He Bore the Cross for Me

Oh, what a lot of suffering
My Jesus bore for me –
How deep His anguished misery
Upon that awful tree!

He bore my sin with all its guilt
Alone upon that day;
He drank the wrath that I deserved
And felt God turn away.

He felt the scourge, the thorns, the nails,
He felt the shame, the scorn;
He was betrayed, denied, accused,
Abandoned, hated, torn.

Yet, though He knew that was the cost,
He bore the cross for me –
He chose to give His life for mine
So He could set me free.

Lord, thank You for a gift so great –
Your very life poured out –
So I could trust Your love for me
Without a single doubt.

My life and plans, my words and thoughts,
My works and all my songs
Combine to start the living praise
Which, Lord, to You belongs.

Christina Joy Hommes

I Come for I Believe

O Lord, I long for so much more
Than what I have today –
Much more of You, Your gifts of grace,
More of Your perfect way.

I know I’m standing in my way –
You’re ready every hour;
Lord, change my heart and mind I pray,
Transform me by Your power.

Lord, I believe, but unbelief
Still lingers in my soul,
Increase my faith that as I trust
I’ll give You full control.

I love You, Lord, but every day
I fail and fall and sin,
Show me Your love and fill my heart
With love set deep within.

Lord, give me more of knowing You,
Of yielding all to You,
Of all Your blessings and commands,
Of what You’d have me do.

You say that those who seek You find,
That those who ask receive,
That those who hunger will be filled –
I come for I believe.

Christina Joy Hommes

A New Perspective

At first I walked life’s pathway
With hopes that it would be
A calm, straightforward journey
To God’s eternity.

But then I saw it twisted
With places sharp and steep
Where rocks and sand and rainstorms
Meant I could only creep.

I kept my anxious focus
On where my foot should land
Or where to grip a handhold
Still set on what I’d planned.

Then somewhere on I realized
I’d make it all the way
Because it was God’s promise
When skies were bright or grey.

Relieved of all my worry,
I stopped and looked around –
I saw such gorgeous landscapes
I gasped at what I’d found.

The path so steep and rugged
Had led to such a view
It all at once seemed worth it –
My God had brought me through!

Now as I climb toward heaven,
I look to see the things
Of beauty all around me
Which give my spirit wings.

The vistas and the flowers,
The storm clouds and the sun
All fill my heart with wonder
At what the Lord has done.

Christina Joy Hommes

Half Through the Year

It is hard to believe
That July has arrived
And the year is already half through
As the first half we leave
If we thrived or survived
We now enter the half that’s still new

Through God’s mercies and grace
With His kindness and love
And His bountiful blessings each day
We have come to this place
On our journey above
To reflect on our heavenward way

So let’s stop and recount
All the things God has done
And let’s praise Him with joy and a song
For His gifts we can’t count
And our triumph He won
So let’s worship Him all the day long

Then let’s think of the things
We have learned on the way
From the troubles that plagued us as well
For the troublesome stings
Teach our feet not to stray
And make lessons we’re meant to retell

Such a passing review
Gives us strength that’s restored
As we pause to remember and pray
For this year that’s half through
Is a gift from the Lord
And He’s with us each step of the way

Christina Joy Hommes

Psalm 18

God Chooses Normal Folks

The angel told Cornelius
That God had heard him pray,
Then charged him, “Call for Peter now
And he’ll explain the way.”

It seems the angel could have told
The gospel then and there;
Instead, God used a mortal man
His happy news to share.

And so today the Lord could send
His angels far and wide
To tell the gospel to the world –
They have no faults and pride.

Instead, He chooses normal folks
Like you and me to go –
He makes us His ambassadors
The way of life to show.

Let’s be prepared so as the Lord
Puts others on our way
We’ll offer them His gift of love –
Eternal life – today.

Christina Joy Hommes