Praising
Heavens above
Father’s steadfast love
Reigns over earth below
Assurance
Sharing
Heavenly truths
Father’s eternal Word
Faith’s promised building blocks
Guidance
Nurturing
Creation’s breath
Shadowing mankind’s steps
Father fulfills His purpose
Certainty
Fulfilled
With confidence
Walking by faith
Light of righteousness leads
Trust
Encouraged
With assurance
Faith’s trusted steps
Perseverance carries hope forward
Endurance
Overwhelmed
With adversity
Grace transforms darkness
Faithful outlook trusts Jesus
Triumphant
From Hebrews 10:22: “Let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”
Faith filled with confidence
Sanctuary’s door opens wide
Backed by shed blood of Christ
Flesh given at cross, where He died
Faith’s lasting commitment
Inner resources standing firm
Backed by trust found in Christ
Great High Priest shall always affirm
Faith witnesses Good News
Sufficient to pass any test
Backed by grace, sent from Christ
Holy Spirit shall never rest
Faith’s hunger filled with hope
Unwavering assurance holds
Backed by love, shared through Christ
Mercy guides heart to Heaven’s fold
Faith walks with endurance
Always forward to God’s reward
Backed by witness of Christ
Redemption brings one more onboard
From Hebrews 10:35-36: “Do not, therefore, abandon that boldness of yours; it brings a great reward. For you need endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what was promised.”
Blinded with troubles
Still hoping to see again—
Hidden light echoes
Longing to find hope
Searching forgotten places—
Retrieving echoes
Misplaced hope stirs
Blowing in from yesterday—
Echoes ride with wind
Father’s
Love provides
Do not worry
Grasp His righteous hand
Kingdom
Tomorrow
Always waiting
Do not worry
Father’s grace shall address
Today
Faith’s
Living water
Do not worry
Father’s wisdom nourishes spirit
Enlightenment
This series of poems (written in the German-inspired style of Elfchen or Elevenie) shares a total of eleven words in each poem, with a sequence by line of one, two, three, four, and one words.
From Luke 2:15-16: “When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.’ So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the child lying in the manger.”
Love breathes at creation
Stirring throughout darkest void
Goodness pouring from light
Father’s plans fully deployed
Love’s promises share hope
Flowing with peace, yet to come
From depths of Father’s Word
Mercy’s steady, beating drum
Love fulfills prophecy
Abounding in Father’s grace
No longer in darkness
Joy framing faith’s new embrace
Love’s assurance descends
Flowing from Father’s goodwill
Bethlehem’s stirring peace
Silent night, shepherds stand still
Love pours into each heart
Enduring Father sows seeds
Messiah fulfills hope
Light releasing joy’s proceeds
Advent Prayer: Heavenly Father, as we remember and reflect upon this Advent season, assist us in turning our hearts toward You as we approach the birth of Your blessed Son. Encourage us to celebrate the gifts received from that very first Christmas: hope, peace, joy, and love. Amen.
English pastor and hymn writer, Isaac Watts, wrote the lyrics for “Joy to the World” in 1719. These verses embrace his interpretation of Psalm 98, which serves as a blessed completion of this Advent series of poems.
Only through faith in Christ do we have the assurance of hope beyond the grave.
From Romans 6:8: “But if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him.”
There’s no sight like seeing the light from Calvary kiss a human face as it fills the heart with the assurance of Divine forgiveness.
From Hebrews 6:10-12: “For God is not unjust; He will not overlook your work and the love that you showed for His sake in serving the saints, as you still do. And we want each one of you to show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope to the very end, so that you may not become sluggish but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”
Rodney “Gipsy” Smith (1860-1947) was a British evangelist who conducted campaigns in both his native land and the United States for over 70 years.
Christ
Risen indeed!
Transforming faith’s cornerstone
Grace breathes with purpose
Justification
Christ
Conquering death
Taking sin’s place
Calvary’s now empty tomb
Redemption
Christ
Faithful shepherd
Hearing Savior’s voice
Wayward sheep now found
Assurance
From Romans 3:21-22: “But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed and is attested by the Law and the Prophets, the righteousness of God through the faith of Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction.”
Faith’s wayward journey
Bearing under sin
Without righteousness
Evil in sheepskin
Life’s unworthiness
Deceiving ourselves
Misery’s ruins
Man’s faith hides on shelves
Eternal darkness
Living without hope
God’s love sends Savior
He changes faith’s scope
Light born in stable
Proclaiming Good News
Father’s righteousness
Faith calls us to choose
Assurance in Christ
Believing in Him
Justified by faith
Salvation’s true hymn
From 1 John 5:13: “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”
Big Sky Buckeye 