In midst of life’s storms
Lord’s encouragement builds hope—
Blessed hand of grace
Led by the Spirit
Born into new life through Christ—
Righteousness brings hope
Growing in our love
Finding hope’s meaning of life—
Believing in Christ
From Psalm 103:1-5: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all His benefits—who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
Scattered by earth’s hopeless winds
Relationships, bodies, hearts
Life filling with brokenness
Divine healing, God imparts
Father, Son, Holy Spirit
Healing comes from purest source
Balm of hope offers treatment
Mind, body, and soul endorse
Amazing grace saves sinners
Hope now strengthens and rebounds
Mercy and love rebuild faith
Forgiveness heals and surrounds
Healing balm making us whole
Caring for lifetime of scars
Miracle restores fullness
God’s Glory shining from stars
Finding places and people
Savior Jesus leads our way
Bearing our burdens as well
Healing brokenness this day
A traditional African-American spritual, “There Is a Balm in Gilead,” serves as an inspiring complement to this poem. You are invited to take a moment to listen.
From Psalm 23:1-3: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters; He restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for His name’s sake.”
No matter how life plays out
Encountering sea of waves
Big, small . . . quiet, turbulent
Sin’s cunning waits to enslave
No promise of easy life
Struggles crashing, day by day
Never learned how to ride waves
Grace anchors hope at each bay
Thankfully, never alone
Riding God’s steady surfboard
Trusting Him, surfing each wave
Building up faith, love’s reward
Healing our souls from darkness
Guiding us through stormy waves
Refreshing peace from God’s Word
Navigating, His grace saves
Walking on calmest waters
Shepherd’s mercy comes to save
Protecting from evil’s doom
Faith conquers incoming waves
From Acts 4:11-12: “The stone that was rejected by you, the builders; it has become the cornerstone. There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.”
Don’t dig up in doubt what you planted in faith.
From Luke 17:6: “The Lord replied, ‘If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.'”
God
Nourishes faith
Planted with righteousness
Reaping upright fruit
Grace
Love
From Father
Embraces and covers
Conquer, prevail, and live
Salvation
Praise
Heavenly Father
Eternal, steadfast love
Singing life’s new song
Faithfulness
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.
Relationship
With Father
Through timeless prayer
Grace connects us together
Hope
Guidance
Holy Spirit
Empowering our obedience
Following God’s sacred will
Faith
Revelation
God’s Word
Strengthens our character
Transforming life’s imbalanced alignment
Believe
From Psalm 27:1: “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”
Father walking nearby
Hearing heartfelt prayers
Healing life’s brokenness
Always present, God cares
Dark fears and emotions
Steps stumble, almost fall
Slowly confidence grows
Feeding faith from God’s call
Recalling faithfulness
God’s hope covers this place
Healing former despairs
Love shining through His grace
During days of trouble
Stirring praises of joy
Father’s shelter protects
Grace’s refuge deploys
Once withdrawn in darkness
His light calling lives out
Always present, God cares
Love covering throughout
From Psalm 27:13-14: “I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”
Instead of seeing our difficulties as loss, we need to view them as a means God uses to build endurance.
From James 1:2-4: “My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.”
From Deuteronomy 8:3: “He humbled you by letting you hunger, then by feeding you with manna, with which neither you nor your ancestors were acquainted, in order to make you understand that one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”
Life’s darkening journey
Never exempt from pain
Evil always prowling
Adversity’s campaign
Seeking life’s foundation
Holy Word, God alone
Heavenly love provides
Troubles no longer groan
Praise our Great Comforter
Treasures open, His love
Understanding God’s law
Commandments from above
Freed from harsh wilderness
Rejoice with faithful trust
Delighting in God’s love
Filled with hope, life adjusts
Depend upon the Lord
Manna nourishing needs
Trials teach bold lessons
His great love always leads
From Romans 8:28: “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose.”
Anchor
God’s Word
Answers life’s doubts
Steadies each shaky step
Grace
Wilderness
Testing faith
Facing certain adversity
Christ walks with us
Strength
Guideposts
God’s wisdom
Growing in trust
Before life reaches new
Crossroads
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.
Big Sky Buckeye 