Category Archives: Pause for Poetry

Pause for Poetry — I Will Not Doubt

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meadow lake courtesy pixabayThe following poem, I Will Not Doubt, was written by Ella Wheeler Wilcox, and is found in Streams in the Desert.

I Will Not Doubt

I will not doubt, though all my ships at sea
Come drifting home with broken masts and sails;
I shall believe the Hand which never fails
From seeming evil worketh good for me:
And though I weep because those sails are tattered,
Still will I cry, while my best hopes lie shattered,
I trust in thee.

I will not doubt, though all my prayers return
Unanswered from the still, white Realm above;
I shall believe it is an all-wise Love
Which has refused those things for which I yearn;
And though at times I cannot keep from grieving,
Yet the pure ardor of my fixed believing
Undimmed shall burn.

I will not doubt, though sorrows fall like rain,
And troubles swarm like bees about a hive;
I shall believe the heights for which I strive
Are only reached by anguish and by pain;
And though I groan and tremble with my crosses,
I yet shall see, through my severest losses,
The greater gain.

I will not doubt; well anchored in the faith,
Like some staunch ship, my soul braves every gale,
So strong its courage that it will not fail
To face the mighty unknown sea of Death.
Oh, may I cry when body parts with spirit,
I do not doubt, so listening worlds may hear it,
With my last breath.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

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I wish you well.

Sandy

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Pause for Poetry — Easter

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meadow lake courtesy pixabayUsually, I only post one poem for my monthly Pause for Poetry, however, today I am posting two Easter poems written by Frances Gregory Pasch. Fatherly Love and Precious, Priceless Prize.

Fatherly Love

Our Father flinched as they hammered each nail,

But He had to endure His Son’s cry.

He planned that Christ’s blood would redeem us…

The reason Christ came was to die.

With each blow, our sins were heaped on Him;

Their weight caused unbearable pain.

Yet He never complained for one moment…

The Perfect Lamb had to be slain.

For unless we had a Redeemer,

Heaven’s gate would forever be closed…

But thanks to God’s love and forgiveness,

It opened the morning Christ rose.

Frances Gregory Pasch

 

Precious, Priceless Prize

How can we ever thank You

For dying in our place!

You suffered pain and anguish…

The ultimate disgrace.

You opened not Your mouth to cry,

Despite the stress and strain

You bore our sins and all their weight,

Yet never did complain.

They tortured You and beat You,

Placed thorns upon Your head,

Drove nails into Your hands and feet

And mocked You as You bled.

But little did they know, O Lord,

That soon you would arise

And free us from the sting of death,

A precious, priceless prize.

Frances Gregory Pasch

Leave a comment below to share your thoughts on the subject. If you think others would appreciate reading this, please share it through the social media buttons.

I wish you well.

Sandy

Please enter your email address on the form located on the right sidebar to sign up to receive posts every Tuesday and Thursday. Thanks!

Frances Gregory Pasch’s devotions and poems have been published hundreds of times in devotional booklets, magazines, and Sunday school papers since 1985. Her writing has also appeared in several dozen compilations. Frances’ latest book, Greater Than Gold is available on Amazon. Her first book, Double Vision: Seeing God in Everyday Life Through Devotions and Poetry, which was published when she was eighty years old, is also available on Amazon. Frances has been leading a women’s Christian writers group since 1991 and makes her own holiday greeting cards incorporating her poetry. She and her husband, Jim, have been married since 1958. They have five sons and nine grandchildren. Contact her at http://www.francesgregorypasch.com.

Pause for Poetry — The Refiner’s Fire

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meadow lake courtesy pixabayThe following poem, The Refiner’s Fire, was written by James M. Gray and comes from Streams in the Desert.

The Refiner’s Fire

He sat by the fire of seven-fold heat,As He watched by the precious ore.And closer He bent with a searching gazeAs He heated it more and more.

He knew He had ore that could stand the test
And He wanted the finest gold,
To mold as a crown for the King to wear,
Set with gems of price untold.

So He laid our gold in the burning fire,
Though we fain would have said Him, “Nay.”
And He watched the dross that we had not seen,
As it melted and passed away.

And the gold grew brighter, and yet more bright
And our eyes were so dim with tears,
As we saw the fire, not the Master’s hand,
And questioned with anxious fear.

Yet our gold shone out with a richer glow,
As it mirrored a Form above
That bent o’er the fire, though unseen by us
With a look of infinite love.

