Tag: psalm

Sunday Psalm: take me away

Karla Lees

God,
I run
with all i am
for the shelter of Your arms,
to the secret place.
Take me away
from the whirl
of busyness,
the bustle
of work,
the chaos
of noise
as I find myself
in the wide open space
where You are waiting for me.
As we sit
by the waters
You calm my core,
quiet my mind,
restore my spirit.
In Your Presence
I am made anew,
as only You can do.
My I always
run to You
first & foremost,
to the Love
that bought me,
the Hands
which gently
but firmly hold me,
the One
who never stops pursuing me
and is always
both with & waiting for me.

#SundayPsalm

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Sunday Psalm: let it be Jesus

Karla Lees

Jesus,
no other name
is worthy
of being lifted high.

Just speaking Your name
stirs me within as
You bring me back to life.

The chains are broken
and fall away
as I draw closer to You.

Jesus
Messiah
Name above all names
Be lifted up
High above the heavens

Worthy
You are worthy
of all my praise,
adoration,
thanksgiving
and offerings.

Let it be Jesus
the name I shout
when surrounded by the storm
Let it be Jesus
the name I cry
when pain overwhelms
Let it be Jesus
only Jesus
i run to
for the rest of my life.

#SundayPsalm

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Sunday Psalm: Pray Sing a New Psalm

Karla Lees

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray.
Is anyone cheerful?
Let him sing psalms.
James 5:13

Lord, I am weary
of my sore muscles,
rattled head,
sensitive hearing,
restless sleep.
I invite You
to show Yourself strong
once again
and move in, through & with me
today.
May Your Presence
be tangible & evident
as I seek You.

The peace
You send
once I humble myself
in prayer
has my spirit leaping
within me,
longing to bust out in
loud, exuberant praise!

You never fail.
You will be with me,
I may stumble
but will not be shaken
when You are my Rock.
Your stronghold of refuge
is always open
to Your beloved,
to me!
Just the thought
that You are for me
brightens my eyes,
brings a glow to my reflection
and warmth to my heart.

Just as the birds joyously
begin their day
with birdsong,
may Your people
start their day with God song,
proclaiming Your praise
all the day long!

Your More-than-Enough
will always be enough for me!

#SundayPsalm
#singanewpsalm

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Sunday Psalm: Wherever I Go

Karla Lees

Everywhere I go
I know
You’re not far away
You’re right here,
You’re right here

-Jeremy Camp

I have wasted
so much time
so much effort
trying to hide
to run away from You
in my shame,
to try and cover up
how undone i really am.

It didn’t matter how far I ran
You were there along side me,
offering me quenching water
as I ran the race
which i secretly wanted
to lead me to You
despite my taking off
in the wrong direction.
I missed the subtle detours
You placed along the path
I ran until
I saw You waiting at the
finish line
as You waited
to congratulate me
for making it back
home to You.

It didn’t matter how deep I dove
to try and cover myself
in the very mud of the pit
You had rescued me from
when You found me,
You continued to serenade
Your love song
of longing and freedom
until I couldn’t take the stench
of the pit any longer,
and reached up to take the
outstretched arms
which had been waiting
all along.

It didn’t matter how high I tried to climb on my own,
the landslide of my pride
once broken
slid me straight
into Your embrace.

Everywhere I go,
You are.

When I take my eyes off
the passionate love that glows
for me
in Your eyes,
and tune out
the devotion, freedom and truth
You speak over me
I falter
and lose my way.

Yet everywhere I find myself,
You are waiting for me there.

You will never let go
of Your bride,
for You are the One
who paid such
a costly dowry
to purchase me,
such is Your great love
for me.

My heart pounds,
my spirit leaps in response:

I surrender God.
I embrace You,
and want to join You
everywhere
You are.
Instead of making
You chase after me,
I chose to chase after You
today.

May this be my prayer
all of my days.

#SundayPsalm
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Sunday Psalm: Welcome Hearts

Karla Lees

Lord my God,
I offer myself up
to You today,
a living sacrifice.
Far from perfect
yet made whole
through Your perfect plan,
in and through and by Jesus.

I make You welcome
in this sanctuary,
in this place You chose
for Your dwelling place,
ME!

I know You have plans
for a complete renovation
for my rest and restoration
to make me ready
for eternity in Your house.

Although my flesh may fight it
and my mind try to talk me out of it
I welcome You
in all the fullness
You want to bring into me.

My heart,
my hands,
my life,
my dreams,
my hopes,
my resources,
all I am
and all I have
are Yours.

#SundayPsalm

Do Your work in welcome hearts

.
Psalm 36:10b

Sunday Psalm: Pour out My Praise

Karla Lees

how You poured
Your very self out
for us,
for me God
You poured Your life out
on the cross
in a lavish gushing eternal
love declaration for
Your people
Jesus lifted up
for all to see
One and forever
Freedom burst forth
open for all
to receive

How can I not erupt
with Your praise?
You
so holy
so awesome
all mighty
all power
all goodness
all truth
so kind
so merciful
so graceful
in Your care
for Your people,
for me.

