Saturday, December 29, 2012

Clinging



I’m hanging on to You, Lord, hanging on to You
Clinging for my very life, that’s what I seem to do
Knowing I’ve no virtues, but knowing that I’m Yours
Grasping Your encouragement; fed by every clause.
You tell me, “I am with you.” You whisper, “You are mine”.
You say,” I’ll never leave you.” You are with me all the time
Nothing less I claim, Lord, I need all of You
Cast your shadow over me; all Your power endue.

Absolute obedience, surrender day by day
No other way will show my love, You’ll lead me all the way
Anxiety is such a sin, when You, my precious Lord
Are holding me, without, within, and You will close the doors
If step out on another path than You have planned for me
Then, gently You will guide me back to where You’d have me be
And so it is my need and joy to rest within Your heart
For I’m clinging for my very life, my trust a growing art.


Wyn Barratt Dec 2012.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

New Year’s Resolution?


 
If the day ever comes when you don’t want to change
And you can’t see the point of your life
It means you have walked far too long down the road
To the city of sorrow and strife.

You cannot remember where you took a wrong turn
You thought you were doing just fine
But one day you looked up and could not see the sky
And you found yourself down in a mine.

Any miner will tell you there are only two things
You can do if you find yourself there
One is keep digging and go down and down
And the other is to get out of there!     

Take a change of direction and reach for the sky
That pit is the entrance to hell
Keep your eyes on the Master, His cross is the sign
That He loves you and wishes you well.
               
Now the New Year is coming and you can decide
That this resolution is yours
You will walk with the Master and keep in His light
Then a hope and a future are yours.

Wyn Barratt Dec 2012

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Meet Me


Will You meet me on the mountain my dear Saviour and my God?
I need to be alone again with You
For the hustle and the bustle of my life is out of hand
In the silence and the mist I will see You.

The world is loud and noisy, so many voices to be heard
Each one believing that their way is right
It seems they have Your ear so how do I discern Your will?
And now my once bright day has turned into night.

So Lord meet me on the mountain; let me hide inside the mist
Let Your Peace then silence every single sound
Touch my heart until it opens and then lets inside Your own
Till we are one in thought and purpose, I am Your own.

Wyn Barratt  Dec 2012.



Tuesday, December 11, 2012

This Is Your Birthday



O Lord of breathless beauty
O Lord of joy divine
Combining love and duty
I yield this soul of mine.
I deserve all Your judgement
You deserve all my love
Yet withholding then my punishment
You came from Heaven above.

We don’t deserve remembrance
Forgiveness we’ve not earned
Yet You, our loving Saviour
Were beaten, tortured, spurned.
You died for the unforgiving
You died for the unaware
And yet with all Your giving
Heaven’s opened, we are welcomed there.

So Lord on this Your birthday
We remember too Your death
And how You offered mercy
On Your last, such laboured breath.
We raise our arms to worship
We lift our hearts in love
We’ll walk the way of Calvary
Till we reach our home above.


Wyn Barratt Dec 2012.

Monday, December 10, 2012

I Think That I Grew Up Today.


 

I think that I grew up today (it wasn’t before time!)
I look into a mirror, surprised at what I find
A pale old lady looked at me her wrinkles on the rise
But her bright blue eyes were sparkling and that was my surprise.

You see that when I looked out from those eyes I knew were mine
 I saw every person looking and yet I felt that I was blind
Like when you’re at the movies and the story is not yours
You cannot touch, just listen, to others lives, not yours.

For years I had been grieving and hiding in the house
My life was over, even. I was quiet as a mouse
But when today I saw ME and I looked quite alive
I knew that I was ready and I could step outside.

So now I know I’m ready, if the world is ready or not
Every day is an adventure, just a little or a lot
I have a Great Companion Who is with me all the way
And every day He will be near for He promised He will stay.

So here’s to new adventures in a bright and hopeful world
Though my days are few or many, my flag will be unfurled
For Jesus Christ has promised that He will give me hope
And with that hope a future so the two of us can cope.

Wyn Barratt Dec 2012.

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Out Of The Frying Pan.


Out of the frying pan into the fire
That seems to be in my attempts to climb higher
I ask You to lead me then I open a door
With a bright shiny handle as I’m looking for more.

I don’t want to sit outside a door that is closed
See others living life in the way they’re disposed
Can I ask You to lead me and wait outside that door
Tomorrow may show that the door is no more.

Lord I’m grateful to know that You’ve brought me this far
I’ve followed Your leading then I’ve jumped the bar
This leapfrogging life does not glorify You
So I’m here to ask what You’d have me to do?

I know I need patience when things take too long
If I don’t see progress I assume I’ve done wrong
And then spin around to retrace all my steps
I wish that my life was one of sweet rest.

You don’t need to tell me I see clearly now
I am not in charge but my hands on the plough
I come running to You when I get in a mess
I’ll let You have Your way now I know that is best.

