insults crudely.
But Your Holy Spirit gives me the strength to resist doing what they cannot-
In Christ, I have the freedom to do right in every action, word, and thought.
So this I pray, oh Jesus my Lord and Savior, that, whatever You take me through,
Every word that comes from my mouth would be glorifying to You.
James chapter three was very apt in saying the tongue no man can tame.
So I give my tongue to You, o Lord, that You would use it to bring glory to Your name.

“Without Love” (#53)

Lord, as Paul wrote in 1st Corinthians 13, even if we are able to do and know all
That there is, if we do not do it in love, then it is worth nothing at all.
You show us the example of how to live this way-your love for us is reason for all You do
In our lives. Time and again You show us Your love through our lives and Your Word.
Love does not seek after itself, nor does it proudly boast.
Love does not envy or get easily angry, qualities seemingly ignored by most.
Love treats no one rudely, and is always patient and kind.
Love delights in the truth, and keeps no record of wrongs on the mind.
The Bible says that You, oh God, are love; you showed this to be true on the Cross.
If we have that kind of love as You do, then losing our lives to serve You is no great loss.