I pour out
my heart
full of praise
to You again today

May my heart cry
ever stream
from the overflow
of appreciation
for who You are,
what You’ve done
and because if
the lynchpin
of our love story.

#SundayPsalm

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Sunday Psalm: Your Love, O Lord

Karla Lees

Your love oh Lord
reaches to the heavens,
Your faithfulness
to the skies.

–Third Day

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Your love God
is breathtaking.
Out of Your love
the world was created,
to serve as ground
for the love-images
You planned to live there.

With exquisite artistry
each of us was lovingly
hand crafted
in Your image,
flesh upon bone
encompassing the spirit spark
within us all.

Not content with just making us,
You desired relationship with us.
To walk with us,
commune with us,
allowing us
to glimpse Your heart
as You well knew ours
from the start.

When we turned away,
the Love You have for us
swelled to greater heights
as You tried to woo us back
with Your words,
breaking us out of the
prisons of our own makings.

When we failed to respond
to Your words of love,
You sprang into action,
revealing Your heart,
for us from the start,
and Word became flesh
as Your heart walked amongst us.

And because that amazing fact
still wasn’t enough,
You lavishly poured Your heart
and Your very life
on the cross
in one time altering moment
of history & eternity colliding
to show Your love
for us all,
for me.

Your love Lord,
reached out across
heaven & earth
and moved
right into my heart.

I will never stop singing
of this Love that came down
& rescued me.
This Love which never fails,
never gives up,
and never runs out,
ever.

#TheUltimateGiftofLove
#SundayPsalm

Sunday Psalm: Sing a New Psalm

Karla Lees

For the past 112 of 114 days I have been have a quiet time reading a psalm a day. I have discovered three main things along the journey:

1. God is found in all situations, from each breath we take every day to the running of nations. He reigns over all. He is righteous, living, majestic, creative and fascinatingly amazing to see through the psalmist’s words.

2. We can pour out anything we are feeling before God. Our hopes, dreams, hurts, anger, joys, failures, and everything in between that a person could want, need or desire.

3. God included people with all our quirks and frailties not only as part of His story, but used us to tell the story of how He interacts with us.

The Psalms is part of a collection that was recorded over centuries as a series of snap shots of God and His people.Selfies, as you will, that we took with God in each picture. And God initiated in each writer what He wanted them to write.

Fast forward to 2015.

Those of us who follow God, still feel that deep longing to create, to express how amazing He is. How much He loves us. How He has created all things. How He draws close to those of us He calls His own, and longs for those who haven’t yet come home.

And this love wants to be heard.
Through all of our gifts and talents.

As a result, I decided to write my own psalm every Sunday.
Starting today!
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Sing a New Psalm

Morning crashed through the clouds above; announcing the new dawn.
The birds chirping welcome as they flit between branch to nest in the strong oak trees where they make their home.
The fresh aroma of spices & tea rising beside the bread coming out of the oven.
I head into the quiet place
to meet with You, Lord.
Thankful for the glimpses
of Your touch in nature
visible outside my window.
Grateful for the roof over my head,
the food in my belly,
the laughter of my family.
Thankful for the grace
I sense all around me.
Evidence of Your handiwork
in my heart, mind, spirit & soul.
You wrap loving arms around me
when I feel low,
lift my head to capture my gaze
to remind me who I am to You.
Adored, Your precious purchase.
Beloved, daughter of the King.
Chosen, handiwork extraordinaire.
Daughter, in whom You delight.
Everything I have,
I owe to
Your hands.
All of that would be enough,
but You still offer more!
God with me,
You walk beside me.
You wrap Your arms around me,
drawing me close into Your embrace.
You are my refuge when the storms come.
Your Presence fills me with joy whenever I approach.
Always welcome,
always wanted.
My heart burst to share the good news- we never ever
have to be, or feel, alone.
Its is time to raise my voice
and sing this new psalm of praise
to You tonight.

how great is Your love?

Karla Lees

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How great
is Your love
for me, Lord?

If I went
to the unknown depths
of the ocean bottom,
I’d find You there.

If I flew my way
across the universe,
You would welcome me
everywhere I went.

If I hid
under the covers,
in the crowd
or with an alias,
You’d still find me,
because You
never leave me.

If I were on a boat
in the middle of the ocean,
Your love would still
flow my way.

If I were spelunking,
in the darkest of caves,
Your love
would be there
to guide
me home.

I could be standing
in a desert island,
not another living creature
in sight for miles or days,
and the clouds above
would still capture
my attention,
reminding me
the Creator
is always showing
me & His creation
signs of His love…
in the clouds,
in the quiet whispers,
in a baby’s first cry,
in a glistening rainbow,
in a warm embrace,
in a kindness shown,
in an extravagant sunrise or sunset,
in extended grace
displayed on the cross.

Your love, Oh Lord,
reaches to the heavens,
Your faithfulness
stretches to the skies.
Forever & ever
Your love endures.

I find my hope
in Your Presence,
in You alone, God.