(Song: prayer for healing.)

Open the windows of heaven,
Send healing Lord.
Fulfill your promises given,
With healing Lord.

God is my life;
He is my health.

God is my strength,
Salvation, and wealth;
I put my trust in him.

Oh, rain ‘pon us.
Rain ‘pon us. Rain ‘pon us!
Send healing Lord.

(Psalm of Devotion: a commitment to praise.)

My soul, abandon your cares.
Shake off your weariness
And cast aside your infirmity.
Arise and praise the Lord.

With the lavishing of affections,
Set your heart upon him
Whose heart is unto you.
And let your love be to him
With eyes for him only.

Like waters rushing over a divide,
And like the fountain of water
That constantly springs forth—
So let your praises pour,
Oh my soul.

(Psalm of Appreciation: remembering
and acknowledging God's faithfulness.)

There is no limit to God's favor
And the riches of his blessings;
His kindness cannot be measured.

'Pon awakening each day,
I can breathe, see and hear.
Morning, noon and night,
I call upon my God who hears
And answers my prayers.

Lord, how can I forget your kindness?
As long as life remains,
I will remember your favor.
Even if life forsakes me,
You will never.
Your mercy is great toward me.

Surely, as there are stars in the sky,
And as the moon shines—
As long as you are God,
I will remember.

(A Ballad: song of exhortation
and spiritual commitment.)

Sing of God's wondrous salvation,
Declare his mighty hand.
Tell of his infinite love,
Walk in his sovereign plan.

Sing to him in the morning,
Meditate through the night.
Herald his marvelous grace,
Live in his glorious light.

(A Thankful Psalm: universal approach
to giving thanks.)

Thank you, Lord, for all things
Created by your powerful hands:
The earth rotating on its axis—
Giving us days.
The moon that circuits the earth—
Allowing us months.
And the earth circuiting the sun—
Giving us years.

Thank you for the expansive galaxies.
And the abundantly diverse creatures,
Among whom are the jaguar,
Peacock and conch—all called by name.

You have created mankind in your image
With the ability to reason and understand.

Thank you for producing such a vast
And awesome creation,
With compelling observations—
All worthy of notation.

To the divinely deserving One
By whom we are wondrously made.
And to whom we offer gratitude
With sincere accolades.

(Psalm of Hope Midst a Cry of Grievance.)

O Lord, my God, where are you?
My troubles are grievous and sore;
I need you now—right now.
Why are you so far away?
When shall I savor the feat?

My soul, why be anxious?
Rest in the Lord.
I know him—he is near.
The Lord will deliver.

He will bless and set me
In a sure place.
And I will serve him
All the days of my life.
For He only is my God.

(A Psalm of Adoration.)

I adore your majesty, Lord,
And exalt the highness
Of your regal throne—
Covered with splendor
And might.

To your comparison—
All earthly desires pale.
Your glory shines perfectly,
Even in the darkest night.
Excellent is your light.

Eternity is your dwelling.
Your omnipotence precedes time,
And your truth is sublime.
I adore you, Oh Lord, my God.

(A Psalm of Supplication: prayer of the afflicted.)

Lord, my soul tearfully quivers
With the deepest of emotions.
My broken, languishing voice soars
With a cry that is destined
For your throne.
I moan in your presence,
And groan for anguish of soul.
Silently, my tears fall—
Pooling at your royal feet.
Your presence comforts me.

You are the pillar of truth,
Upholding me
In the darkest hour.
I will remember
Your faithful covenant,
For your word sustains me.

Show me the way.
Guide my feet,
And make my path plain.

(Prayer-Psalm: for preservation.)

Lord forgive my sins—
In word, thought and deed.
Forever preserve me
In your righteousness.
Uphold me in integrity
That I might worship
With a clean heart,
Lifting my hands to you.
My sole desire is to be true;
Oh, never let me fail.

Come what may.
God will keep me
In his righteousness,
Ever preceding
To guide the way.
And in his kindness
And goodwill,
He won’t let me stray.

(A Psalm of Trust: God is able.)

