To worship God is...

How can I keep from singing your praise, O God?
My soul's longing is to be satisfied,
And you, my glorious King are infinite.
You are the bread that satisfies my soul,
Nothing can satisfy, only You.

You are my awesome Creator,
To love You is to give my all for Your glory.
To love You is my deepest longing.
To be freed from my lethal self-centredness,
To magnify You is my desire.

There is none like You,
You exalt Yourself for Your glory.
And to look upon Your glory,
Simply to be in Your presence
And worship You fills us with joy.

My joy is in You because of who You are.
My deepest longing is fulfilled in my King.
Your Name is beautiful,
Because You exalt who You are.
You have shown me Your love.

How I long to live only
To drink deeply of Your love,
To enjoy You forever,
And so to give You glory.
You are my light.

For Your glory, You have saved me.
I was a wretch, forsaking my very Creator.
I had turned away from my source of life and love,
But You chained my will to Yours and You ransomed me.
Your precious Son paid what I could not pay.

You have shown me the glory of Your love,
Your amazing grace, your undeserved mercy.
I can live to see the riches of Your goodness,
To know You and give You glory
As part of Your chosen people.

You have written my name on Your hand,
Your promise will last forever.

The Frost

The Frost

I have seen beauty today.
It came swiftly,
Swiftly like the pearls of rain,
That splash and give life.
As the sun rose,
Lighting the sky in
What seemed to me,
A magical glow.
It cast down light,
Revealing the crisp landscape,
Frozen in time, edged in silver.
Tiny crystals smiled up at me,
Glistening in the yellow light,
The haze from the clouds.
And I smiled back at them,
For I too was enlightened
By the magical glow.
The light flooded the land
And my chains were released.
They came alive and danced,
Dancing with me in my joy.
Everything was fresh and new,
Preserved in eternal beauty.
As I danced in the garden,
I only wished I was like them.
The world was wonderful.
Dawn had come and
The world had been reborn.
Perfect and flawless,
White and mystical,
Filling my heart with wonder.
Fragile and delicate edges,
Each one carefully placed
And all intricately designed.
The crystals all with pride,
Each one different and special.
I tried to see them all,
Knowing all were waiting
To show me their beauty.
I wept that I could not make
A poem for each single one
Designed as a sign; millions,
Showing exactly what He can do.
I have seen beauty today.


Well, obviously this wasn't today, again, this is a poem I wrote a few years ago, on a cold winter's morning when there was frost. I didn't actually do all the things I said I did in the poem, but I guess that my failing. God is wonderful, and He has filled His creation with beauty. It's such a wicked shame that we don't enjoy it nearly as much as we should...

The dragon in the desert.

Why do I persist in rebelling against You?
Please lead me in your ways God!
I am so helpless without You.
Without You I am wandering in a desert,
I'm parched with thirst for Your water;
Water of life flowing from Your springs.
I don't know where I'm going,
I can't even find where I've come from.
The only help I can find is from You
But I cast You away from me.

Now I cannot settle, I am cursed.
You are not just my life,
But my only reason for living.
Without You there is no life.
If I could find my way
Through this desert back to You,
I would never cease to rejoice.
My soul would forever cry out,
With joy too inexpressible
For spiritual sighs.

In my desert, I see only dry sand.
I'm so tired, my head is bowed.
The ground is my vantage point,
The dust is my pitiful sight.
My eyes strain and itch
With the relentless stinging sand.
A baked desert, now filled with wind
Whips at my face and back.
The sun that I cannot bear
To see or feel, tortures me.

O God, You are so holy.
You are so righteous, and perfect.
You are beautiful beyond compare.
Your awesome glory fills the world.
The wonder of Your is love
Is displayed for all to see.
Your will is flawless and beautiful,
Perfect and as a priceless diamond.
Yet Your love is more forgiving
Than I could ever hope to imagine.

A cursed creature, an object of wrath
I can only cringe under Your wonder.
My life is a shadow of Your creation.
I've twisted it so much, my head
Is bowed and bent so low,
How can You see me God?
How can You see who I am?
Who I perhaps once was?
Who I perhaps could be?

I can't see the edge of this desert,
And I'm turning away from my only guide.
I've come so far, deeper and deeper,
Into the heart of this barrenness.
But You came down to me
To where I was, right beside me.
You experienced my fierce desert.
You felt the heat, You were burnt,
You were parched and thirsty,
And I did not help You.
I mocked You.

And then, though I had not seen
The full horror of where my path
Through my desert would take me,
You went ahead of me, suffering more
Much more than I could ever survive.
And You went to the very heart,
The bitter core of my evil desert.
You met the dragon there in me.

The dragon was fierce and deceitful,
Its fiery breath had burned up the ground
Bit by bit until my vast desert was made.
From its birth, I had been on that path,
Straight into that fiery mouth
At the core of my corruption.
But You went ahead of me,
To where I could not go.
The dragon struck You on the heel,
But on that third day
You crushed its head.

You came back for me,
You told me of Your victory.
You made me an object of mercy,
You called me Your child.
The desert dissolved,
And in its place was paradise.
In Your footsteps You brought life,
You brought me back
Into the garden of Your love.
Your mercy showered down
Your grace filled my heart.
Abundance and joy and mirth
Filled my emptiness.

You have given more than I can measure.
You have taken away what I could not.
Death has passed over me,
Because You have shown me
The glory of Your mercy.
The life ahead of me,
The real life, life with the fullness
Of being with You,
Is too marvelous and beautiful
To express within eternity.

Thank You for bringing me back to You.
Thank You for Your promise and strength,
Even when I still struggle through
The last stretch of my journey
Through this life, into Your life.
"To live is Christ, to die is gain."