Hold the Line

I lift my eyes in this weakness,
and I thank you for your work
in my limbs, mind, and heart.
Oh Lord, where is my determined
spirit, and my strengthened will,
where is my grasp, till
I stumble before you?

I am pierced in my entirety,
the enemy lusts after me,
wishing to kill and destroy,
I plead for my rescue,
surround me my Savior,
help me in this hour.

You have broken me, my God,
yet, that stubbornness lunges for me,
and you break me even more,
I have asked you to drive me,
breaking my will,
molding my heart,
cutting away the extra clay,
making me into your work of art.

How I crave the day,
when I will be complete,
a vessel that is made perfect,
without anything impure
that would cause me to be marred,
I desire, I crawl along each inch,
there will be a moment of clarity,
a moment of change,
continuous, I need to be trained.

This dust fills my mouth,
it stings my nose as I breathe,
clawing along in this desert heat,
misery is our due, for sin,
struggle, our curse, battle about,
leaping only to fall, to cleave
and be driven back, no feat
is accomplished, no victory akin,
to your blows.

Oh Lord, how I wish to change,
I strip this cloth breast plate from my body,
drive your sword into this rock,
a heart solid in entirety,
let the heat of your love,
melt this stubbornness,
help me be aware of your work,
I throw down my wooden sword,
and fall at your mighty feet,
tread me, Oh God, crush
this wicked man anew,
forgive me for offending you.

Heal me, strengthen me, my Lord,
make me a strong man,
able to wear the armor,
the armor you have forged,
place in my hand your mighty Word,
a double-edged sword
far superior to the twig I carried,
Set my eyes on your purpose,
let your light shine as I charge
into darkness, your soldier,
from the arena to the battlefield.

Make me be only you,
let your strength fill
me like the furious
burning sun, set me to
be only one among
my brothers, fighting
together, lifting the fallen,
helping the pressed,
driving back the enemy,
rescuing the prisoners.

The Lord is our sanctuary of peace,
In Him we can trust for all,
He is our shield and our protector,
He is our shepherd and finds us when were lost,
He will never forsake us,
nor leave us behind,
Come let us obey the Lord,
Trusting and resigned.

Come, let us praise the Lord!
Bowing before His mighty throne,
that is everlasting and forever.

God, King of the Universe,
Creator of all things, calls to all,
“Believe, repent, turn and follow me!
My Burden is light, learn and see,
from one who set the heavens in motion,
and controls the waves of the sea.”

Your heavens are your throne,
the earth is your footstool,
the winds are the touch of your hands,
and the strength of trees is your spirit,
you give and sustain all life.
You do as you please.

When no one will praise you,
the chorus of nature cries forth,
the frogs, crickets, and hum of bees,
and if they did not praise you,
the stones would cry out anew,
and the wind in the trees would
open the mouths of the leaves.

I praise you Lord!
With my deepest essence of being,
Remember me as I cry,
Hold me close in my grief,
lift me from the dirt, Oh Lord,
lift me up to you!
Bring me out of dimension and time,
Into eternal life, before your eyes and view!

May your name resound with thunder,
with the shaking of the earth,
let your name be howled by the winds
with fury and righteous judgment!
Let those who do not know you,
come to know, that your love is never ending,
and give them time to see, I plead.
Oh Lord, let your mercy pierce their hearts!

How I desire to hear you call,
to hear the sound of the trumpet roll
across the mountains in the fall,
with the tree’s fluttering leaves,
yellow and brown drifting down
to the leaf covered ground,
in the rolling plains and hills.

In that moment, when all has come,
the promises to those who trust in you,
will hear your voice, and lift our chins,
with the Spirit drying the sin like dew,
in the light of a blazing fire, with some,
the corruption will evaporate from us, anew,
like a new born butterfly, free and strong,
we will like lightning disappear,
leaving only a ghostly vanishing image,
of our existence in this world that knows only damage
and violence, and will hate when you appear.

That ghostly image, like a glance at the sun,
or a flash from lightning on the horizon,
we will be free and soar, into the heavens,
there we will see you, in majesty and power,
oh how I yearn to see you in that hour!

Your Spirit, a gift, for all eternity,
will change this flesh to incorruptibility,
that which perishes, will no more perish,
and we will be imbued with your infinite nature,
blood like burning hot power,
with all the intellect of our Creator,
what could be sweeter?

The wicked hunger for power and wealth,
they deceive, position, and claw upward,
how they smile and flatter, yet they are cowards,
only bent on what can fulfill their evil lusts,
yet all they will taste will be sour.

Real power, real riches, these are not
that which perishes and returns to dust,
what is this life, what is a fortune?
Those without, suffer in slavery to receive,
those with suffer slavery in greed,
gold and property, one rust the other rots,
why ride a old horse that only trots,
or cook good food in rusted pots?