Is there anything too hard for you, O God,
The worker of miracles and wonders?
You are the architect of life.
You’ve produced the sun, moon and stars.
And have authored all of the planets.

You, who are the inventor of light,
Have created more than a billion galaxies.
You produce all that is good.

Oh Lord, you are the epitome of power
And the essence of true greatness.
There is nothing too hard for you.

My soul shall freely sing
And worship the Lord forever.

(Prayer-Psalm: grievance too painful to utter.)

I implore you, Lord,
Daily placing my petitions
At your feet.
Hear my cry
And answer my prayers,
For I am torn and speechless.
You know my troubled heart.
Only you can interpret my tears,
Which tell the story,
As one by one they gently fall
Against the tenderness
Of my cheeks
And drop to solemnly rest
At Your beautiful feet—
Speaking volumes that only you
Can understand.
My heart safely rests in You.

(Psalm of Deliverance: God saves His people.)

God worked wonders
For his people
When he delivered them
From Egyptian *******.
Thus the story is told:
A destitute nation
In a land that was strange—
With feet shackled
And hands chained—
Was ruled by Pharaoh
An oppressive king,
From whose hands
No freedom rang.
They cried in affliction
With wailing aggression,
And God delivered
From hell's oppression.

'Twas a mighty deliverance,
So the story goes.
He showed his strength
That men of sod
Might know the power
Of an awesome God.

(A Prayer-Psalm.)

Lord God, the ruler
Of night and day,
You are the God of my sleep
As well as every wakeful hour.
Make my sleep sweet
And my rest complete.
Every vigilant moment,
Guide my feet
That from Your Word
I’ll never stray,
But will seek your path
And follow your way.

(Ballad: a suppliant's song.)

Lord God of heaven and earth,
Consider my affliction
And deliver my soul.
Oh, God of heaven and earth,
Hear me when I call
Unto you Lord.

I will call upon the Lord
In the morning.
I will call upon the Lord
At noon.
I will call upon the Lord
In the evening.
For he will hear me when I call.

(A Meditative Psalm: trusting in God.)

My every thought of you
Is comforting in trials.
In you, I rest peacefully
In life’s bleakest hours.
My faith looks up,
I will trust and not fear.
Though the day is uncertain,
You will always be there.
The strength of your love
Will see me through.
Oh, God of all mercies,
My refuge is you.

(Song of Exaltation: doxological hymn.)

Give me the strength
To praise you Lord,
The breath to laud Your name.
You alone are glorious;
You deserve the fame.
May your kingdom ever stand
And your praises ring.
Live forever—true and grand—
Great and mighty King.

(Psalm of Exhortation: worship God.)

Let mankind worship him—
Redeemed by his plan.
Let the angels worship—
Created at his command.

All birds, and beasts,
And creeping things—
Let them bow before the King.
For God, supreme, made everything:

The lamb and lion,
And fowl’s wings.
The oxen, cattle, bear and kid—
All things wonderful he did.

Let all who live and breathe—sing!
Oh glorify the sovereign King.

(Psalm of God's Majestic Power.)

He spoke a word
And there was light.
He made a law
To divide the night.
He formed man
Who lifelessly lay—
And gave him life
At dawn of day.
His testimonies
Of power and might
Are miraculous
And upright:
Bread from heaven,
Parting the sea,
And raising the dead.
Almighty is he.

He attends the needy,
Helps the oppressed,
And delivers those
Who are distressed.
His awesome miracles
Are great in number
That all should fear
And remember
The omnipotent
Power of God.

Tiny little inchworm
Moving right along.
But then came a bird
To rob him of his song.

A Christmas gift of
Decades has, many a night,
Kept me warm… cushioned
My arm rest… formed a pillow.
My security blanket.

In every river
There’s a sea.
In every acorn,
There’s a tree
And in every boy,
There’s a man.

Life is
As the sea with
Events, and matters, and
Times and circumstances that come
In waves...

Unless
We be flooded.
Overwhelmed by all that
Is heaped ‘pon us. And crushed by the
Vast tides.

He lets
Them come in waves
That we should not be swept
Into oblivion. What great
Mercy.

