Poems for Trials
No Quotas for Prayer
No Quotas for Prayer
I do not have to pick and choose
Requests that I will pray;
There’s not a limit on the things
My God will do each day.
He has no quotas set for prayer,
No limits on His grace;
He won’t run out of strength I know
Or hide His shining face.
Compassion flows from dawn to dusk
Then through the lonely night;
His mercies greet each morning new
With patience always bright.
So when I have desires and needs –
Impossible or small –
I bring them to my Father’s throne
And know He hears them all.
Christina Joy Hommes
This poem is part of Summer for the Soul a 14-day spiritual “devo-cation” that will refresh and encourage your heart.
Summer for the Soul – 14-Day Devotional (eBook)
If God Had Led the Easy Way
If God Had Led the Easy Way
If God had led the easy way
Which I had thought was best,
I wouldn’t be right here today
And wouldn’t be so blest.
If God had led the easy way
I would have never found
The depths of trust that leans on Him
And nothing else around.
If God had led the easy way
I would have gone astray –
My plans and dreams would not have brought
The joy I have today.
If God had led the easy way
I wouldn’t know my need
To daily lean upon His strength
And from myself be freed.
If God had led the easy way
That looked so good to me,
He only knows what troubles lay
Beyond what I could see.
Lord, thank you for the perfect way
That You have planned in love
So I can learn to walk with You
And reach my home above.
Christina Joy Hommes
A New Perspective
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
Psalm 18
Psalm 18
The way that God’s at work for me,
He hides His footprints in the sea
Though He has heard my desperate plea.
The clouds conceal His mighty way,
The mountains shake and run away,
The storms obscure His voice today
When He has heard His servant pray.
But though I cannot see His light
I know He’ll do whatever’s right,
So I will live as in His sight
And love the Lord, my soul’s delight.
Christina Joy Hommes
Philippians 4:6-7
Philippians 4:6-7
O Lord, I lift my heart to You
And bring my humble prayer
For You alone can intervene
And, though You’re God, You care.
I come unworthy of Your love –
A sinner saved by grace –
To plead for pardon, mercy, help
Here in this troubled place.
How kind You are and strong and just –
I do not know the half!
Lord, thank You for the mighty care
You show on my behalf.
So now I bring my soul’s request
With confidence You’ll hear
And that You’ll do whatever’s best
While always being near.
What perfect peace in knowing this:
My God will work for me!
When I have fixed my mind on Him
I’ve no anxiety.
Christina Joy Hommes
Looking for Stars
Looking for Stars
Some people fear the darkness
And tremble through the night,
Some love the stars that sparkle
A million points of light.
Some people feel what’s lacking
And live in gloomy fear,
Some look at life’s small blessings
And sense the Lord is near.
For if there was no darkness,
The stars would never shine;
And lack reveals the value
Of what is really mine.
Lord, help me see the blessings
In everything, I pray,
That I might always thank you
Whatever comes today.
Christina Joy Hommes
I Choose to Trust
I Choose to Trust
Whatever it may be,
Whatever it may seem to cost
However dear to me.
I don’t demand to see your plan
And know what You will do,
I will not try to judge Your ways –
I can’t examine You.
Instead I bow in humble love
Before Your wisdom’s skill
Committed to obey Your plan
And trust Your perfect will.
How sweet to know Your plan is best
Not just for honor’s sake
But for my good which You ensure
In all the plans You make!
I love You, Lord, and I will trust
Your plan for me today –
Both when I see and when I don’t
I’ll praise You and obey.
Christina Joy Hommes
In Life’s Uncertainty
In Life’s Uncertainty
In all of life’s uncertainty
We know one thing for sure,
God knows the future as the past –
To Him it’s not obscure.
We know He’s stronger than the world –
Though everyone combine
They cannot outmaneuver Him –
His power is divine.
Sometimes they seem to carry through
Their schemes without a curse,
But God knows all and has a plan
Their evil to reverse.
From our perspective there is fog,
To Him it’s very clear;
And whether we can see or not
He’s always very near.
So, when we cannot see ahead,
Tomorrow is secure
Because the Lord already sees
And says His plans are sure.
Christina Joy Hommes
Fear Begone
Fear Begone
How will fear help me anyway?
It cannot change the past,
It can’t control what comes today
Or what will be at last.
It only robs me of my peace,
And saps my strength and health.
It steals my joy and makes me glum,
Yet brings no friends or wealth.
It makes it hard to do what’s right
And blocks what I can see
Of blessings that should make me glad
Which God is giving me.
So, fear, begone! I have no time
Or energy for you.
You cannot help you only hurt.
My God will bring me through.
Christina Joy Hommes
Let’s Begin the Praise
Let’s Begin the Praise
God doesn’t always answer
The questions that we ask
Or give an explanation
When He assigns a task,
But this is not a reason
To doubt His loving hand
Or think He’s not controlling
What we don’t understand.
His thoughts are far above us –
We cannot comprehend
The wisdom of His choices
And so our hearts must bend
In humble, grateful worship
That trusts His heart and way
Both when we see His reasons
And when the clouds are grey.
If we will stop and ponder
The things He’s done before,
Some things that were confusing
Are things we’re thankful for.
Just think if we can see that
With finite mind and sight
What marvels will be opened
In heaven’s perfect light!
When God returns no answer
Explaining what He does,
Don’t doubt that prayer’s effective –
We know it is, because
In past days He has answered
Our prayers and still today
He hears and grants petitions
Though sometimes not our way.
His ways are grand and perfect,
His wisdom hung the stars,
He made the way to save us,
And made His blessings ours.
Let’s trust His tender mercies,
His judgments, and His ways –
Someday we’ll understand Him
So let’s begin the praise.
Christina Joy Hommes