Downcast #poetry #photography #hopeless

I drop my head

worth less of  love

hereby detest

things I have done

my shoulders sag

of life’s travails

belated tears

my spirit fails

nights I have prayed

for death to come

 you held me fast

await the dawn

the world it hates

your gift of love

it matters not

the Son has won

The enemy wants to pull us to our lowest low.  How sad when hope for tomorrow is death.

Have you been at the edge of hopeless?

Even mighty men like the prophet Elijah came to the end of hope. He asked for God to write “The End” as his world caved in.

David was another of God’s chosen who ran for his life from a friend bent on killing him.  What determination this man David had, he was joyful even as his enemy was at his heels.

“Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,  for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”

~Psalm 43:5

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

~Psalm 51:10

Great News #devotion #poetry

my hand reaches for a firm hand hold

shale shreds off, hitting my face

“Im cut,” I shrug

there is a thread suspending me

but it doesn’t give way

I reach the top of this pinnacle

one of the many I have climbed

I add another bandage to the bag

I’ve survived another close call

I look over a breathtaking view

a warm breeze flutters my sleeves

“I love you” is whispered in my ear

I was reminded today of a person in the Bible who had close calls with death – Elijah. After a major miraculous victory, he gets great news “you wont live to see tomorrow.”  Running for his life he begs, “Forget this life, God. I cant do this anymore!”

Have you ever said that? I have and again within the last several weeks as I was handed another taunting lab paper that said “You can die…”

God told Elijah to gird up his loins (that means get ready to run long and hard.) He (miraculously) ran for 40 days and nights. All along God had a plan: first he would get Elijah to safety, then he would strengthen  and encourage him, and then he would share the plan.

Those gentle whispers are always welcome…

“4 while he himself went a day’s journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.”

5 Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep.

11 The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.”Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.

12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.”

All verses from 1 Kings 19.