Find the true riches, the true fortune
like a white horse that gallops,
running with wind and power of God’s Spirit,
never tiring, never slowing down,
The Spirit of the Lord is all that we need,
it is that which is like a seed,
a seed that burst forth from its shell,
a tree, growing strong and lifting its fruit,
from the barren, mute ground.

Then at that moment when Jesus calls,
that same Spirit will do His work,
This dead shell will split, a new creation
will shoot forth, free from the laws
of this universe that restrains,
there will be no condemnation,
or sin to continue to leave its stain!

Praise the mighty name of our God,
lift the majesty of Jesus in splendor,
for all that He has done and given,
to those who have simply striven,
to trust and follow Him, stricken
by the truth of our sinful ways.
With the roaring of the lion,
and the gentleness of a dove,
let the truth be cried from every corner,
and ever knee bow to Christ,
forever crying truth for Him above!

Oh Lord, what power thrives
in the mighty hands that shapes this clay,
that molds and adds,
removes what you may,
making the pot as it stands,
turning on your wheel in your hands.

Father, my heart is heavy,
overwhelmed by words,
words of sharp emotion,
motivated by harsh notions,
and trouble that boils in darkness,
over years of burden.

The child’s tears fall,
under the heavy hand, oh Lord,
I see the child, blue eyes shining,
in the corner of naivety,
struck by harsh words of a stranger,
battered by the unending hours,
what has this child done,
only to desire love, and run,
to you, away from the wicked powers.

Forgive me, my God,
let the waters of your spirit flow,
as I jump into your ocean,
cocooned in the warm waters.
Let your currents take me,
let the waves lift me high,
washing away the anger and hate,
take away the bitter strife.

I come to you in this hour,
walking along the shores of our beach,
coming to the place of meeting,
under the star lit sky,
by the softly churning waves,
and the gentle breeze,
I can feel your mighty power,
in everything.

How many children, have wished,
for a father, who has followed you?
For only those who know your Son
can do and be what they need.
Grief, for irresponsibility,
Mourning for selfish desire
that stole the time and him from me,
the child laying in bed, crying for the one
who would not be a man
who followed you.
Never to know your leading,
hearing your word in the cool morning,
no one to guide and teach, to bring
leadership and mentoring,
But, Oh Lord, you have been my guide,
you have directed my bare feet along
the path, you have seen my desire,
you have filled it, you are my daddy,
my dad, and my father.

You are the strength of my will,
you are the mentor I never had,
you are the one who found me,
the lost child, who was floundering,
you are the one that took my small hand,
you are the one who lifted and loved me,
you are the one who has never forsaken me,
you are the father I never had.

You formed me in the womb,
knowing me and my life before.
My existence was known to you
before you set the seas in place,
the mountains on high,
or the orb of the night in space.

You, my Father, how I love you,
with everything and all in me,
I yearn to see you, to be before your eyes,
my Jesus, I call to you in this moment,
for what can touch me, or my brothers and sisters,
when you place your hands around us.
Lord, “we love you” is our cry,
before the congregation we praise you,
in front of the wicked we declare you,
in trouble and trials we cling to you,
in times of plenty and famine we thank you.

What a loving and magnificent God
who indwells us with His Spirit,
that cares for us and will never forsake
those who follow Him.
Oh Lord, return your love and peace,
your joy and strength to my heart,
let your will be done for all
who call on your name!

In your eyes, life pools in fullness,
your love and the Spirit of God
intermingle to those who behold them,
at times a fully mature woman
with a smile that reaches into me,
that draws my happiness to you,
your love is undeserved
by one such as me, a poor blind man
fumbling through each day only
by the hand of his God.
Your love to me is like a
clearing in a wood
with flowers, sunlight, and a breeze
at the noon sun that brings
the cherished moments of renewal.

Your skin is as sweet as
dark honey, harvested by bees,
not for them, but for me,
with hair that captures
the beauty of the night
and holds it even though the brightest light,
with eyes that warm me inside in the
coldest hour, like hot chocolate on a cruel day,
your whispered words, are cords of strength,
borrowed by the weak.
My passions for you are like
liquid fire welling up inside me,
consuming me, calling me with your eyes,
your touch is salve on open wounds.
These broken pieces held together
by will alone, now by your love,
as my sweet squaw you look to me,
by God’s hand I am your brave warrior.

What I want to happen many times
is not what occurs, your love shines
into me, even when I cannot lift
my eyes, your hand lifts my chin
in my despair, you give me joy
and replaced misery with happiness,
I want my mouth to be full of your
praises, full of your truth and word,
I want my mind to think on you,
my eyes filled with your light,
I want my to be clothing in your power,
serving, doing, and being the man you
want me to be, following you in my life,
I want to praise you for
what you have done for me,
I do not know who I used to be.

