My name is discernment
Trust what I reveal and know
I show you the hidden things
You’d otherwise never be told
I show you opportunities for blessing
And how to count sorrow as joy
I whisper God’s wisdom
Amid this world’s noise
I sense when something new is brewing
When it is time to block an attack
I sense calmness and times to be still
When to move on and when to hold back
I’m a gift, don’t ignore me
Shut me out or throw me away
Embrace me and listen
Trust what I say
It’s taken me captive
Been ruthless and cold
Gripping my heart
Unwilling to let go
I’ve pressed on despite it
Used it to grow
Gotten used to its presence
And welcomed it home
It’s had purpose, made gains
Inspired me to change
Been my friend, left me slain
My daily reminder, my pain
2 Corinthians 12: 8-10
8Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
You steered me into the storm
On my trusty boat I went
But the winds picked up
Soon flailing overboard
All my senses spent
This was the way to go?
Why on such a rough sea?
Isn’t there a smoother path
Somewhere designed for me?
But the wind against my sails
Taught me a lesson or two
Gave me new strength and courage
And pointed me straight to you
I’ve laid myself down
Raw and exposed
No safety net laid out
Fully vulnerable I suppose
Trusting You to do as You say
Believing in Your love
And even more so in Your grace
As You walk me safely through this place
When I see You, nothing else matters
When I feel You, the rest of the world disappears
When You gently whisper to me
Contentment replaces all my fears
Let me hear Your voice
Let me feel Your embrace
Let it just be me and You today
Don’t give me earthly wisdom
Opinions flood in by the multitude
No the only wisdom I want
Is that which comes from You
You touch my eyes so I can see
You touch my heart so I can breathe
You gave your life to set me free
My earthly form is fading
All that I grasp crumbles at my touch
My vision is blurring and
My heart is yearning
Awaiting Your breath to wake me up
Jesus is with me
because I have the greatest need
He didn’t come for the Saints
For those strong in good deeds
He came for sinners
He came for me
Mark 2:17
On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
This is not the path I had in mind
These are not the troubles
I would have designed
But my easy roads
would never have known
The beauty your paths have shown
so I will trust in you
In the darkness, hope becomes visible
It’s the glimmer of light around the bend
In doubt, faith becomes tangible
Turning trials into a dearest friend
James 1:2-3
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance
What if…
I never discover a solution
My battles never find resolution
My actions never match my words
My thoughts are always disturbed
I never write a famous song
I never find a place to belong
My worry doesn’t cease
My soul never finds peace
What if…
Promises are fulfilled
I perfect the art of being still
I continue to grow and gain
I find purpose in the pain
I gain insight and faith
I discover new strength
I hold fast to the truth
I stay beside You
What if…
I need a vail
Need some privacy
As I figure out
Who I want to be
Then I can be me
Without apology
a little spark…
burning inside
Untainted by night
Shining so bright
a little flame…
inside my frame
Burning the mire
Directing desire
a little light…
persistently
Working to be
My own melody
I’m walking on invisible ground
Unseen by those around
But it’s proven sturdy
A faithful friend
So tomorrow
I’ll choose it again
I’m sorry Lord
I cannot see
I know, He said
Draw closer to Me
Pride quiet yourself
You will not be entertained
Suffer silently through
your offense and inflated pain
Regret you’ve been replaced
This is no longer your domain
You ruled uselessly for years
Now turn and go on your own way
And last but not least
I am abandoning you fear
For all the missed opportunities
You caused me while here
1 Corinthians 13:13
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Maybe I’ve done life all wrong
Maybe it’s been my fault all along
Maybe I was a person I couldn’t even see
And the fingers I pointed should’ve been pointed at me
God are You there
God do You hear
My cries and my plea
To rest beside thee
It’s not with my eyes
My touch or my nose
It’s something down deep
That knows
It’s not something I heard
I read or was told
Its a truth buried deep
In my soul
This morning on the way to school, my 4 year old said “sometimes Caleb (his 7 yr old brother) is mean to me. So sometimes will you be mean to him too?” I laughed a little on the inside thinking “of course I won’t be mean to your brother because he was mean to you. He’s my son too.”
