Abundance of Hope

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For all who thirst

Come to blessed waters

Now follow carefully

Every son and daughter

 

Listen with care

Abundance of hope waits

Covenant’s faithful love

Key found to Heaven’s gate

 

Witness David

Leadership born in him

All for Father’s glory

Faith’s light shall never dim

 

Truth from Heaven

Look toward Savior’s grace

No longer forsaken

Trust brings us to His place

 

Return to God

Leave each unrighteous thought

Sin’s indictment erased

Messiah’s blood has bought

 

Embrace His way

Mercy looks upon earth

Thorns transformed into blooms

Anchored at Spirit’s berth

 

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Hearing His Calling

From Psalm 119:105:  “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

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Father’s tender voice

Presenting oneself

Hearing His calling

Old ways left on shelf

 

One body in Christ

Transforming faith’s breath

Hearing His calling

Rising from sin’s depths

 

Father’s trusted Word

Walking faith’s new road

Hearing His calling

Sharing burden’s load

 

Response to Christ’s grace

Tuning in faith’s love

Hearing His calling

Finding peace above

 

Father’s righteous ways

Honoring faith’s flight

Hearing His calling

Embracing Christ’s light

 

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From Romans 12:2:  “Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Mercy’s Tender Fields (Elfchen Series #208)

Timeless

Grace

Unconditionally planted

Rising with purpose

Faith’s emptiness now fed

Fulfilled

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Bountiful

Faith’s

Seeds scattered

Night and day

Growing fully, then ripening

Harvest

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Harmony

Sowing

Tiniest seed

Maturing into fullness

Faith nurtured by Spirit

Righteousness

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The German hymn, “We Plow the Field and Scatter,” was written by Matthias Claudius in 1782.  The lyrics were set to music in 1800 by Johann A. P. Schulz. The hymn was translated into English in 1861 by Montgomery Campbell.  

As you listen to this song, focus on the lyrics as they appear on the screen.  They add a meaningful visual image to this series of poems.  The hymn’s piano melody is played by Mary Munson.

Planting Righteousness

From Psalm 92:12-15:  “The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.  They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God.  In old age they still produce fruit; they are always green and full of sap, showing that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.”

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Our Father, our Creator

Sowing faithful seeds of grace

Bearing Spirit’s endless fruit

Upon every earthly place

 

Father’s love thaws frozen heart

Enriching trust with each gift

Bringing hope into darkness

Faith’s ship no longer adrift

 

Father’s divine plan transforms

Sending His Son in harm’s way

Knowing glory to be praised

Calvary’s cross won’t delay

 

Father’s peace walks with Jesus

Reconciling wayward hearts

Proclaiming new creation

Freshness of faith, grace restarts

 

Father’s breath shall never rest

Stirring color without gray

Planting righteousness from light

Salvation rises this day

 

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From 2 Corinthians 5:14-15:  “For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died.  And He died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves but for the One who for their sake died and was raised.”

Together as One

From Deuteronomy 5:12-14:  “Observe the Sabbath day and keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you.  Six days you shall labor and do all your work.  But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work.”

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Keeping His Sabbath Holy

Cherishing God’s blessed day

Strengthening our faith journey

Worshipping Commandments’ way

 

Submitting to Father’s way

Following His righteous road

Rescuing us from darkness

Relieving our burden’s load

 

Supplanting with mercy’s load

Praising Resurrection’s flight

Proclaiming Jesus as Lord

Allowing in grace-filled light

 

Trusting faith’s heavenly light

Walking daily with God’s Son

Shining His mercy upon

Stepping boldly now as one

 

Joining together as one

Sowing forgiveness of sin

Healing our relationships

Hearing Christ’s spirit within

 

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From 2 Corinthians 4:5-6:  “For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’s sake.  For it is the God who said, ‘Light will shine out of darkness,’ who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”

God’s Home

From Psalm 98:1:  “O sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things.  His right hand and His holy arm have gotten Him victory.”

