inspiration

Relinquishment of Control

Will your car start tomorrow morning when it’s time for you to go to work? Will a freak storm level most of the town you live in? Will your future wife walk into your office, look into your eyes, and see something that she can’t really describe, but which irrevocably changes both of your lives? I sometimes play that game in my mind, where I go back in time, but this time I’m armed with the knowledge of what has already happened. But what if you went back and changed one thing? What if you decided to get your car fixed before that day it wouldn’t start? What if that change in timing meant you turned your head at the wrong time at the office and that magic moment never happened? Going back in time doesn’t seem like such a great idea now, does it?

thelordreigns

It’s easy to see how our meddling with time could mess up our future. We aren’t meant to have that kind of power. But what would change in your future if you gave control to God? What if you actually became so sensitive to God’s voice that He didn’t have to keep hitting you over the head to get your attention? You might say, “That would be great, nothing bad would ever happen to me, because I would always be in God’s perfect will!” Wrong! Even when we do our best to listen to God, stuff happens. A lot of those happenings are things we don’t like. But God knows what we need, long term or short term. His plan is always best, even if we don’t understand. For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

Father, let me know you so well that I trust you to read the map.
I won’t constantly stop the car and complain that we are going the
wrong way. When you say, “Turn here,” I won’t ask you if you’re
sure, I’ll just turn the wheel. Let a peace wash over me that tells
me I will get to just the right place at just the right time to have
the future you’ve designed for your servant.

That Difficult Thing

You must do that difficult thing
that makes your heart hesitate
It is true of every one of us
whether we feel small or great.
God has a plan for you;
He’s in the business of unlocking doors,
but you’re the one who must push it open,
That decision’s yours.

The Economy of J.Q. Person

It’s the economy,
clearly
John Q. Person.
That’s why you’re busy
messing with your phone.
But is it true that if you looked up
and met the world’s eyes,
the reflection would show
you’re alone?

There’s nothing wrong with money
if you don’t fall in love with it,
but dollars never could heal a man’s soul
Only one power here or heaven
can give you what you’re craving.
Only Jesus Christ can make you whole.

It’s the economy, J.Q.P.
Moths emptied your wallet
and all you do is run in place.
But more money and a better ride
won’t cure the emptiness inside.
Have you considered what may
be at stake?

There’s nothing wrong with money
if you don’t fall in love with it,
but dollars never could heal a man’s soul
Only one power here or heaven
can give you what you’re craving.
Only Jesus Christ can make you whole.

It’s the economy.
You’re vexed
Mr. Person.
Is it the libs
and cons
in D.C.?
At night you lie and wonder,
“would any amount of money
fix what is broken in me?”

Disconnect from the marketing, Person.
Just say no to what’s there for sale.
Learn to meditate on what is for real, son.
Leave alone what all the parrots rail.
Polly wants everything.

There’s nothing wrong with money
if you don’t fall in love with it,
but dollars never could heal a man’s soul
Only one power here or heaven
can give you what you’re craving.
Only Jesus Christ can make you whole.

He cares for you, John Q. Person.
And he’s coming back.

He’s there for you, John Q. Person
And he’s coming back.

He’s not an infomercial, John Q. Person
Yeah, He’s coming back.

Coming back, coming back, Person-ally
Coming back, coming back, Person-ally.

John Q. Person
Introducing, John Q. Person.

Turn to the Sun

In the middle of our troubles it’s sometimes hard to remember that light even exists. All your senses perceive is an opaque wall between yourself, God and those who care about you. Time slows to a crawl. The air is heavy. Just existing can become a physical and emotional trial. This time of year, the daffodils I planted last fall are starting to bloom. For some time their green stalks have been showing. Now, we can enjoy the payoff of color. While winter lingers, spring beckons. An evening of rain is often followed by a morning of sun as the seasons get to the point in the relay race where the baton is passed. I noticed a particular flower the other day that had bent its head following a cold tumult, only to lift up as it dried and pointed to the blue sky. Hope and warmth drew it up as it dared to reveal its brave face. Is that a great leap? Are we foolish to believe a plant can hope? Look around. Everything God has created is brimming with hope and expectation. It’s inside you as well. Dare to lift up your head and find joy.

Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth;
Break forth and sing for joy and sing praises.
Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
With the lyre and the sound of melody.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
shout joyfully before the King, the Lord.
Psalm 98:4-6

Thank You

If God gave me breath for two words,
when I’d come to the end of my time
and let’s face it we can never know
just when that will be…
With not enough words to wax poetic
I’d bring out the best two I could use.
I guess the most exquisite
would simply be thank you.

Thank you,
two words directed at God and then those
He’s allowed to touch my life
even the ones who brought me
some measure of pain.
Thank you,
no matter your intentions
you helped me to grow,
to live a full life
you can’t just have sun,
you also need rain.

