Liquid Prayers

You hear My prayers Even when They are Only Tears.

When words
Fail
To express
Silent mutterings
Of the soul,
Streams
Down my face
Communicate
The sorrow
Beheld.

You know it
Altogether,
As my Father.
As my King,
You are able to hold
The concern in Your heart.
As my God,
You are the One
Who can orchestrate
This troubling pain
To the glory of Your name.

Sometimes death’s shadow
Isn’t what brings fear;
Rather, it is the sting
In life that makes hope trepidatious.
Nevertheless,
Whether it is among the graveyard
Or a moment’s breath,
You remain near.

You have not forgotten
Me.
You have numbered
My tears.
You continue to lead
Me.
And where do I run, but to
You?
Whom can I hide in, besides
You?

As my eyes
Continue to be strained,
Come quickly!
Renew my joy!
Comfort is temporary,
Unless it is in Your presence,
Jesus.

A Prayer for Struggling Marriages

     Married life has come with its fresh life lessons.  Much of it has been seeing things in myself I never realized, and seeking God's heart on the matter. It has been well.  However, while my husband and I are learning to love and be united, there have been multiple marriages around us - in our own church- which are suffering.  Not just going through hard times; but divorce is tempting, and for one, is being seriously considered.  It's discouraging to say, in the least.  The following poem is my prayer for these marriages.  It is also a prayer for mine that we would continue to choose one another, rather than turn away.

Defying Dissolution
Covenant  bonded
One another's hearts
Together.
Matrimony promised
A forever love
Felt within emotions
And guarded by a daily
Commitment
To never say, "Die,"
Before death had its cut
Of one's breath.

What happened 
In those moments?
What fears were haunted;
What anger left to stew
In days, months, and years -
Convinced one or the other
That to part
Was better
Than to hope?

Is it true that love
Will never cease?
Is it possible to persevere
To know and be known,
Desiring to stay by 
Each other's side
Rather than denounce
Your other half as the enemy?

Is it true that the vows
Can remain honored,
A heart unaltered
By the tumultuous
Temptations of life?
That to fight means
To fight
FOR
One another,
Seeking to serve,
To benefit
And to love
The other 
More than
The self.

Please put aside
The offenses that seek
To divide what God has made
To fit together.
Why must we say,
"The end," before He has said,
"It is finished"?
After all, can we claim
We have a better way
When, perhaps,
God's best is
THE ONE
Whom He joined us
Together?

I pray for you,
My dear friends.
I hope you can see
One another
With fresh eyes
And a heart filled
With the love
That even Christ has for
His beloved.
May your marriage be
Repaired, renewed;
Made firm in the wholeness
That only Jesus can bring.

Please do not give up.
Please do not plead
For the end.
Perhaps, there can be
A new beginning,
If we are willing
To dare to hope.