The Shepherd's Tent

 The place by the Shepherd's tent

Is the place I go,

When the burden seems heavy,

The responsibility overwhelming,

The process endless,

The delay worrisome,

And when the struggle continues…

It is the place my Beloved tells me to come

And leave it all at His feet…

Leave the burden, the chaos, the problem, the mess…

And find truth

The truth of how He sees the circumstance

The truth of how He sees me…

It is here by the Shepherd’s tent

That I hear the song that He sings over me…

His words astound me…

Can they be real? True?

He sees me radiant, strong, tender, wise…

And He encourages me that with His help

The help of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit…

All will be well…

What grace fills my soul and my spirit

As I drink in this love, this acceptance…

Yes, when I come to my Shepherd’s gate

And give all the heaviness to Him…

He marks me with His redeeming grace

So, I can continue on the journey

To trust in His goodness, His care, and His love…

With restored hope and faith!

My Fortress of Faith

 With this upcoming uncertainty, this unknown…

The apparent report, this ongoing struggle…

I need to hasten to my fortress of faith…

I run there…

And He protects me from the lies, the fear, the anxiety…

It is here that the Spirit reveals truth to me

Strengthens my spirit 

Floods me with His delight

Causing the roots of my faith to become stronger, deeper, firmer…

I emerge from my fortress of faith

Steadfast, confident, declaring the goodness of God…

Anticipating that the giant will fall…

The way will be made…

And that the victory is won!

My Shelter of Love

 So many times, I need to come

To my Shelter of Love

To my Shelter, who is Jesus…

I need to come and listen

To His song, His words of endearment

His council, His advise, His longings,

His desire, His view of the circumstance…

His love fills in all the cracks of disappointments

His love lifts the burden

His love removes the curtain and brings the light…

He is my Shelter of Love

My safe and secure place…

Delighted

I watch you sleeping in my arms, hear your little noises, think about how dependent you are on me for your every need,

And I am delighted in who you are as I love, nourish, and watch you become!

I watch you smile, coo, laugh, giggle, reach for that toy, 

And I am delighted in who you are as I love, nourish, and watch you become!

I watch you get up on your knees, crawl toward me, and show me precious new teeth as you smile in satisfaction,

And I am delighted in who you are as I love, nourish, and watch you become!

I watch you take those first steps, as I sing “Happy Birthday” to you and laugh as you create with your cake,

And I am delighted in who you are as I love, nourish, and watch you become!

I watch you learn to count, play with cousins, learn to ride a bike,

And I am delighted in who you are as I love, nourish, and watch you become!

I watch you develop your love for learning, beg to go to Grandma’s house, and play baseball at the park,

And I am delighted in who you are as I love, nourish, and watch you become!

I watch you give your heart to Jesus, worship and dance in His Presence,

And I am delighted in who you are as I love, nourish, and watch you become!

I watch as the light of Jesus shines brightly in you, as you learn to drive the car, and as you mow my lawn,

And I am delighted in who you are as I love, nourish, and watch you become!

I watch as you develop the talents the Lord has given you, serve at church, and walk across that stage to receive your high school diploma,

And I am delighted in who you are as I love, nourish and watch you become!

I watch as you pray and seek the Lord for direction in your life, choose a college to attend, and as I kiss you good-bye,

I am delighted in who you are as I love, nourish, and watch you become!

I watch you lead friends to Jesus, fall in love and walk down that aisle and say, “I do!” And I am delighted in who you are as I love, nourish and watch you become!

I watch as the Lord blesses you with children, as you discover the joy of being a parent, and as you love, serve and nourish your own family…

And I am delighted in who you are as I love, nourish, and watch you become!

All the stages of learning and discovering in life are a delight to me, because you're a precious gift from God to me!

Your Father in heaven delights in every stage, in every season of your life as well.

He has planned these good plans for you and for me! His love, care, and nurture are ever flowing, and bubbling over…because He is love Himself, and has given me you!

Hidden Traps

 Hidden traps

Put there by the enemy

To steal, kill, and destroy

Hidden traps of pride, fear, offense

That steal joy, that rob

from the goodness He wants to give me, that keep me from radiating His nature to my world…

Hidden traps of “poor me,” “I can’t,” or “tomorrow “…

Hidden traps of worry, doubt, disappointment…

Hidden traps of one lie, and another lie, and another lie, to fit the narrative of what I want to believe, of what everyone else is doing, or fits the narrative that is everywhere…

These hidden traps

All set with great anticipation and intent to steal my joy, my purpose, my destiny…

Yes, the traps come in all shapes and sizes…

But God…

He sends His radiant light of Jesus, His Spirit, His Presence, His Word, to expose the trap.

He turns those hidden traps into obvious traps.

He gives new thoughts

And provides a way of escape…

His Light leads me around those hidden traps and gives me an INSTEAD.

Instead of a trap, His light allows me to encounter streams of blessings on the path.

No hidden traps on my path now…

Only obvious sinkholes

Which I gladly avoid! 

Thank you Father for delivering your children from the hidden traps on our path of life. 

Sin

 Sin

Causes my life to be filled with frustration,

Irrepressible anguish and misery

And the pain never lets up…

It removes my strength

Saps the joy of the Lord from my life

And dries up the wells of living water within me…

But…

When I surrender 

And call out to my Life- giving God…

He forgives me, wipes the slate clean

Washes the guilt away…

And the pain disappears…

Confessing my sin…keeps me safe

Surrendering…hides me in Your secret place

And protects me, 

Songs of deliverance and rescue come from my mouth…

And the Redeemer whispers,

“I will stay close to you

I will instruct and guide you along the way…

Just come with me…!

Psalms 32:10 “But when you trust in the Lord for forgiveness, His wrap around love will surround you!”

Flattering Tongue

 The enemy flatters with his tongue

He makes his plans sound safe and effective,

For the common good, equality, unity…

The enemy repeats and repeats his talking points

Twisting words, attempting to flatter, all for the purpose of manipulation…

Oh, but these empty words, these deceitful promises, 

Are lies, straight from the pit of hell

Planned with an agenda to steal…kill…destroy…

O God, 

Tune our hearts to hear truth 

To welcome truth…

To discern truth…

The truth of Your Word, and Your Spirit…

Sometimes it seems like we walk alone on this path of truth…

Truth that rejects the lie, that refuses to be manipulated, and sees through the flattery…

But we are never alone when You are on our side,

You open our eyes to the many who are holding onto truth

And as we stand and walk in Your truth…

We rejoice with exceedingly great joy

BecauseYou are fighting for us…

You are our Hero…

You have good plans and purposes for us…

Plans to keep us and giving us life, and life abundantly!

Praise be to God!