When you made me new, when you
changed my heart, when you lifted
me out of myself, I held to you,
I died to myself, I died to my
life, for I have given everything
into your hands, mold me my God,
my failures haunt me, putting me in despair,
I hate the darkness in this corrupted flesh,
I want to be good, I want to be like my God,
I want to be perfect, close to you,
what I want to happen seems to
not occur, slipping through my fingers,
Fight for me, my Lord, for you are my shepherd,
pick me up, my King, for you are my father,
teach me, my Life, for you are my guidance,
help me be strong, my Strength, for you are my energy,
I cry to you, hear my only real desire!

You woke me with the touch
of your Spirit, pulling me from my
walk in the sea of lost dreams,
I could hear my Spirit singing to you,
crying out to you, holding on to your
presence, I slid out from under
my blankets and held to you,
clothed in my own filth,
this flesh attempts to overwhelm,
this body, corruptible and mortal,
it causes more grief than joy,
these members of darkness spill
their blackness over my head,
how can I ever overcome
the thoughts that I can hardly control,
my emptiness in constant pain.

You are my King, My Lord,
through your flaming love you
have come to me, in my separation,
you reached out and touched
this filthy creature, taking my hand,
when they pierced you, the one
who should have been there was
not yet born, thousands of years before,
instead of these nails in my hands
and feet, they were driven in yours,
by taking my place, under the whip,
under the thorns, and on the tree
you reached out to me, taking my hand,
pulling me from my separation,
bringing me to you, your blood pours
over me, through it I have been
reborn, a new spirit encased in corruption.

Lord Jesus, I yearn for my
redemption, I hunger for it,
I burn for it with tears,
how I want to be freed from
this flesh of death,
with all its desires, needs, and compulsions,
take these members of darkness from me,
cast it away, put in me your heart,
put in me your thoughts and love,
cloth me in your righteousness,
for I have become aware of my weaknesses,
Lord, you molded me, created me,
I am your child, to be with you,
let your voice be in my mind, see your eyes,
to see your smile, to hear you talk,
I want to laugh with you and learn from you,
my head is lifted, looking for my redemption.

The Rain drops falling on the green leaves
let cry their praises to you,
the soft wind is the caress
of your breath on my face,
you make the heavens weep to
bring freshness and life to your creation,
the trees wave their limbs
in exaltation of your majesty,
the sky speaks of your vastness,
the sun of your burning love,
the moon reminds of your watchful eye
in the darkest hours of the night,
even in the blackness I am never alone,
the stars proclaim your love of
art and creative expression,
and your revelation of the times.

Bring one with you, in the chorus
of nature’s voice, that praises
the work of your mighty hands,
the power of your Spirit
permeates all life, sustaining
us, as the world passes through nothingness,
even the void speaks of existence without you,
you made this my home, providing
all that I may need, I
feel the power of your intellect,
creating in perfect harmony,
to see this place free from death,
to experience eternal life in this creation,
to see nature as it should be
will be a gift above gifts,
to see your beauty in all you have done,
your love of art and creative expression.

I am in awe when you open
my mind, when you reveal your
truth to me, I feel you inside
of me, comforting and teaching me
I hang on your every word, your
wisdom and infinite knowledge,
when you let me feel your
infinite strength I was humbled,
when you let me feel your infinite power
I was amazed,
I sat in awe of your
greatness, of your massiveness,
like a speck of dust next to a mountain,
I look up at your glory,
blinded by the intense light,
deafened by the sound of the angelic host
singing before your ruling throne,
then all is quiet, calm, peaceful,
I feel your hands, you open my eyes,
you heal them and restore my ears,
the love in your eyes fills me,
your voice leads me, compels me,
you lift me into your hand,
and I am overwhelmed at your
love and care for me, so small,
so tiny next to you, an infinite God,
you healed my heart and pain,
you fixed this broken man,
you have taken away all fear,
you have filled me with your peace,
you have made me happy and glad,
I will forever be with you,
my creator, my master, Abba.

Floating on the warm waves,
my flesh grows around me,
I can hear the sound of a voice,
my dreams drift to places never seen,
through the images I can feel you,
I hear you whispering in my ear,
telling me of your love and peace,
as the light shines down on me
I reach out to you.
You have always been there,
whispering to me,
comforting me, giving me peace,
when did I forget to listen
to your voice, when did I forget
your presence in the cool
of the morning hours?
Father, bring me near,
hold me in your embrace,
let your love wash over me
in this wicked hour,
reborn, I can again hear your voice,
whispering to me,
through my spirit I can touch you,
always be with me, my Father,
be my strength when I am weak,
carry me when I cannot walk,
my heart cries out to you,
one of your children,
I love you.