Several years ago, my younger sister walked through a devastating life change. Everything in her world was turned upside down. She now had to choose between searching out truth through the God she had known in her youth or allowing herself to crumble under the weight of the pain and loss. She chose truth! And in walking in that truth, she has blessed so many over the last decade with her poem writing and her speaking.
Today I want to share a few of her poems with you that I believe may help you as you move through each day. It is possible you are currently living your own worst nightmare, as she was, and have no idea where to turn. Or it may be that you are struggling, like the majority of us are, with what in the world is going on around us and can we please just return to “normal.” All the while, beginning to recognize our lives may never return to how they were before this year and grieving those losses.
In some areas, we do not want to see things returning to the way they were before as we have a long way to go in understanding and making long overdue changes in true equality as God sees it. But in the other day-to-day arenas of our lives, “Please, can we just go about our days as we have before?!?”
Either way, we can begin with the “Truth Prayer” my sister prayed daily to keep herself in line with God’s truth and what He was showing her. It is so simple, and yet it has application to every area of our lives…the things in our control and those that are not. Because even if they are not, we still have to respond to what is happening in our world.
The Truth Prayer
Father, please reveal to me the truth about my life,
Help me to accept it,
And show me what to do about it.
I encourage you to pray that prayer and then be still and listen (When People Just Need a Listening Ear) to what your Father shows you. What does He reveal about the thoughts consuming your mind? How about your interactions with those you love; and those you don’t? About knowing your next right move and the decisions you need to make? (Doing the Next Right Thing)
Today, with what we see taking place in our world, the words from these two poems Pam wrote remind me Who is in control.
Tragedy
Unimaginable tragedy,
Innocent lives lost
In this world that we live in,
Sin comes with a terrible cost.
We ask ourselves the question,
“How could God allow this pain?”
But He’s not the author of destruction,
He didn’t cause this shame.
Satan’s desire is to destroy us,
But God came to give us life.
In the end He will repay evil,
For now He holds us in our strife.
Remind yourselves that God is good,
And place your hope solely in Him.
Even when the skies grow dark,
and you feel alone and grim.
He will plant you firmly in His love,
You will survive the storm.
Let His Word be your anchor,
As He renews and transforms.
Crisis
Sometimes we are somewhat prepared
As we watch tragic events unfold,
But most times we are blind-sided,
As the shock and horror takes hold.
We feel anger, fear and confusion,
About how this could possibly be.
We discover if our faith is based on
Who God is, or what we see.
Let the turmoil motivate us,
To see insight into His heart,
To know who He is … always,
It’s a very good place to start.
We know His ways are higher,
But we cannot always comprehend,
The what or why of His decisions,
But we know His comfort will extend.
God is not harsh, He is holy,
Our sovereign and all-knowing Lord.
The more we understand about Him,
We will find ourselves healed and restored.
In order to experience being clothed with joy,
Our sackcloth must be removed by Him.
He is ready and able to lift us up from despair,
As the clouds lift and our days are no longer grim.
We will worship with abandon,
freedom belongs to us,
As we experience our Savior’s love,
His intimate friendship we will profess.
Here are a couple more to remind us where we can find
the source of peace during these days.
Surrender
You don’t have to do this all alone,
Lay it all down before the throne.
The weight of your burdens is too much to carry,
The fears and uncertainties you try to bury.
For when you give up your perceived control,
You invite the Savior to make you whole.
If you will surrender your life and your way,
He will pour out His peace in your life every day.
Even when we don’t understand His plan,
We know He is good and His promises stand.
Give it up, lay it down, surrender your will,
You’ll have no regrets, from Him blessing will spill.
Peace
Peace cannot be bought or borrowed,
It can only be received,
As a gift from your loving Father,
It only requires you to believe.
You’ll have to change your focus,
Gaze upon His truth instead.
Not dwelling on your circumstances,
Living each moment Spirit-led.
Thieves will try to steal and rob,
To take your peace from you,
But if it’s locked inside your heart,
They won’t be able to break through.
It’s more valuable than any treasure,
But sadly buried and lost to most souls,
As they think treasure is tied to possessions,
And that peace is tied to their goals.
True peace is free to those who know Him,
Because we can stand upon His Word.
There is no other rock as solid and firm,
As He calms our hearts and we’re assured.
God is good, and God is great,
He has it all under control.
I will keep my eyes on Him,
And trust Him with my soul.
I hope these beautifully written words will serve as a balm to your soul today. If you would like ordering information for the "Timeless Truth" book, please fill out the Contact Me link noting your interest and I will have Pam get in touch with you. I highly recommend it--there are over 100 poems included that will speak to whatever you are going through today. Plus it would make a wonderful gift. I like to keep them on hand to give to people who are going through a challenging time.
