A Walk with a King

The Storm

The sun shone bright
So I sang out Your praise.
It’s You that I live for
For all of my days.

Help me to be
Closer to You.
I wanted to praise You
In all that I do.

Then came the wind.
The waves beat down strong.
I started to crumble
It didn’t take long.

My ship had sunk.
Currents pulled me below.
I fought for the surface
Not sure where to go.

I cried out Your name
But refused Your grace.
I thought that alone
I’d defeat this place.

My breath was leaving.
The world went dim.
Then I awoke
Saved once again.

Now lost on this raft
These waves crash on me.
I’m too weak to fight them
And You I don’t see.

You helped me before
But where are You now?
If I cannot see You
Then where shall I bow?

Alone I wonder
Is this the end?
Why would He save me
Then not come again?

Overcome by the storm
Start sinking and then…
Above a hand reaches
And I know that it’s Him.

His touch is a comfort
Secure and complete.
Why were You gone
Until my defeat?

He says, I have been with you
All of this time.
You chose not to see Me.
You chose to be blind.

You have not lost
The least bit of all.
For you gain everything
When it’s in Me that you fall.

Now I place you here
On this ground so sturdy.
Please stay on My path
And you won’t need to worry.

Where will I go?
I don’t want to fall.
What if this path is too far
And You can’t hear me call?

“I love You,” You say.
And suddenly I know,
This path will lead somewhere
You want me to go.

It’s hard when I can’t see You
Or remember Your face.
Then I think back
And remember sweet grace.

Back there in the mist
Of the most terrible storm,
You held out scarred hands
And kept my heart warm.

I don’t know what’s
In store ‘round the bend.
But You’re with me now
Like You were back then.

The sun’s shining bright
So I sing out Your praise.
It’s You that I live for
For all of my days.
~ - ~- ~
“They were glad when it grew calm,
and He guided them to their desired haven.”
Psalm 107:30

Bad Eyes
I unfortunately can’t see the broadside of a barn without my glasses. Well, I could see it, but it would look like nothing more than a giant fuzzy red mound. It wasn’t until about 4th grade before realizing I probably needed a checkup (after not being able to read the stop sign right across the street). My mom quickly made an appointment. I was so afraid to go. (What if I needed glasses!?) I spent the next several days trying to convince her I could see just fine. “S.T.O.P. You see mom, I can read it just fine even from clear up on this hill!”
I tried to convince her of what I was already sure of. My nickname used to be “Eagle Eye” only a few years before. Anytime we were driving up in the woods I could spot an animal a few hundred yards out just by a flick of his ear. My family of hunters was so impressed they gave me the name. Even though my eyes had grown worse, not better, I was still convinced I had the gift and there was no problem here.
After the appointment though, there was no convincing anyone my eyes were fine. Sure enough, I needed glasses bad. So we picked out the frames and waited, and waited… until finally they came. I didn’t want them, but to tell you the truth I really didn’t know what to expect either. After putting them on they were adjusted. No big deal – until I stepped outside!
I loved the outdoors. I loved the colors, the plants, trees, rivers… you name it; I loved it, or at least I thought I did, until I got my new glasses. I remember going down the road I’d been on a hundred times but never really seen before; I could read signs, see people and birds! The most amazing thing was leaves on the trees. I’d forgotten you could see leaves more than five feet away! I fell in love with the outdoors all over again.
At school I could see people’s faces and read the board up front. Everything was brand new. There was so much surrounding detail! I wondered how I could have gone so long without knowing anything was wrong.
2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” Going to God was much like the first time I went to the eye doctor. I knew things were a little off and I was unable to fix them myself. It was a bit scary at first. The first prayers must have sounded like an infant learning to talk. I tripped and stumbled into His office and sat in the pew. After a close examination it was confirmed; I was going to need Jesus if I was going to have any chance of seeing clearly at all.
I remember when I first believed in Him. It was a lot like ordering a prescription for new glasses. I didn’t walk out of the church that night with a completely different view. It took a little while, but sure enough it wasn’t long before I started seeing things differently. The things I thought I knew and loved, I was now able to love and appreciate in a whole new way. I could see people and places like I hadn’t been able to before.
God continues to awe me, both visually with all the beauty He created in the nature around me and also spiritually. I’m so blessed to get to see what I was missing. I was uneasy about trying on glasses but I’m so glad I did. I was even more cautious about asking Jesus to be my eyes but I am overjoyed that I did! I don’t know how I ever made it a single day stumbling around without Him.
Like eyes though, my spirit can get out of focus too. It’s a continuous challenge to make sure I’m seeing clearly the way I was intended to. It’s important to visit the eye doctor regularly and let Him dose me up with a strong prescription of King Jesus (ha ha - that was cheesy but it’s so true). I don’t want to miss out on what He wishes to show me!
~ - ~ - ~
When is the last time you scheduled an appointment
with Him?

“As He went along, He saw a man blind from birth.” John 9:1