Can we think that it pleases His loving heart
To cause a moment of pain?
Ah, no, but He saw through the present cross
The bliss of eternal gain.

So He waited there with a watchful eye,
With a love that is strong and sure,
And His gold did not suffer a bit more heat
Than was needed to make it pure!

James M. Gray

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I wish you well.

Sandy

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Pause for Poetry–They Are His Waves

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meadow lake courtesy pixabayThe following poem, They Are His Waves, was written by Annie Johnson Flint.

They are HIS waves, whether they break over us,

Hiding His face in smothering spray and foam;

Or smooth and sparkling, spread a path before us,

And to our haven bear us safely home.

They are HIS waves, whether for our sure comfort

He walks across them, stilling all our fear;

Or to our cry there comes no aid nor answer,

And in the lonely silence none is near.

They are HIS waves, whether we are hard-striving

Through tempest-driven waves that never cease,

While deep to deep with turmoil loud is calling;

Or at His word they hush themselves in peace.

They are HIS waves, whether He separates them,

Making us walk dry ground where seas had flowed;

Or lets tumultuous breakers surge about us,

Rushing unchecked across our only road.

They are HIS waves, and He directs us through them;

So He has promised, so His love will do.

Keeping and leading, guiding and upholding,

To His sure harbor He will bring us through.

Annie Johnson Flint

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I wish you well.

Sandy

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Pause for Poetry- O You of Little Faith

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meadow lake courtesy pixabay

The following poem, O You of Little Faith, is selected from Streams in the Desert.

O you of little faith,

God has not failed you yet!

When all looks dark and gloomy,

You do so soon forget–

Forget that He has led you,

And gently cleared your way;

On clouds has poured His sunshine,

And turned your night to day.

And if He’s helped you to this point,

He will not fail you now;

How it must wound His loving heart

To see your anxious brow!

Oh! doubt not any longer,

To Him commit your way,

Whom in the past you trusted,

And is just the same today.

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I wish you well.

Sandy

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Pause for Poetry Jesus Our Savior

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meadow lakeWelcome to Pause for Poetry featuring the poem, Jesus, Our Savior, written by my writer-friend, Frances Gregory Pasch.

In fulfillment of the Scripture

Jesus came to earth,

Not as a man, but as a child,

His was a humble birth.

There were no crowds to greet Him,

no party or fanfare,

Just a simple setting,

He entered unaware.

but the reason for His coming

Is one that must be told…

He’s the key to our salvation,

Prophesied from days of old.

He took on human nature

So He could bear our sin

Upon the cross, in place of us,

So new life could begin.

What greater gift could we receive

Than His abounding grace…

The promise that we’ll one day share

His presence face to face!

Leave a comment below to share your thoughts on the subject. If you think others would appreciate reading this, please share it through the social media buttons.

You can find my December Inspire a Fire post here. Please stop by and read it.

I wish you well.

Sandy

Please enter your email address on the form located on the right sidebar to sign up to receive posts every Tuesday and Thursday. Thanks!

Frances Gregory Pasch’s devotions and poems have been published hundreds of times in devotional booklets, magazines, and Sunday school papers since 1985. Her writing has also appeared in several dozen compilations. Frances’ latest book, Greater Than Goldis available on Amazon. Her first book, Double Vision: Seeing God in Everyday Life Through Devotions and Poetry, which was published when she was eighty years old, is also available on Amazon. Frances has been leading a women’s Christian writers group since 1991 and makes her own holiday greeting cards incorporating her poetry. She and her husband, Jim, have been married since 1958. They have five sons and nine grandchildren. Contact her at http://www.francesgregorypasch.com.

Pause for Poetry-Guide Me, Lord

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Guide Me, Lord

 by Frances Gregory Pasch

When I complain,

Set me straight.

When impatient,

Help me wait.

When too busy,

slow me down.

When I’m cranky,

Erase my frown.

Guide the path

Where I’m to go.

Teach me all

That I must know.

Hold my hand

Along the way;

Don’t let Satan

Lead me astray.

Let me live

For you alone;

When life’s over,

Take me home.

Leave a comment below to share your thoughts on the subject. If you think others would appreciate reading this, please share it through the social media buttons.

You can find my November Inspire a Fire post here. Please stop by and read it.

I wish you well.