Thank you for the dark
and the light.
Thank you for a family
to say good night.
I’ve found that some of the small joys
are really the best.
God, as you see I’m skirting the rules
by using many now
when then I’ll only have two.
I just wanted to get some out now
before I rest.

Thank you for music…
surely the precursor
to heavenly sounds.
I’m pretty sure there’s more to the band
than only the harp.
Thank you for painting,
from our hands though surely from yours.
Thank you for expression of all that we feel.
It seems like hardly enough to just call it art.

I hope to add to the list
before I’m down to my last two

though you surely knew,

I want to say thank you.

Good to Me

That elaborate story about your depth of vision…

just an excuse to take my hand

forgetting your coat so I could keep you

warm

You’re so

good

to me

Telling me I’m funny

then wisely rolling

your eyes

when I convince myself

I am too

Pretending you’re asleep so I can

wake

you up

Comparing my skills to the best of Daytona’s

pits

you graciously let me

fill your car

Who has it better than I do?

Why…

no one!

For every Valentine box of twenty

chocolates

you let me eat eighteen

I share the best view of

your

flowers

You kindly allow me to greet

home invaders

for my side of the bed faces

the door.

Clearly no one has it as well as this man

the one staring

back

as I

shave

but should I grin too

widely

you’ll be sure to say

behave!

Uncertainty

For from of old
they have not heard
nor perceived by ear
nor has the eye seen
a God besides You,
Who acts in behalf
of the one who waits
for Him.
Isaiah 64:4

Part and parcel of being human is uncertainty. Consider the insurance business: We may guess that our house will stand for a given number of years and we can take measures to provide for its protection, but any number of calamities can take our property away. The same principal applies to health, automobile, life, etc. Our efforts to provide for ourselves in the face of unforeseen circumstances are prudent, but at best they are the product of educational guesses. We simply can’t predict every twist and turn between our present and our tomorrow.
How you react to uncertainty depends greatly on your personality type. Some of us spend a great deal of time digesting forecasts, while others would rather experience life on the fly. Whether the concept of “not knowing” makes your heart stop or beat a little faster, the future is coming; it’s up there, just around the corner.

Carefully, like Elmer Fudd,
with comical stealth and guile,
there I go,
stalking my future.

If I stop
suddenly,
turn
fast enough,
will I catch it
stalking me?

I’d rather spend
my life
in breathless anticipation
because I trust God for
what’s over the next rise,
than in a perpetually dizzy state
because I keep
looking back
to see
what’s gaining on me.

Forever Means More

Whenever I worship you, God
I forget about what’s wrong with me
and remember what’s right with you.
I set aside my worries and cares
and I’m thankful for the storms,
because forever means more.

I’m familiar with the war.
I’ve been through some of that before.
Yes, I carry the scars.
It’s a battle that started
in Eden long ago.

Forever in ways is similar to the world we think we know,
but side by side it’s more vibrant and distinct.
It’s like the difference
between behind the curtain
and the very front of the stage…
where the crowd roars,
forever is more.

Everything else fades away
when I think about how much
you mean to me
and the forever home
you’ve readied for your own.
All those things
that seem grand here
are just a portion, Lord
’cause forever means more.

When it’s time for us to rest,
and we’ve learned to give up striving
and passed the test,
I’ll be so grateful for the struggle
and for what you have in store.
I know
forever means more.

When to Worship

Honestly, the book of Habakkuk was not on my radar. It’s a small book near the end of the Old Testament, written by a prophet we don’t know much about. A theme in much of the Old Testament is man’s relationship with God. In a nutshell, man has always had a habit of forgetting God when things are going well and complaining when the situation worsens. The reigning king at the time of Habakkuk, Jehoiakim, was described by the prophet Jeremiah in this way: “your eyes and your heart are intent only upon your own dishonest gain, and on shedding innocent blood and on practicing oppression and extortion” Jer. 22:17 It was against this backdrop, during a time of increasing evil in Judah and oppression by the Babylonians, that Habakkuk writes of praise in chapter 3. I quote chapter 3:17-19 here: “Though the fig tree should not blossom and there be no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive should fail and the fields produce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold and there be no cattle in the stalls, yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and He has made my feet like hinds feet, and makes me walk on my high places.”

It’s easy to praise God when the sailing is smooth and complain when we are buffeted by storms. The self discipline required to stop for a moment to consider how we might grow and learn during those times is neither automatic nor easy to come by. However, God is always worthy of our praise and deference, and although we may not always be able to understand His ways, He remains on the throne. Of that we can be certain.

God, please accept my worship.
Let my song be lifted high.
When I focus on what’s difficult in my life,
help me remember the times
you’ve renewed my strength and joy,
carried me when I couldn’t walk.
When my foundation felt unstable
You were always my solid rock.
Increase my understanding,
in the darkness let it be my light.
Give me the same breath to sing in the valley
that I breathe when I sing on the heights.