All These Things

It is all within Your glorious plan

I was looking back at some of the poems I’ve written since the end of the summer and I found this one again and I thought I’d share it with you all. It’s a good reminder of who we are in God.

—-
All these things I don’t understand
It is all within Your glorious plan
One day we shall see Your Kingdom come
Into Your loving arms we will run

There is nowhere that can escape Your gaze
Your joy surrounds me like a rising haze

It was Your good pleasure to hide
Your wisdom from the rich and wise
Give it over to the children instead
Flip all knowledge upon its head

Until death has passed and life begun
We put our faith in a victory long since won

Oh my God how could I ever deny
These arms that protect are always nearby
Your love for me is so plain to see
The commands You spoke are life to me

I’m longing for Your beckoning call
In Your hands I can never stumble or fall

So give me eyes that see much more
And ears to hear You knocking on the door
In Your plans I shall place all my trust
From Your breath I am no longer just dust

I gave all I loved

"Did you know that a flower cut from it's life source withers?" December 2011

I know that you forgot.
You forgot I blotted out your transgressions
You forgot I stopped the curse from spreading,
You forgot I stemmed the shedding of your blood
and instead, shed that of myself, clothed in flesh.
You forgot I drank your iniquity like water
that I led my Son as a lamb to the slaughter
that I gave all I loved, to make you my daughter.

You forgot my pain and only saw it as your gain
to use your freedom in half-hearted struggles
and apathetic intentions. Bound by conventions
and the inventions of men, you forgot
my promises, your place, and my loyalty to you.

Your poverty and my royalty were exchanged
on that day, where I asked you to lay
your own crown of ashes aside
and to wear the crown of my flawless bride.
Did you forget?
You betray your allegiance to me in the words
that you don’t speak, in your conscious silence,
in sighs of discontent, in empty whispers.
Did you know a flower cut from its life-source withers?

You forgot that I don’t measure your obedience
or your diligence in fears and dreams,
in the unseen and seen.
I don’t measure your adherence to law
in words or in deeds, in fruit or in seed.
I don’t measure your penitence
with scales, or your negligence
in black marks and fails.

I measured it on that day, between nails
and innocence, between the harmless
hands of the one Hailed as King.
On that day when
pain lost its power and death lost its sting
on that day when the mourners could sing
and the flightless birds grew wings
and the lame and the cripples had spring
in their step,
and the your rebellion was intercepted
and your unrighteousness was swept
from my presence.
This is love, the core of my essence.

But you forgot how to love. You forgot
how to limitlessly give, and simply live
you forgot how to seek justice for the poor
you forgot how to give but just stored
wealth for yourself.
You forgot how to bless your enemies
and pray with surrender on your knees
You forgot I carry your burdens with ease
and that I do not change if you disagree.

You forgot why you were made to live in the light
You’ve crept towards the shadows of night
because you
forgot the power and strength of the Spirit
and you tried and strived in your own merit.
You forgot the beauty of my grace without walls
or the majesty of my mercy without laws
so you thought you were in control
and that life was your own to worship.
You didn’t call on my name and your shame
overcame you. But not me.

You forget the present, resenting that you
You live in the past, forgetting every fresh
start I give you and every lesson I teach you.
I beseech you, reach back to me.
The I AM, who will always BE.
For now

I am not asking you to change
But I am asking you to remember.

Our King

Who would dare to welcome us in?

It’s been a little while since I’ve posted here but anyways I was inspired to write this after a prayer meeting in Holbeck this morning. I originally wrote this with a mixture of singular and plural first person but I felt doing it all in the plural was a better reflection.

There is no-one like our King
Who would dare to welcome us in?
We’ve wondered in a pitiful mess
Brought to a place to confess
For in our hearts we were lost
Until You paid the ultimate cost
You sent Your Son, to us You gave
Now He has torn up the grave
Raised up to the most high place
We are astounded by Your boundless grace
‘Cause one cannot same themselves
Astonished by how deep Your love delves
For this we can shout “Come and see
My Lord, my God, my Saviour has rescued me!”

A Blood Drenched Cross

Re-focus your vision

Thrashing winds cutting and spiralling around
Fear-filled air comes bearing down
I walk in Your stead as You lead me by hand
Through the valley of the shadow of death
‘Cause it was for the sake of love that
You came down to the deepest depths
Following His footsteps on this narrow path
Past the bedrock of the derelict hill
I collapse to my knees in a weeping mess
A wail protrudes from my lips in utter distress
As I look heavenward, raising my eyes
From the very foot of the blood drenched cross
You see maybe I’ll die today, maybe I won’t
Maybe I’ll live a full amount of days
But I can feel the clock slowing
As my every breath escapes me
There You are, on the doorstep waiting
But just how long will You wait for me?
From my high throne, my shattered crown
Until it all comes crashing down?
Now I have walked away from it all
Though I cannot speak it now, I am too proud
For without I would not even be able to begin to cope
But it is in His resurrected life I place my hope

