Woodsmoke and Cardamom

My Life is in Your Hands

by Lucy M. Young

My life is in Your hands, dear Lord,
Do with it what You will;
For I am only here on earth
Your purpose to fulfill.

I know not what You want from me,
What small part I must play
To make Your world a better place,
So guide me, Lord, I pray.

You know I'm weak and fearful, Lord,
Unsure of what to do;
Afraid of failure, insecure,
But truly loving You;

Sincerely wanting to serve You well,
Trusting You more each day;
I care not what You ask of me
I'll do whate'er You say.

I'll follow You where'er You lead
Throughout the livelong day,
My life is in Your loving hands
As I slowly find my way

Through snares of indecision,
And pitfalls of deceit,
Betrayal, disappointment,
From people that I meet.

My life, my heart, my mind are Yours
So guide me, Lord, I pray;
Your love and strength will hold me up
On the straight and narrow way.

A Prayer for this Day

by Lucy M. Young

Father, I thank You for this bright new day,
And for the opportunity to start anew,
My slate wiped clean of yesterday's mistakes.
I thank You for another chance to put my life in order,
And try to live according to Your plan.

Set my feet upon the path You've chosen for me.
Hold my hand, dear Lord, for I am weak
And fearful of obstructions in my way.
I need Your love and strength to hold me up
And guide my faltering footsteps.

Help me to be aware of others' pain,
To see and feel the needs of fellow travelers
Along the way;
Then show me how to comfort and uplift each one
With love, compassion, or a helping hand.

Lord, guide my every thought and deed and word
Throughout this day,
That I may never be the cause of worry or of hurt.
Strengthen me that I may serve You well and faithfully,
So that when day is done and darkness falls across the land,
I'll feel that I have done my best for You.

Lord, Calm My Troubled Spirit

by Lucy M. Young

Lord, calm my troubled spirit,
Soothe the restlessness within me,
Ease the tension in my body,
And the coldness in my soul.
My heart is filled with dread
As I face the day before me.
What's wrong with me? Why must I feel this way?
I wait impatiently for the quiet shades of evening
When I can rest, forgetting all my worries,
Then morning comes, and 'though I cling to sleep,
I must awaken
To the pressures of another empty day.

The world outside my window
Is alive with springtime magic -
The joyful songs of birds and the busy hum of bees;
A glorious display of daffodils and tulips,
And balmy breezes laden with the scent of hyacinths.
The golden glow of sunlight
Brightens every shadowed corner.
A glorious swatch of velvet blue
Is draped above the earth;
Yet sadness dims my vision
With a mist of unshed tears,
And I cannot see the beauty of the day.

Lord, shake me up,
And calm the stormy grayness of my spirit.
Dispel this cloud of gloom surrounding me.
Replace my doubt with trust
And my dread with fearless joy,
Then let me walk secure in the knowledge of Your love.

Lord, keep my spirit free,
My faltering faith replenished,
And fill my empty heart with light once more.

Help Me to Believe

by Lucy M. Young

Help me to believe, Lord,
For there are times
When hopes and dreams are crushed,
When my world, turned upside down,
Is crashing 'round my feet,
That life looks meaningless and empty.
I wonder sometimes if You're really there,
If You can hear my prayers,
Or if You even care.

Forgive me, Lord, and help me to believe.
I'm sorry for my weakness
And my lack of steadfast faith.
When You see me falter, hold me up.
I dare not look ahead.
Without Your love I'm lost, I have no hope.
Forgive me, Lord, and help me to believe.

Sunday Morning at Home

I cannot go to church this Sunday morning
And sadness fills my heart.
Dear Lord, forgive me this self-pity;
Take it away, destroy it,
And fill me with joy and peace
Of knowing You are with me
Despite the fact I cannot meditate 
In your friendly little church;
Listening to Your word,
Sensing Your presence near me,
Calming my anxiety and uncertainty
While I attempt to solve my daily problems.
Dear Lord, forgive my weakness and despair
As I stumble through the cold and lonely darkness
Where I cannot feel Your presence.
Walk with me, dear Lord, and let me lean
Upon Your everlasting love.
Fill me with Your light and let me know
That You are with me even though I must remain at home
While others worship in Your sanctuary.

