Category: Poems

My King Is In the Pit

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When I’m in the pit,
I look the lion in the face;
And I see Jesus’ mighty hand
Close tightly the beast’s firm jaw.

The lion that once roared
And threatened unknown dread
Stands helpless now before me,
As on the Creator’s strength I draw.

The pit is very deep;
While on its upper edge I wondered
How I could ever quite survive
The hungry brutes below.

But I found that if I walk
Up above or down so deep,
The God who promised care
Is the one whose mercies always flow.

That compassion can’t be hidden
By the darkness of the pit.
That compassion can’t be trampled by the enemy,
Though he be fierce and wild.

For the God who called me to Himself
Promised to stay with me,
And protect me,
Whether times be troubled or times be mild.

Oh, lion, you are hungry,
And your den is very dark;
But my King is so much greater
And to His power His creatures must submit.

So roar as you can
And threaten my undoing;
Your jaw will never know my flesh,
For my King is in the pit.

“My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths and they have not harmed me. . .” – Daniel 6:22a (NASB)

Never

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I have been let down
In, oh, so many ways.
Family, friend, and foe
Have slain my heart.

The reasons are quite clear,
Though the pain is just as great;
One cause is that same curse
I see in the mirror.

As I wrestle with myself
In the continued struggle with my flesh,
Disappointment does abound,
Crushing you and crushing me.

And even when we try
To stop hurting those around,
The nature of our being
prevents ultimate attainment.

We want to cure,
But we can’t heal.
We want to be there, but are prevented
By obligations and constraints.

We want to listen,
But we can only hear one person at a time.
We want to follow through,
But we grow ill and weary.

We want to promise,
But we have no control.
We want to stay,
But we all die.

Thank you, great God!
Sinless, you are;
And truly unlimited.

You can heal.
You can be there.
You can listen,
And follow through.
You can promise,
And you can stay.

You are the One –
The only One –
Who keeps His Word.

Yes, I have been let down
In, oh, so many ways.
And I have let down others
Times beyond number.

But never
Will my God let me down.

Burst of Brilliance at the Death of Me

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The radiance of autumn leaves
In all their warm grandeur
Strikes at the core of me.

What a burst of brilliance
Comes rushing to the scene
As the air grows cold.

Reds and oranges and yellows
Demanding to be admired;
We are drawn to their glory.

Burst of brilliance
You come
As death proceeds.

Oh, little leaf of green,
Your color changes
And gushes forth as gold,

Only as you die.

Colors hidden formerly
Erupt boldly on the scene
As the leaves prepare to drop.

Burst of brilliance at death;
As it is with leaves,
So it is with me.

Burst of brilliance comes
When I recede,
And Jesus advances.

Burst of brilliance comes
When I die to self,
And Jesus lives in me.

And for all the burst of brilliance known on earth,
None will e’re compare
To the radiance we’ll see

When death takes us finally.

Color there – indescribable.
Creation there – perfected.
People there – as they ought to be.

God, remind me that both now and then –
the burst of brilliance comes
at the death of me.

Darkness Dispelled

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In the darkest of nights
And the brightest of days,

God is at work all the while.

No candle He needs,
No fumbling about,

Though murky and deep be the trial.

For God is light,
So where He is
The way stands clear and sure.

We yet perceive darkness
As we struggle with sin,

But God’s view of things is most pure.

Light chases darkness until it is gone,
Dispelling confusion and fear.

In an instant,
A beam cuts through shadowy night,
And suddenly things become clear.

In a moment,
Jesus charges through all time and space,
And swiftly our answers are near.

The Best

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Will I do the right thing?
Will I want the right thing?
Will I accomplish that thing in the end?

All the “wills” will be answered
One way, one day –

In the way that recalls the Giver of right,
In the day that pins all hope on Him.

God energizes my will to want right.
God energizes my flesh to do right.
God brings about what pleases Him.

God is at work in me.

He makes me want the best, and
He enables me to live the best,

When I realize the best is His pleasure.

“For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” – Philippians 2:13

A Hymn to God the Father – by John Donne (1572-1631)

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Wilt thou forgive that sin where I begun,

    Which is my sin, though it were done before?

Wilt thou forgive that sin, through which I run,

    And do run still: though still I do deplore?

When thou hast done, thou hast not done,

    For I have more.


Wilt thou forgive that sin which I have won

    Others to sin? And, made my sin their door?

Wilt thou forgive that sin which I did shun

    A year, or two, but wallowed in a score?

When thou hast done, thou hast not done,

    For I have more.


I have a sin of fear, that when I have spun

    My last thread, I shall perish on the shore;

But swear by thy self, that at my death thy son

    Shall shine as he shines now, and heretofore;

And having done that, thou hast done,

    I fear no more.

“Preoccupied”: A Poem to Help Us Understand the Question, “Am I Ready?”

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PREOCCUPIED

Planned a party.
Now I’m waiting
for you to arrive.

Others present;
talking, laughing.
But you
I have not yet seen.

Though I’m with them,
my mind keeps drifting
to thoughts of you.

I hear your voice,
I see your face,
as I imagine
your arrival.

They keep begging me
to join in
with abandonment.

I cannot.

You are all
I really think of.

Please come.
Please come very soon.

This is no real party
until
I am right beside you.

This poem is weighty. It can help our hearts discern their true status. God’s Word says, “So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.” (Hebrews 9:28, NIV, emphasis mine)

Many people ask sincerely, “Just what does it mean to be saved?” Stunningly, it means much more than most imagine. Notice Hebrews 9:28 tells us that while Jesus died for many people (in fact, for the entire world), He is only returning for those who are waiting for Him! Just as Matthew 7:13 whittles down the road to life to only a few travelers, while the road to destruction remains wide; so Hebrews 9:28 confirms and delineates the criteria.

What does it mean to be saved? Deny it however much we want in order to try in vain to produce a sense of security, the answer is clear . . . it means we are absolutely preoccupied with Jesus!

As the host of the party in the poem cannot put first in his heart or mind other people or activities, so the truly saved person cannot put first in her heart or mind other people or activities. Expectant waiting for the One we love the most packs full every moment!

Are we “looking out the window” for Jesus to come?

Are we paying more attention to our television, our cell phone, our ipod, our social time, our facebook account, our children’s activities, our hobbies, or any combination of various distractions “at the party”? Or are we so in love with Jesus that His Word and precious time in prayer with Him are nearest and dearest for us?

He died for the sins of the world, but He is only coming back for those who are waiting for Him.

Are you waiting . . . ?

The Glorious Re-making

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I gave to You a heart burdened with my own sin,
But I gave it to You;
And You made it a clean heart, free of guilt and shame.

I gave to You a mind shackled by fear,
But I gave it to You;
And You made it a strong mind, focused on truth.

I gave to You hands prone to selfishness and greed,
But I gave them to You;
And You made them hands extended, inclined to reach out.

I gave to You a will fixed on my own plans,
But I gave it to You;
And You made it a will to love You, unshaken by changing circumstance.

I gave to You the moments of my life, not seeming to amount to much as the second hand ticks so relentlessly,
But I gave them to You;
And You made them moments of eternal weight, reaching infinitely far into the future.

I gave to You my dreams, so elusive and unreal,
But I gave them to You;
And You made them dreams aligned with your plan, bursting into glorious reality.

I gave to You my future, which is – without You – nothing,
But I gave it to You;
And You made it a future never-ending, always glorious.

I gave to You me, though I cannot add one bit to your greatness;
But I gave me to You;
And You made me who I always wanted to be – the person You want me to be.

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.” – Psalm 51:17