Shall

With lips that never ceaseI will cry out all my praiseTo the Prince of all peaceI shall ever follow Your ways

A poem I wrote a couple of weeks ago now, I guess it’s a bit like a psalm.
As ever all my poems can be found at http://dancingwithgorillas.org/

With lips that never cease
I will cry out all my praise
To the Prince of all peace
I shall ever follow Your ways

With my head and my heart
Spirit, body, even my soul
This life is only the start
And You shall make me whole

Sing aloud you nations sing
No shame here in these lands
Before His throne your worship bring
He shall gather you in His hands

I am secure in His arms
My strength and portion are
From His love which surely calms
And shall heal all my scars

From the Fountain of Delight
Joy wells up on the inside
I gain hope and all my might
As I rest with Him and shall abide

All the days He has given
I will give them up
Since I am redeemed, forgiven
I shall joyfully share His cup

Thank the LORD for all He’ll do
And for all that He has done
Stand firm and to His Word be true
Into His presence we shall run

Fingerprints in The Wind

A poem I wrote inspired by nature, trying to comprehend an unseen God, observing his identification in amazing actions throughout the world and awesome transformations of people's lives.

Links with wind/air/nature and identifying this force by its visual effects. I hope the concept of that comes out in the poem.
I am unsure and I am quite new to this kind of poetry/creative writing so please can I have feedback and advice.Cheers!

Poem:
Wondering in this maze of roads and buildings towering over me
the city, once a God given concept, now twisted and torn
Feel separated from my father in a busy crowd unable to see
the fear of being lost, running scared I am tired and worn

Steered upon a new path leading me to fields of green
I see ripples in the water, the long grass swaying, rustling of leaves
like fingerprints in the wind, forces unknown and unseen
a force felt all around us, what a beautiful and delicate life he weaves

I no longer feel lost, here in this sanctuary of peace and love
I sit and marvel at his creation, comforted in his hands
my worries are blown away with the spirit of God above
yearning to walk with him far across the lands

Whatever trials lay ahead, whatever hardship is in store
I will walk back to this place of green, where my thoughts are free
in company of ducks and chirping birds, watching them fly and soar
just like fingerprints in the wind, once unseen, now so clearly I see.

Treasure Hunt

Since we're so anaesthetisedWe look so peaceful and calmTo be grasped as this wanted prizeWe can't even raise our arm

A humble king once did seek
For those so far from home
To return them back to his keep
Rambunctious and yet his own

Those, the lost, his treasures are
Diamonds amongst the rough
Those who hurt, & curse, & mar
He’ll brush from his cuff

He sought so long and far beyond
His treasure scattered wide
To hold so tight and look so fond
Yet we continue to hide

Since we’re so anaesthetised
We look so peaceful and calm
To be grasped as this wanted prize
We can’t even raise our arm

But this king is greater than all we
who cower beneath the dirt
He’ll lift our heads that we can see
The one who removes all hurt

This mighty king that all should fear
Abounds in mercy and grace
He calls his beloved and draws near
And they shall see his face

Let us Imagine

Let us imagine for a moment, if you dare,That we could forget the sun, no longer see the air

This is the amalgamation of lots of ideas I’ve had. It basically is meant to be quite provocative and make you think. Enjoy:

Let us imagine for a moment, if you dare,
That we could forget the sun, no longer see the air
That we are groping around in darkness which surrounds
What would we think of light, would we think it profound?

So I ask, where can you go to escape yourself?
What would you do if ruin became your wealth?
What depths would you descend to survive?
If God is dead, how are you still alive?

Why just open the door and wait for a king to enter
When you could run outside and revel in his splendour?
Stop your foolish searching and pray “open my eyes”
Those of your heart which are blinded by lies

Like the calm before a storm be as silent as the grave
Open your mind to truth and hold fast to the one that can save
Can you look forward to when time will end
Stare death in the face and embrace him as a friend?

“the Light”

A poem about my hope and my salvation!

I got inspiration for this poem partly during my FP training week at Centre Parcs, and partly during the sung worship on my first Sunday back. The idea of our praises being a battle cry is such an awesome image.

I was a broken man,
Wondering lost, without a plan,
Toiling in my laborious work,
Struggling though the gloomy murk,
Living in the curse of the fall,
Not knowing His blood covers all.

But then I saw my saving grace,
Redemption in a dead man’s face,
Conquering death in just three days,
Now captivated by His loving gaze,
Ascended to His Father’s side,
And in His life I do hide.

Although the war is won,
Still the battles rage on,
You can find me here,
Living in hope not fear,
May my praise arise,
My glorious battle cry.

Through the darkest night,
I fix my eyes upon the light,
And wait until the dawn,
When no more shall I mourn,
Rising joy and grace abound,
And eternal life is forever found.