Don’t Grieve for Me

by Lucy M. Young

photo by Imansyah Muhamad Putera on Unsplash

If I should die tonight don't grieve for me;
Just thank the Lord I'm finally at peace,
Free of pain and sadness,
My heart no longer seeking lasting happiness.

I have enjoyed my life as best I could
In spite of daily put-downs and complaints
About my failure to fulfill my duties
Satisfactorily.

I've tried so hard to please,
To be and do what was expected of me.
Perhaps I've tried too hard to fit myself into the mold
Of what I ought to be,
Ignoring what I am.

But I have failed to fit that ideal image
For I am all too human.
Life passed me by while I was trying to conform,
So now I feel that death can't be more disappointing
Than my wasted life has been.

Now once again I say
Don't grieve for me.
Rejoice that I may rest in peace at last.

Dear Lord, Forgive Me

by Lucy M. Young

For all the bad mistakes I've made,
For all the thoughtless words I've said,
For all the selfish prayers I've prayed,
Dear Lord, forgive me.

For taking Your precious name in vain,
For failing to see another's pain,
For working selfishly for gain,
Dear Lord, forgive me.

For questioning Your perfect will, 
For arguing when I should be still,
For failing some heart with joy to fill,
Dear Lord, forgive me.

For all my errant, sinful ways,
For wasted hours and empty days,
For angry thoughts and vengeful ways,
Dear Lord, forgive me.

For sins of which I'm unaware,
For pain I've caused someone to bear,
For ignorance, negligence, lack of care,
Dear Lord, forgive me.

Lord, Lift Me Up

by Lucy M. Young

Lord, lift me up.
Help me achieve a feeling of self-worth.
I must be good for something
For Your love put me here on earth
For some good reason known to You alone;
But being constantly put down and criticized
Has made me feel so worthless.

It seems I can do nothing right,
But, Lord, You know I've tried.
Deep down inside,
I know You care for me;
I never could have lived
Through all these years of nagging and complaints
If You did not.

Lord, lift me up.
Help me to feel my life is not in vain;
Grant me the courage 
To ignore the taunts and criticisms,
The groundless accusations.
Help me to know what's right for me to do,
Then grant me strength to do it.

I am so weak and cowardly;
I fear displeasure, hatred, anger.
Help me to rise above these things
And be what You would have me be.
Forgive my weakness, my despair,
And lead me toward the life You've planned for me.

With Your help and guidance, Lord,
I'll do my utmost to fulfill my destiny,
Whatever it may be.

Lord, Help Me to Forget Myself

by Lucy M. Young

Lord, help me to forget myself completely;
Forget the disappointment
Of learning my abilities are so inadequate.
Give me the strength
To overcome the fear of failure.
Help me break the chains of doubt
That keep me from fulfilling my desire to serve.
I am so weak,
faint-hearted and afraid;
Help me to rise above these things
That hold me back.

Oh, how I wish that I might have
Some great and glorious talent I could share
To make the world a better place to live;
But I am just an ordinary person
With only love to give,
So help me, Lord, to find what I can do
To bring the knowledge of Your love
To all who are discouraged, sad or lonely.
Forgetting myself completely,
May I bring cheer and comfort
To this little corner where I live.

A Good Example

by Lucy M. Young

Lord, help me live according to Your plan.
Teach me to love my neighbor as myself.
Help me to judge not, lest I, too, be judged;
And give me strength to turn the other cheek.

Help me forget about tomorrow's woe,
Remembering only what today may bring;
And if perchance some sorrow may befall,
Help me to hide it well behind a smile.

When trouble comes may I remain serene,
And, trusting in Your power to cure all ills,
Walk calmly through the day with perfect faith
That all things sent by You are right and good.

Lord, help me to be to all a good example
Of what Your perfect love may do for them;
And let Your light so shine through me that others
May follow You with faith and joy and love.