Friday, January 20, 2012

Psalm 136...revised. (Sort of)

When the gas runs out (read: no hot water and no heat) and it's 5 degrees outside:
          Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good....His love endures forever.

When the pickup breaks down in a less-than-convenient spot and it's an expensive, frustrating repair that's needed and you can't plow the long driveway:
          Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good...His love endures forever.

When you're struggling spiritually and God is working in painful ways:
          Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good...His love endures forever.

When the vehicles and the household appliances are dropping like flies, or so it seems:
          Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good...His love endures forever.

When you have so much stuff going on and you feel strangely like a hamster in a wheel and you're overwhelmed and tired and behind:
          Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good...His love endures forever.

When, because you're going through things spiritually you let the stupidest things bother you and you fight with siblings and both parties end up miserable:
          Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good...His love endures forever. (And saying you're sorry helps too.....I'm truly sorry. You know who you are. <3)

When you live in such a messed up, fallen world and the temptation to give in to fear and worry and discouragement is constantly knocking at your door:
          Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good...His love endures forever.

When you're tired and in pain and you have to get up early in the morning and it's just all of those little things that add up:
          Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good...His love endures forever. 

When the gas guy eventually does come but even if he hadn't there's a fire in the fireplace and cozy seats by the fire:
         Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good...His love endures forever.

When you have hot, healthy soup for dinner and heated vehicles and wonderful friends and the best family ever:
         Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good...His love endures forever.

When you have a roof over your head and warm clothes and blankets and more blessings than you could count in your lifetime (and you're counting them anyway!):
         Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good...His love endures forever.

When you know that the sovereign God, the King of the Universe, loves you with an everlasting love and is always at work in your life, shaping a miserable, sinful worm into His image and continually drawing you closer to Him:
          Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good....His love endures forever. 

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good...and His love endures forever.

Learning to remember,

Leah

 

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Just as I am

What's that on the ground?
It's what's left of my heart;
Somebody named Jesus broke it to pieces
And planted the shards;
And they're coming up green,
And they're coming in bloom
I can hardly believe this is all coming true.

(chorus)
Just as I am and just as I was
Just as I will be He loves me, He does
He showed me the day that
He shed His own blood
He loves me, oh He loves me, He does

All of my life I've held on to this fear
These thistles and vines ensnare and entwine
What flowers appeared
It's the fear that I'll fall one too many times
It's the fear that His love is no better than mine
(but He tells me that)

(chorus)
Just as I am and just as I was
Just as I will be He loves me, He does
He showed me the day that
He shed His own blood
He loves me, oh He loves me, He does
He loves me, oh, He loves me, He does

Well it's time now to harvest what little that grew
This man they call Jesus, who planted the seeds
Has come for the fruit
And the best that I've got isn't nearly enough
He's glad for the crop, but it's me that He loves

(chorus)
Just as I am and just as I was
Just as I will be He loves me, He does

Just as I am and just as I was
Just as I will be He loves me, He does

He showed me the day that
He shed His own blood
He loves me, oh He loves me, He does
He loves me, oh, He loves me, He does

He loves me, He does...
                             -Just as I am, Andrew Peterson  (emphasis mine)