Then I wondered if that’s how it sounds to God when we wish He would “repay” the wrongs done to us. He hears us, gently smiles, understands why we feel that way but then reminds us that the person who hurt us is His child too. And instead of “being mean to them”, He disciplines out of love and infinite wisdom, knowing exactly what each of us needs. He provides mercy upon mercy just as He has done for me…. and for that, I am extremely grateful.
In the broken, In the silence
I sit and wait
Your hand is at work
I watch and pray
I give You the pieces
I trust what You say
Here in this discomfort
You work out your will
Wrestling with my desires
You call me to be still
Watching and waiting
Trusting Your heart today
Patiently anticipating
Your hand to lead the way
Just when I think I’ve found the right to judge
The right to hate, not forgive and not budge
You pull me aside and remind me of my sin
You remind me of your love and the grace You keep me in
1 Corinthians 13:2
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
Don’t compare
Don’t stare
Be you
Authentic and rare
Don’t cover
Don’t hide
Be you
Outward and inside
Should there be any comfort in Christ
By His blood, should we be saved.
Should His arms ever hold us tight,
Then let us give Him praise.
Should our failures ever meet His grace
Should our tears be wiped away
Should our hope be restored again
Then let us give Him praise.
Should our lives reflect His name
Should we be rescued from our shame
Should He speak to our hearts each day,
Then Let us give Him praise.
I don’t look the way you think I should
I won’t fit inside your box
I can’t get enough of the people I love
You may disagree with the way I walk
Don’t expect me to condemn I won’t
These are the people I long to know
They need me and I died for them
To walk along side wherever they go
Luke 7:34
The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’
And when I looked
And saw my reflection
It broke me to the core
But that brokenness
Has driven me
To become so much more
Proverbs 27:19
As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.
Proverbs 27:17
As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
I walked up and down the wall
Seeing if my hammer would chip away
I said “it’s not working Lord!”
He whispered “Let me lead the way”
Pray as you walk the wall each day
Don’t fear the giants inside as you go
Keep marching and believing me
Stop looking at Jericho
No strength of man can beat this
So do as I say each day
Take your trumpet and your prayers
The wall will crumble when I say
Walk silently around the wall each day
Ignore their sneers as you go
Look and listen to only me
Stop looking at Jericho
No matter how big the giants are
They are not comparable to me
Do as I say and keep walking
I’ll bring you to victory!
Hebrews 11:30
It was by faith that the people of Israel marched around Jericho for seven days, and the walls came crashing down.
My junk isn’t as bad as yours
I’m comfortable in mine,
I’m familiar with every crumb
It’s been here all my life
But when I see yours,
My goodness what a mess!
You should really clean that up
Keep working, try your best.
See all my junk has a reason
An explanation for every hurt
A story behind every bruise
But I’m comfy in my dirt.
But to me, yours has no reason
I wasn’t there and didn’t see
I don’t understand your mess
So your junk looks worse to me.
Luke 6:31
Do to others as you would like them to do to you.
Matthew 7:1-5
Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.
And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.
You speak to me in visions, dreams and parables
In things unseen, things only my heart has heard.
I am the woman at the well
The sinner thrown to her knees
The woman wiping perfume with her hair
Mary, Martha – I am all of these
I am the thief on the cross
Zaccheus and a Pharisee
Judas, a friend and a traitor
I am the least of these
I am Saul as he was blinded
I am Mary at the open grave
A witness on the road to Damascus
By my faith, I have been saved
Luke 7:47-48, 50
47 “I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” 48 Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.”…
50 And Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
I wish I could say I’ve been a victor
And stayed the course with You
I wish I could say I kept my faith
And never truly doubted You
I wish I could say I’ve been stronger
And stood on solid ground
I wish I could say I learned my lessons
And never looked back or turned around
I wish I could say I’ve been good
And won this war for You
Truth is I’ve been a traitor and a fool
And the only real hero is You
