June 12, 2015. Daily Reading: Lamentations 1-5. Background: The book of Lamentations is a collection of five poems (corresponding to the five chapters) that are traditionally ascribed to Jeremiah, though there is no textual evidence that states this claim outright. The first four poems are acrostics, with each verse beginning with a successive letter of…
Tag: poetry
A prayer for awakening.
December 30, 2014. “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. “‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found…
There is none, no not one.
December 22, 2014. “The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none…
Holy and True, my Lord, my God.
December 19, 2014. Holy and True, my Lord, my God, Holy and True, divine. Blessed are you, my Lord, my God, Blessed are you, sublime. Woe is to him, who will not see, Woe is to him, below, Take pity on him, my Lord, my God, Take pity on him, and him show. For you…
Psalm to remove frustration.
December 11, 2014. “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.” (Ephesians 4:26-27) Boiling, boiling in my bones, it rises from within. Sequestered deep, deep inside, Do not let it the battle win. In, in, in the veins, coursing throughout the body,…
Of labor and rest.
December 9, 2014. “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.” (Psalm 127:1-2) Try, they try, and…
Lord, You are the potter, and I the clay!
December 2, 2014. “There is no one who calls upon your name, who rouses himself to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have made us melt in the hand of our iniquities. But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we…
A psalm of the weary.
November 29, 2014. “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?” (Psalm 13:1) Holding On In times of darkness, in depths of thought, In words of comfort all for naught, Oh Lord it is to you I cry, And ask the question, Why, Lord, why?…
A psalm of thanksgiving and praise.
November 27, 2014. “For long ago in the days of David and Asaph there were directors of the singers, and there were songs of praise and thanksgiving to God. And all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah gave the daily portions for the singers and the gatekeepers; and they set apart that which was…
“God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”
November 14, 2014. “He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or…
There is a way that seems right to man.
November 10, 2014. There is a way that seems right to man, but at its end is death, Death that lures even the best of men to take their final breath. Oh Lord protect us now, keep our souls from seductive sin, Help us now, by your strong hand, for alone we will meet our…
It’s then that we praise Thee.
November 6, 2014. When times are rough, and days are long, When comes the end, of days gone wrong, When cares are great and struggles endure, It’s then that we praise Thee. When the sun is high, and the day is clear, When hearts are bright, all full of cheer, When comes the end of…
Twenty Eight Eighteen 