As a caged bird that has been set free
Where will I fly?
Will you guide me?
I have been oppressed for so long and
so has my offspring
Our souls reached out in every direction
looking for relief
but left us in pieces
And then, You restored our souls!
Now I am whole again
to walk with grace
to fly with the eagles
and to carry my daughter to our promised land.
I will sing your praises oh God!
Though I walked through a long dark valley*
You brought me up and
gave me a rod and a staff
You proclaimed that I would get
double for me trouble**
I receive that greater portion!
I embrace Your blessings with open arms!
Beloved, don't despair
Stand firm in your faith
For though you are being tested
there are rewards at the end
Stay strong
Hold on to scripture
Believe that you are worthy of God's promises
Keep you eyes on God,
not on what is around you.
For old patterns will emerge
and with it, the temptation to believe
Where will I fly?
Will you guide me?
I have been oppressed for so long and
so has my offspring
Our souls reached out in every direction
looking for relief
but left us in pieces
And then, You restored our souls!
Now I am whole again
to walk with grace
to fly with the eagles
and to carry my daughter to our promised land.
I will sing your praises oh God!
Though I walked through a long dark valley*
You brought me up and
gave me a rod and a staff
You proclaimed that I would get
double for me trouble**
I receive that greater portion!
I embrace Your blessings with open arms!
Beloved, don't despair
Stand firm in your faith
For though you are being tested
there are rewards at the end
Stay strong
Hold on to scripture
Believe that you are worthy of God's promises
Keep you eyes on God,
not on what is around you.
For old patterns will emerge
and with it, the temptation to believe
that thesame outcome will prevail
NO!
You are being cleansed of the past.
Forgiven of sins.
Don't react
Go with the flow and wait to see
how God changes it!
I KNOW
it has happened to me!
For years I have been praying for change
it was getting to the point
that I thought it was my burden to carry.
But it has been lifted!
Praise be to God!
What do I do with this freedom?
What do I do with this lightness?
Seek prayerful people
let them help you notice
how God has brought you out of slavery!
How God brings you sustenance
as the ravens did for Elijah and
You are being cleansed of the past.
Forgiven of sins.
Don't react
Go with the flow and wait to see
how God changes it!
I KNOW
it has happened to me!
For years I have been praying for change
it was getting to the point
that I thought it was my burden to carry.
But it has been lifted!
Praise be to God!
What do I do with this freedom?
What do I do with this lightness?
Seek prayerful people
let them help you notice
how God has brought you out of slavery!
How God brings you sustenance
as the ravens did for Elijah and
for the widow.***
HE IS HERE
urging you on!
I pray you
The end of your suffering is near!
HE IS HERE
urging you on!
I pray you
The end of your suffering is near!
Psalm 23: 1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; 3 he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name's sake. 4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff— they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.
**Isaiah 40:1 Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins. 3 A voice cries out: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. 5 Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken."
*** 1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the Lord the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word." 2 The word of the Lord came to him, saying, 3 "Go from here and turn eastward, and hide yourself by the Wadi Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. 4 You shall drink from the wadi, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there." 5 So he went and did according to the word of the Lord; he went and lived by the Wadi Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the wadi. 7 But after a while the wadi dried up, because there was no rain in the land. 8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 9 "Go now to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there; for I have commanded a widow there to feed you." 10 So he set out and went to Zarephath. When he came to the gate of the town, a widow was there gathering sticks; he called to her and said, "Bring me a little water in a vessel, so that I may drink." 11 As she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, "Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand." 12 But she said, "As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go home and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die." 13 Elijah said to her, "Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterwards make something for yourself and your son. 14 For thus says the Lord the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth." 15 She went and did as Elijah said, so that she as well as he and her household ate for many days. 16 The jar of meal was not emptied, neither did the jug of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.
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Comments
And you too Susan, I really enjoy your paintings and you are a fabulous writer!
( and your way with colour )
Wishing you every success this new year,
Doug, it does seem that the world is going a bit mad doesn't it? I know for me it is going to be a matter of simplifying my life. When things you are familiar with are stripped away, it helps one realize what really is important.
Annaliese, Always a pleasure to hear your sincere wishes and support! The nice thing about hard times(and I'm not completely out of them yet--still some roads to travel) is that we can look back on them and realize we're stronger than we thought.