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Praising Lord high above

Singing favorite hymn

Overflowing with His peace

Returning love to Him

 

Revealing mercy’s grace

Descending from God’s rock

Filling earthly, mortal place

Shepherding wayward flock

 

Declaring His purpose

Severing chains of sin

Forgiving each indictment

Teaching what should have been

 

Praying for faith’s new hope

Calling upon Lord’s name

Grasping heaven’s righteous rope

Granting grace, without blame

 

Climbing final mountain

Leaving this worldly dome

Dwelling jointly, wolf with lamb

Summoning to God’s home

 

Courtesy of Pinterest.

From Isaiah 11:6:  “The wolf shall live with the lamb; the leopard shall lie down with the kid; the calf and the lion will feed together, and a little child shall lead them.”

Embracing Grace (Elfchen Series #206)

Turning Point

Facing

Darkness alone

Another door opens

Patience discovers mercy’s reward

Opportunity

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Healing Brokenness

Tasting

God’s Word

Holy Spirit guides

Always toward Savior’s light

Redemption

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Coming Alive

Witnessing

Sinful nature

Separated from Father

Christ resurrects salvation’s bridge

Love

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Always Stand Firm

From Matthew 8:24-25:  “A windstorm suddenly arose on the sea, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves, but He was asleep.  And they went and woke Him up, saying, ‘Lord, save us!  We are perishing!'”

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Swamped by storm’s endless waves

Darkness covers waters

Perishing, “Lord, save us”

Every son and daughter

 

Deceived by enemy

Lord brings light upon scene

Watching evilness flee

Savior transforms faith’s genes

 

Filled with courageous strength

Darkness gives in to light

Witnessing, “Lord with us”

Mercy boards rescue’s flight

 

Glorified God in Christ

Lord teaches how to love

Rising beyond death’s tomb

Infinite grace above

 

Urged to always stand firm

Darkness shrinking away

Hearing Lord, “Do not fear”

Righteousness paves His way

 

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From Isaiah 41:13:  “For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.'”

Grasping Heaven’s Swing

From Isaiah 30:18:  “Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you; therefore He will rise up to show mercy to you.  For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him.”

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Hearing Father’s voice

Every mountain sings

With faithful echoes

Praising heaven’s King

 

Showering His grace

Every valley sings

With earnest promise

Sowing trust, faith brings

 

Sending His mercy

Every village sings

With truth in His Word

Soaring eagle’s wings

 

Scattering His seeds

Every landscape sings

With divine beauty

Welcoming each spring

 

Walking in His light

Every neighbor sings

With each beating heart

Pulling on love’s strings

 

Witnessing His Son

Every sinner sings

With His righteousness

Grasping heaven’s swing

 

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From Isaiah 30:20-21:  “Though the Lord may give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide Himself any longer, but your eyes shall see your Teacher.  And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.'”

Monday Memories: Christ Prevails

man holding sheep statuette

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From 1 Peter 2:24:  “He himself bore our sins in His body on the Cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed.”

Chosen and precious in God’s sight

To believers, Christ’s Spirit brings Salvation

Jesus Christ turns darkness into light

 

Our faith’s chosen and precious cornerstone

Christ comes forward to redeem us

We can live by His bread alone

 

Jesus becomes our Holy, High Priest

Believe and never put to shame

God’s own Son takes His seat

 

Nonbelievers reject God’s Holy, chosen one

Christ prevails to become our Rock

Salvation goes through God’s Holy Son

 

Christ suffers mightily for His flock

Yet, He never commits any sin

Following God’s steps around the clock

 

Christ never waivers, He follows through

Entrusting Himself to His Heavenly Father

Bearing our sins, Resurrection’s glorious view

 

Our lives feel threatened with gloom

Jesus never ceases caring for us

Standing by, Christ prevents our doom

 

Jesus at our side, always a friend

Loving us with passion and intensity

Our opportunity for Salvation, God sends

 

Christ, the Good Shepherd, beckons us

No longer gone astray and lost

Christ’s body and blood heal us

 

The old, rugged cross stands tall

Freeing us from our endless sins

Washing us white, Salvation calls all

 

Living in bondage, forever in sin

Emancipation by Christ, paying the ransom

Accepting Christ, brings all believers in

From Luke 24:6:  “Remember how He told you, while He was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.”

backlit cemetery christianity clouds

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Originally published September, 2019.