Come, Lord Jesus, come.

Bring to my heart Your flood,

Though really just one drop

Of blood

Would do–

To make my conscience clean,

Secure my way to God,

And help me crave the good,

Which–yes–

Is You.

Lord, when we pray in faith,

What’s it sound like to You?

Like the wail of a baby,

Or the dance of the dew,

Or the wind through the pine trees,

Or the trill of a flute?

Or something altogether different

Because Your listening, so magnificent,

Hears Your Spirit who translates

So that our words join Heaven’s symphony?

You told me to knock, God, and seek earnestly,

And promised You’d then, with what’s good, meet my needs.

But there, in the midst of my knocking, I thought

Of how I’m not really the First to have knocked.

For You first loved my heart, saw me in my plight,

Came to request entry on my darkest night.

So my need–the greatest–already was met

When You entered in me, restored life to give.

And now when I, in faith, should seek, knock, request,

Help me to remember: You always know best.

The sun is shining brightly, Lord, outside;

It drove away the clouds so early-dark.

There’s nowhere for the early cold to hide–

And yet, it still returns in wind-waves, hard.

Behind this wall, I only feel the warmth

And smile at the brightness of the view–

Until I need to open up the door

To heed the knock of someone passing through.

Then, just one blast of breeze will make me gasp

And shiver, wishing I had grabbed my coat.

I will, in frantic motion, rush right back

To that safe seat I occupied before.

Now let me be reminded from this scene

How You my Shelter–warm–have always been.

To the Lamb who I worship, One part of the Three,

I ask Him to supply a heart from which I can see,

Always, truth He’s said

And two things that are red:

The blood I have spilt–even figuratively–

And His justifying, precious blood poured out for me.

Lord, is it silly to ask You

What is best,

When the answer is always You

And also always what You do?

Well, anyway, thanks for letting me ask.

And thanks for showing me enough.

And thanks for loving me

When I get bogged down and confused.

Storms rolled in today, O Lord of the waves;

Even though I know You saw, I find I need to pray,

“Replace all the chaos in my mind, in my heart.

Envelop my frustration in the blessed calm You are.”

Now, no matter what I feel, let me somehow know:

In the peace, after the thunder, You inhabit this glow.

There’ll come a moment when my mind will meet You here.

You’ll lift my burdens, help me relax without these cares.

The Lord looks down from places high,

So lofty, so unreachable

And lifts the lowly, freed from pride

To heights so unattainable.

Yes, He alone can do this feat

So gracious, so unthinkable

And lead us to His mercy seat

So blood-tinged, so unchangeable.

When things of life would lay me low,

Help me, then, not begrudge my pride’s melting.