Sandy

Please enter your email address on the form located on the right sidebar to sign up to receive posts every Tuesday and Thursday. Thanks!

Frances Gregory Pasch’s devotions and poems have been published hundreds of times in devotional booklets, magazines, and Sunday school papers since 1985. Her writing has also appeared in several dozen compilations. Frances’ latest book, Greater Than Gold is available on Amazon. Her first book, Double Vision: Seeing God in Everyday Life Through Devotions and Poetry, which was published when she was eighty years old, is also available on Amazon. Frances has been leading a women’s Christian writers group since 1991 and makes her own holiday greeting cards incorporating her poetry. She and her husband, Jim, have been married since 1958. They have five sons and nine grandchildren. Contact her at http://www.francesgregorypasch.com.

Pause for Poetry New Every Morning

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New Every Morning

by Annie Johnson Flint

Yea, “new every morning,” though we may awake,
Our hearts with old sorrow beginning to ache;
With old work unfinished when night stayed our hand,
with new duties waiting, unknown and unplanned;
With old care still pressing, to fret and to vex,
With new problems rising, our minds to perplex
In ways long familiar, in paths yet untrod,
Oh, new every morning the mercies of God!

His faithfulness fails not; it meets each new day
New guidance for every new step of the way;
New grace for new trials, new trust for old fears,
New patience for bearing the wrongs of the years,
New strength for new burdens, new courage for old,
New faith for whatever the day may unfold;
As fresh for each need as the dew on the sod;
Oh, new every morning the mercies of God!

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You can find my October Inspire a Fire post here. Please stop by and read it.

I wish you well.

Sandy

Please enter your email address on the form located on the right sidebar to sign up to receive posts every Tuesday and Thursday. Thanks!

Pause for Poetry The Red Sea Place

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The Red Sea Place

by Annie Johnson Flint

Have you come to the Red Sea place in your life,
Where in spite of all you can do,
There is no way out, there is no way back,
There is no other way but through?
Then wait on the Lord with a trust serene
Till the night of your fear is gone;
He will send the wind, He will heap the floods,
When He says to your soul, “Go on.”

And His hand will lead you through–clear through–
Ere the watery walls roll down,
No foe can reach you, no wave can touch,
No mightiest sea can drown;
The tossing billows may rear their crests,
Their foam at your feet may break,
But over their bed you shall walk dry shod
In the path that your Lord will make.

In the morning watch, ‘neath the lifted cloud
You shall see but the Lord alone,
When He leads you on from the place of the sea
To a land that you have not known;
And your fears shall pass as your foes have passed
You shall be no more afraid;
You shall sing His praise in a better place,
A place that His hand has made.

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others would appreciate reading this, please share it through the social media
buttons.

You can find my August Inspire a Fire post here. Please stop by and read it.

I wish you well.

Sandy

Please enter your email address on the form located on the right sidebar to sign up to receive posts every Tuesday and Thursday. Thanks!

Pause for Poetry-The Right View

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meadow lakeThe Right View

 by Frances Gregory Pasch

Sometimes the grass looks greener

In someone else’s life.

It seems their days run smoother…

There’s much less stress and strife.

Their kids behave much better

Their money provides more.

Their future seems much brighter…

They have blessings by the score.

Yet when I stop to ponder

All that God has done for me,

I need to stop comparing

And get down on my knees.

For I am where He wants me.

There’s a reason for His plans.

and if I want His best for me,

I’ll leave things in His hands.

Leave a comment below to share your thoughts on the subject. If you think others would appreciate reading this, please share it through the social media buttons.

You can find my July Inspire a Fire post here. Please stop by and read it.

I wish you well.

Sandy

Please enter your email address on the form located on the right sidebar to sign up to receive posts every Tuesday and Thursday. Thanks!

Frances Gregory Pasch’s devotions and poems have been published hundreds of times in devotional booklets, magazines, and Sunday school papers since 1985. Her writing has also appeared in several dozen compilations. Frances’ latest book, Greater Than Gold is available on Amazon. Her first book, Double Vision: Seeing God in Everyday Life Through Devotions and Poetry, which was published when she was eighty years old, is also available on Amazon. Frances has been leading a women’s Christian writers group since 1991 and makes her own holiday greeting cards incorporating her poetry. She and her husband, Jim, have been married since 1958. They have five sons and nine grandchildren. Contact her at http://www.francesgregorypasch.com.