Early
Morn. Red sunrays
Hug the bare tree trunks in
A mid-winter scene. Thirty-six
Degrees.

At the nursing home
I visited my friend
Whom I hadn’t seen
In a long time.

Her life had ebbed,
And her health was in steady decline
As she struggled with
The dreaded Alzheimer’s.

While she slept soundly,
The squirrels played cheerfully
On the jolly ‘ol tree
Just outside her bedroom window.

I’ve seen
Time fly as if
A bird with wings.  Seldom
Does it perch anymore, like it
Once did.

Facing
Life's worries and
Fears—conquering them for
The day. Tomorrow will care for
Itself.

Often,
Life is like a
Falling object.  But He
Caches us just in time--that we
Are safe.

Faith is
A sure umbrella
Protecting from the storm
And rain of a fickle existence.

Many a coin laid at the bottom–
Resting pon the fountain’s floor.
Large, small.  Bronze, silver,
I couldn’t tell, but there were more.
Gazing down into the water,
A longing face stared back at me.
I made a wish right from the heart.
Please, dear Lord, now, let it be.
I cast my coin into the fountain,
’ Mongst all the other wishes there.
It slowly settled pon the floor,
Quiet and still, within its sphere.

Losing Granny
Was the end of an era
In my life.
But it's been
Many a year now,
With lots of
Fond memories
To help bridge the gap.
Remembering her love,
Strength, patience
And courage,
Helps me to go on.
What a joy it is
To think of her.

Friends and
Friendship. Sometimes,
They are diamonds in the
Rough. And, simply, sometimes they are
Diamonds.

Any
Thing else lost is
A hindrance. But lose the
Mind, and it stops one in his tracks.
Mem’ry.

Winter.
Thirty degrees.
Inside peering out. ‘Tis
Cold. But warm inside. Thanks for
Shelter.

Truth is
A torchbearer.
It is eyes for the soul
And a true guide for the conscience.
Truth speaks.

Conscience
Guides, teaching the
Heart right from wrong. If defiled,
The conscience malfunctions. So, keep
It good.

(9/16 Revised)

Endless
Vault of steel blue.
Clouds of gray hang low. Grave
Look. No smiling sun to brighten
The day.

Some things
We’re bound to know
Experientially,
Tho’ good, bad, happy or sad it
Might be.

(A Psalm of Worship.)

My heart is prepared
To worship God:
I will kiss the Lord
And sing unto him.

I will speak of his goodness
From dawn to twilight
And follow his excellent way.
I will meditate
Throughout the night
And seek him at midday.
My longing heart shall,
Reverently and humbly,
Bask in his presence.
Upon my Lord,
I will pour praise.

(Psalm of Deliverance (September 8,1987) .
*One of four pioneering psalms,
Depicting a soul-cry from despair.)

I cried to the Almighty,
The Creator of my life.
My heart was overwhelmed;
It seemed there was no help.

My soul was daily stirred
With tears of constant flow.
I wept. And I wept.
Only to weep more.

My frail, quivering voice
Tunneled through the air—
Crying for deliverance
From the pit of despair.

Haply, God would hear me
Deeply pining there
In such pain and anguish,
More than I could to bear.

For my tears broke his heart
As my cry reached his ears.
And he, in tender mercy,
Considered all my fears.

And moved with compassion,
He sent help from above.
He’s the rock of my salvation
And the banner of my love.

(Psalm of Exaltation.)

The heavens whisper his name
With each twinkle of the stars.
The clouds dance before him,
Dropping dew of blessings.
The snow exalts his purity
In its whitest form.
Trees bow as the winds dance
To His Excellency.

The voice of the waters roars from the sea,
Proudly proclaiming his majesty
As men and angels bow their knees
To worship the Lord most high.

(Prayer-Psalm. A solemn plea for mercy and
guidance in the aftermath of September 11.)

Darkness like we’ve never known
Has befallen our nation.
Terror strikes by day,
Fear stalks by night and sadness looms.
But in the darkness, there is a light.

God, our refuge in these troubled times,
Through uncertainty—ever shine.
Oh, may your mercy never cease
To guide us in the way of peace.

