As the King Surrounds Me

You come and surround me with Your Presence
Yes, even when my heart cries, "No, I am not ready yet, I don't understand..."
You continue Your pursuit
And surround me with Yourself,
You surround with those outstretchedl arms.

And the fragrance of Your poured out heart of love,
The fragrance of Your suffering love
Seeps into my soul
In the darkness of the night,
In the midst of the violent turmoil,
In the utter chaos...

Yes, the fragrance of Your unceasing, forever love
Breaks through the pain, the fear, the despair, the chaos
And delivers peace and protection...
Your fragrance gives me another thought,
A better thought, a true thought...

And I hold it tight
Like a bouquet upon my chest
And I breath You in...
And as I am inhaling Your sweet fragrance
I hear those words again.
Those words I cannot begin to comprehend
But the deepness of my heart so want to be true...
"My dearest darling, you are so lovely,
 You are beauty itself to Me!"

This certainly is a love like no other...

Song of Songs 1:12-14

The Strength of the Lord

I receive the strength of the Lord today
For it is my inheritance as His daughter,
To be filled with His strength.
Strength that will fill in all the gaps, every area of need.
Strength that will wipe the slate clean of all the lies I was believing,
Strength that will allow me to put on my eyes of faith
So I can see what He sees,
And hear with clarity His whispers of love and truth.

This strength allows me to hold my head high
It reminds me who I am, a royal one, who is ever blessed and plentiful.
This strength allows me to sing and rejoice
As it gives me another picture to look upon...
This strength allows me to proclaim with confidence
That I shall live...prosper...
It allows me to remember that My God is good, He is for me...
And I will see the goodness of the Lord in my land today!

Oh when I receive the strength of the Lord
That enemy runs
Because my Lord is stronger than any other...

"I will be strength to him and I will give him My grace to sustain
 No matter what comes. None of his enemies will get the best of him,
  Nor will the wicked one overpower him...." Psalms 119:21,22

His Hands of Love

His hands of love
Have always been upon me
From the moment He thought me into being...
From the moment He placed me in my mothers womb..
His hands of love has been upon me.

No, His plans were not for pain, disaster, or failure.
His plans for me have always been for good,
And although the enemy comes in like a wave,
A tyrant to destroy all hope...
My God is there...with His hands of love,
Sending His host of angels to fight the invaders...

Each step of the way
Each step in the journey of life,
His hands of love are upon me...

These are the same hands
That bear the piercing of the nails that hung Him on the cross.
Willingly, He gave His everything
To give us the abundant life of
Forgiveness, freedom, wholeness, peace and joy
And that abundant life of victory...

Yes, these same hands of love are holing me today,
Through the circumstance,
Through the unknowns,
Through the scary...the new,
Through the "whys"
Through it all!!!

They are holding me steady
And making me who He intended me to be

"Your very hands hold me and make me who I am."
Psalms 119:73a TPT

Slipping Away

In the midst of the business of the day,
The demands of the massive crowds,
The pleas for rescue from the infirmities of sickness and disease,
Yes, in the midst of tremendous need and demand...

Jesus slipped away...
Slipped away to pray...

He slipped away to that secret place
That place where He could snuggle up in the arms of His Father,
That place where He was reminded of the truth,
That place that was safe to leave all His cares and concerns,
That place where He knew He was completely loved, completely accepted....

And then He returned
To the crowds, the demands, the chaos...
He returned strengthened...refreshed...
Happy and triumphant...
Ready to continue pouring out His life of love.

Jesus did what I need to do
In the midst of my everyday,
Even when I physically can't retreat...
I can hide away in that secret place with Jesus,
And turn my eyes to gaze upon Him,
And allow His truth and affection to wash over me...

Yes, when I remember
To slip away
In the business of my day
To my secret place...

I return to my duties
With renewed strength,
I receive answers to my problems,
Peace reigns instead of worry,
And the song of my Savior is on my lips...

"In His shelter in the day of trouble, that's where you will find me,
For He hides me here in His holiness.
He has me snuggled in His secret place where I am safe and secure
out of the reach of my enemies." Psalms 27:5

Radiant Hope

Lord, You are our radiant hope...

A hope that is glowing with promise, with sunshine,
A hope with expectations of overflowing goodness...

It is not a hope that barely believes
With doubts, fears, or anxious thoughts,
With thoughts of the hoped for to be extremely slim in coming to be.
No, radiant hope is not a famine,
A famine surrounded with a hope in self or a report, or the news.

No, radiant hope is wide...broad...joyful...strong...
Hoping in a Strength within
Put there by a knowledge and trust in a God who is good, a God who is kind,
A God who is able.
Radiant hope...is confident
In a God who cares, a God who hears,
A God who is love,
A God who is strong,
A God who is willing to bless and prosper...

Radiant hope holds on...rejoicing, dancing, singing...

Yes, the Lord alone gives me radiant hope...
My trust is in Him!

Countless Expressions of Love

Yes, Father,
Your countless expressions of love
Far exceed our expectations...
We expect judgment
We expect anger
We expect You to get impatient
With our constant moaning, bickering, and self righteousness
Or our constant failure to believe and trust.

Yes Father,
Your countless expressions of love
That you blanket us with
As You think of us...constantly
Far exceeds our expectations of how we think You should see us...

"And You think of us all the time, with Your countless expressions of love
 Far exceeding our expectations." Psalms 40:5

I Find My Home in You, God

When I am sad,
I find my home in You, God, and you deliver hope to me.
When I need answers,
I find my home in You, God, as you deliver answers.
When I am lonely,
I find my home in You, God
Wrapped in Your Presense,
When I am rejected, accused, condemned,
I find my home in You God with Your acceptance.

When I cannot see clearly and life feels bleak and dark,
I find my home in Your truth and encouragement.
Yes, in the midst...
I find my home in Your embrace,
I find my home in Your kisses...

Yes, when I am home with You, God,
I remember...
I remember that You love me magnificently...always and forever
I remember that You are there for me...always and forever
I remember that You are providing and protecting me...always and forever

Home and intertwined with You, God...

"Lord I love Your home, this place of dazzling glory, the splendor and light of your Presence"
 Psalms 26:8