Longing Heart

Painful longing after longing,
Indulging, yet not satisfied.
This weary heart of longing,
What will gratify?

Hopelessly empty I be,
Though I fill and I fill,
I am a cistern broken,
An eternal heart born ill.

A wretched, joyless desert i strode,
Crying out for a stream of refreshing.
Frantic searching all of my days,
But no solace found for my wrestling.

Glimmer, sweet glimmer,
Just beyond yonder hill,
A raging, eternal spring,
Beacons, "Come have your fill.".

How pure, how sweet,
This flowing river of delight.
How have I never heard
Of this living water, called Christ?

Infinite, matchless, beautiful...
Words could never measure
The fullness therein,
This costly ocean of pleasures.

The price is more that i can give,
Yet, One has gone before,
Securing this wanderer's place,
At the Fountain forevermore.

Yet, longing and wanting,
Feeble heart still yearn,
For inferior delights,
Feeding on worms.

Return, oh wanton heart
to the place of true delight!
Give no quarter to the inferior,
Fight for Joy with all your might.

Slay all that compete for affection,
Don't be fooled by misdirection.
Arise, look up from the fray,
This illness, this war will be stayed.

A day comes and will be soon,
When struggle will meet it's tomb.
Infinite appetites will be infinitely satisfied,
In His blood this promise ratified.

Hold fast, oh weary soul,
For He will not let you go.
The victory is not yours to gain,
King Jesus has overcame.

Night Watches

I remember you in the night watches,

My Love, My Life, My All.

As yet another day slips away,

Keep hold of me, lest I fall. 

Darkness seeks to take my joy,

To steal my soul's delight,

To rob me of my treasure,

And steal away Your light. 

The thought of it yields 

sorrow upon sorrow.

Oh Father! Be not gone 

From my tomorrow. 

Then I remember your promise. 

A good work you began,

A good work you will accomplish. 

So rest now, my weary soul. 

Darkness will not deceive us.

Tomorrow is sealed.

You belong to Jesus. 

Wondering Way

Wearying and wondrous, this wondering way.
I have heard of a place of rest,
Where beggars become princes
And ever-deepening joys are endless

A kingdom that welcomes all who seek it,
All who long to know it's King,
He who beckons us, "come and see".
The one who makes a heart to sing.

My eye sees many paths twisting and turning,
Over the mountains, Across the great divide,
Only one will take me there,
That place where my heart resides.

There come traps, dangers and lost companions.
Pains, sorrows and joys... every kind.
There! I see that sweet, sweet bastion
At the end of this path, this narrow line.

Bruised and broken I trod this difficult track
Bleeding but not beaten, Hoping in my hope secure.
Though it be painful and my hardships many,
I have fountains of joy forever more.

Yet, there is a snare, much worse than the pain,
The wonders of this world can easily distract,
Making my heart grow lame.

Be careful, my eyes, to see the wonders for what they are...
Merely signs the Great King has posted,
To bring His sons and daughters from afar

My heart be heavy and my soul laden
With just enough hope for today...
Knowing that this is not my home,
Only a wearying and wondrous, wondering way.