(A Psalm for Meditation:
God's greatness, man's weakness.)

Oh Lord, how great you are;
My heart melts in your presence.
You are the Creator,
And I am the created.
For you are divine,
And I am dust.
You are Master,
I am servant.

You are infallible,
I am faulty.
You are infinite wisdom,
And I am of limited knowledge.
You are eternal,
My days are numbered.
These fundamental truths
Are self-evidence
Of your divine supremacy.

(A Song of Deliverance (September 8, 1987),
*One of four pioneering psalms.)

When darkness was about me,
I could not see the way.
Fear and doubt attacked my faith,
Causing me to sway.

I found no words of comfort,
Then God spoke to my heart.
The power of his Spirit
Made discouragement depart.

When pain was hard upon me
And too much for me to bear,
His tender touch healed me.
His whispers calmed my fear.

From the breath of the wind,
His words eased my soul.
The light of his salvation
Is my eternal goal.

Then dawned the morning,
Weeping ceased at night.
He made the sun to shine
With his glorious light.

(A Psalm of Praise.)

I praise you now,
O God of light.
The ruler of darkness
And of night
Who treads the vast
And raging sea.
For where you are,
Night cannot be.

(A Psalm of Supplication: the cry of
grievance in affliction.)

Life's painful impositions,
I will cast upon the Lord.
He faithfully will bear them all.
At night I toss. At dawn I weep
With no desire for food,
Or sleep.

O restless soul.
God's weary sheep—
Do not fret nor stray.
In his own time,
The Lord shall
Bear your cares away.
He’ll give a song
To soothe your heart
And turn your night
To day.

(A Psalm of Trust: prayer of the afflicted.)

Leave me not to walk alone
Thro’ barren land and wilderness,
Where the lurking of the foe
Is ominous.

Day by day, my feet would tremble,
My heart would faint,
And my faith would fail—
If it were not for you.

Oh, see me through the storm;
In You, my anchor firmly holds.
Great is your strength,
And marvelous is your love.
I shall gladly trust in you.

(A Prayer of Penitence.)

Lord, forgive my sins;
Do not remember them
Nor hold them against me.
Grant peace and abundance
With an endless supply
Of your Holy Spirit.

Protect from every evil
And strife.
Restore my joy
And renew my faith
That, in you, I might triumph.

O Lord God, most high—
Each day, I will trust in you
With hope and an undying love.

(Psalm of Exhortation to Praise God.)

Let every glad heart
Sing unto the Lord.
Rejoice in his goodness,
And worship at his feet.
Extol him! Extol him!
Exalt his mighty throne.
The Lord is above all,
And he is God alone.

The deep—even the deep—
Is subject to him.
He rules the meek and proud.
Let the ocean roar
With thunderous praise,
And the cosmos shout aloud.

O earth, extol him!
Exalt his mighty throne.
The Lord is high and lifted up;
For he is God alone.

(Nostalgic Psalm: a quest for rest.)

O that I had the wings of a dove,
My soul would fly to be at rest
As the eagle flies above the earth,
And the sparrow embraces her nest.

I would soar above my troubles,
Fill my heart with a song
And be safe from war against me.
How long? O Lord, how long?

I watch as an owl in the night,
And like the dove—I mourn.
When will the darkness be light
And the night be gone?

But like the sparrow that finds a home
And the swallow—a cozy nest,
I will dwell at the altar of God
And abide in his perfect rest.

(Psalm for Meditation.)

There is a familiar place
In the stillness,
To which I am drawn
In mind and spirit—
Wooed by your manifold goodness
And abiding love.
Day and night, I think of you
With countless lovely thoughts:
Pure, pleasant, sweet,
Lofty and refreshing—
Full of hope and desire.
You are larger than my dreams,
Infinity is your dwelling.
I am rapt in your love,
And to you I bare my soul.

You are the well of living water,
The light that illumines my way,
The star in my, otherwise, darkened sky
And the sun I long for each day.
You are my strength and protection,
And the object of my meditation,
O God, my eternal hope and joy.