Wyn Barratt  Dec 2012.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

If You Had Never Come.




If You had never come, although You made the world, my Lord
What would this world now be without the Babe
Who lived and died and rose again in triumph
So fallen man could lift his head; be saved?

Even as You look upon us with love and mercy
The world is torn apart with fear and hate
We cannot raise the world from satan’s dominance
Unless the Cross of Christ be held and raised.

So are we different from those that don’t acknowledge You?
Do we show love, the love of God for man?
Or do we in fear and judgment walk across the road
And leave a few to be good Samaritans?

Lord, lift up to us the glass that shows us what we are
May we see You in every hurting soul
Then shine Your light of truth, Great Holy Spirit
Till our obedience may make others whole.


Wyn Barratt Dec 2012.


Sunday, December 2, 2012

Do Things Change?



There are only seven days in a week but sometimes each day is as long as a lifetime
I keep looking out of my window to see if anything has changed.
It all looks exactly the same except a small piece of rubbish has moved onto my garden and is transfixed, as am I, waiting for something to change it. Wanting it to blow away so my lawn is neat and tidy once more.
Would you believe that piece of cigarette paper took a week to move a few yards?

              A week ago it was the day for garbage collection and that paper fell to the ground instead of into the garbage truck. It was large and silver…tinfoil. Yes, it took a week to move a few yards and I have watched its progress! Will somebody tell me to get a life?
              I would like to, but I need more strength and energy and a modicum of will power. If I had some will power then maybe I could rustle up a little energy and strength to go with it. 

              I ponder what I would do if a snake slithered towards me, or a lion, or a leopard; something fast moving.  Could I run? Could I run fast enough to get out of harm’s way?
             I might do something stupid in the case of a leopard or a lion. I would probably stroke them and try to cuddle them. The snake, well, I would be hanging from the ceiling in two seconds flat, and thinking about Poppa’s blog called ‘The Snake Line’ and wishing I lived above it!

              I glance up to the sky; maybe there is some change there? It has been grey for hours, thankfully, giving some relief from the heat and sun.
Distant thunder keeps up my hope for a refreshing downpour. I can almost believe my plants are listening and hoping for the same result.

Does anything change?  Not while I am watching.
Not a living soul is walking down the street, not a car or a truck. It must be lunchtime  

The tired young mother after another sleepless night, watching for her baby’s eyes to close in sleep so she too can doze a little. Nothing changing there either.

The old wife cradling her dying husband’s head in her arms, both aware of mixed longings; for sleep and rest for the wife, for Eternal sleep and Eternal rest for the husband.
The former to face unchanging days of loneliness and the latter unchanging days of joy.

Yes, things can change in a flash; in the bat of an eye. A loved one can fall and be injured, stepping into the last Waltz, before hearts can be prepared to handle the new situation. Then, suddenly as it happened, healing commences and change is imperceptible and with relief and gratitude nothing else happens; nothing changes for a while, at least.   Then we feel blessed.

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Whisper To Me.


  
I am kneeling in the shadows near the garden of Your heart
I am longing for the warmth I feel when You show me where You are
My heart’s fluttering like a startled dove at the very thought of You
And dear precious Lord, my Saviour, please show me what to do.

You see I have a feeling that all is not what it should be
I don’t know if I’ve hurt You or there’s a sin I cannot see
But something now is missing, not just my heart that’s missed a beat
So I’m here Lord and I’m waiting and I’m kneeling at Your feet.

I know I have a habit of not telling all to You
I know You know that I know every little thing I do
But if I’ve missed Your still small voice or kept You out of things
Then I’m sorry, really sorry, Lord, may I know You’re listening?

I’ve asked a precious friend sometimes if ‘we’ are both O.K?
And I’d like to ask the same of You though it’s a weird thing to say
I know You hear and love me and You’ve forgiven me before
But I need Your reassurance while I kneel to pray some more.

So I’m kneeling in the shadows near the garden of Your heart
I am longing for the warmth I feel when You show me where You are
Would You please sit beside me; hold my hand as You used to do
While You whisper to my trembling heart, “Child, I’ve forgiven you”.

Wyn Barratt Dec 2012.

Is Hope Everywhere?



 
Hope is everywhere. We see it. Hope is everywhere
From a Babe in a manger rough and small
To a Christmas tree standing proud and tall
Hope is everywhere.

Dark clouds may come and storms roll up, yet hope is still somewhere
We watch for sun to break on through
A friendly hand stretched out by you
Then hope is everywhere.

On Christmas morn a gentle cry is heard from the stable nearby
It is the Babe in a manger rough and small
The hope of the world lies in a stall
Now hope will spread everywhere.

But where is the hope of the homeless one; the one in a doorway all alone
The child who was sold for a meal or two
Children now abused, that we gave birth to
Spreading the hope is a job for us all.

Wyn Barratt Dec 2012.