Faith – Woodsmoke and Cardamom

Lord, Walk With Me

by Lucy M. Young

Lord, walk with me throughout each day
And hold my trembling hand;
Guide every faltering footstep,Lord,
Please help me understand
Why pain and weakness haunt my days,
And what I'm doing wrong.
Grant courage, strength, humility
And fill my heart with song.

Lord, walk with me and be my crutch,
My strength and constant guide;
Forgive me, Lord, and hold me close.
Let faith and hope abide
Forever in my heart of hearts.
Cast out all fear and woe,
Hold fast my heart my mind and soul,
And never let them go.

Snowdrops

by Lucy M. Young

There is a corner in my garden, overgrown by grass and weeds,
Where the snowdrops grow;
Sheltered from the harshest winds and deepest snows of winter
By the sturdy trunk and spreading branches of the weeping willow tree,
Intrepidly enduring February's bitter cold.

Each year I look for them,
And wonder if they'll make it through the ice and snow,
The frozen earth and tangled undergrowth;
But each year they appear, more plentiful than ever,
Waiting patiently beneath the snow
To bravely lift their pure white, fragrant blossoms
To the winter sun.

Dear Lord, may I be like the snowdrops -
Undaunted by the storms of life,
The stress and strain and pain of daily living.
Let me lift my face each day to the sunshine of Your love;
And, like the snowdrops, smile and dance
To the eternal music of the stars.

Sometimes I Get Discouraged

by Lucy M. Young

Sometimes I get discouraged
With pain day after day,
With tiredness and weakness
That will not go away.

Forgive me for succumbing
To hopelessness, despair;
And help me do what must be done,
Grant strength my pain to bear.

I pray that it may be Your will
That pain depart from me;
But if this be my lot in life,
Then, Lord, please walk with me.

If I could feel my suffering
Could somehow ease Your pain
Inflicted on the cruel cross,
'Twould not seem so in vain.

So Lord, help me to bear it
Ignore it and go on;
Believing that the day will come
When pain will all be gone.

Just hold my hand when I'm afraid,
Uplift me when I'm low;
Make strong my faith, wipe out despair,
And keep my heart aglow

With love and gratitude for You
And all You've done for me -
For granting me the ability
To feel and hear and see.

Just for You

Just for you, my friend, the sun is shining;
Just for you no clouds are in the sky.
The springtime flowers bloom in all their glory;
Just for you the birds are flying high.

Just for you my prayers rise to the Father
For quick recovery from your long travail;
For peace of mind and happiness and confidence
That pain and sadness cannot long prevail.

Just for you the birds are singing sweetly;
Their happy songs, 'though old seem ever new;
They sing of hope and love, of faith and gladness,
And lift their hearts in glad song just for you.

Grant Me Serenity

by Lucy M. Young

Dear Lord, grant me serenity,
That I may gracefully accept
Whatever comes my way that can't be altered.
If my body must be crippled,
Let not my mind and heart and soul be crippled also.
Grant me the strength
To rise above my physical affliction,
And be content with what I can accomplish
In spite of it.

Lord, grant me courage
To change my way of life to fit the limits
Placed upon me by my handicap;
To smile in spite of pain;
To laugh at difficulties, disappointments,
And find the strength to do my daily tasks.

But if it be Thy will, dear Lord,
I pray that Thou wilt heal my leg;
That pain may disappear,
And I may walk and work and live in comfort;
However, Lord, Thy will not mine be done.
Whatever be the outcome of this day, I will accept it;
And with Thy help,
I'll strive each day to live a useful, joyous life;
And make my home a pleasant, tranquil place,
That all who come may feel refreshed,
And go their way with peaceful, happy hearts.

A Guiding Light

by Lucy M. Young

Like a beacon light in the darkest night
The word of God shines through.
It brightens our lives with its holy light,
Bringing peace and confidence, faith and hope 
To a weary struggling world.

Brick by Brick

by Lucy M. Young

One brick at a time will build the highest wall.
  One step at a time will cover many miles.
Inch by inch the spider builds her lovely web
  Surely, bit by bit, God turns our tears to smiles.

When the future looks so dark you'd like to quit
  Just turn to God and see what He can do.
Wait and trust in Him and you will find
  'Though the day be dark the sun will soon shine through.

I Asked the Lord

by Lucy M. Young

I asked the Lord to walk with me,
And everywhere He walks with me,
He guards my every step.
I asked Him then to hold me up,
Where'er I go He holds me up,
He does not let me fall.

I asked that He might give me strength
To face whatever each day brings
Of weakness, doubt or fear;
I asked for Him to be my guide
Through days of pain and sleepless nights,
He makes my way secure.

'Though there be days when things go wrong
And my burden seems too much to bear
I know He's by my side.
His love sustains me constantly,
His strength supports my faltering steps,
He is my guiding light

Wait Upon the Lord

by Lucy M. Young

Dear Father, grant me patience
 While I'm waiting to be healed
And faith to keep believing
 That to weakness I won't yield.

Grant me strength and courage
 As I cope with daily pain.
Let not my heart grow faint, dear Lord,
 And let me not complain;

For I know you're with me always,
 And when the time is right,
You'll heal me, free my pain-scarred soul
 To soar like a bird in flight.

For if I wait upon you, Lord,
 My strength shall be renewed,
I shall mount up with wings as eagles,
 All the waiting will be understood.

I shall run and not be weary;
 I shall walk and never faint;
For your goodness knows no limit.
 And your love knows no restraint.


Based on Isaiah 40:31
"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings as eagles; They shall run and not be weary; And they shall walk and not faint."

I Wonder

by Lucy M. Young

When Christ was born in Bethlehem,
Born in a bare and lowly stall,
The angels caroled joyously,
Wise men and shepherds heard their call.
I wonder, do they still?

The sky was filled with radiance,
The bright star showed the way to Him;
Glory shown around the stable,
Cattle knelt in awe of Him.
I wonder, do they still?

The night awoke to heavenly singing,
People came from near and far
With love and hope to worship Him,
Guided by the wondrous star.
I wonder, do they still?

We reverently await His coming,
Surrounded by a troubled earth;
Naught can shake our faith in Jesus,
Or the wonder of His birth.
Oh, yes, we love Him still.

No more wondering, no more doubting,
God's great love surrounds us all;
And the star will ever guide us
To that lowly Bethlehem stall.
We know He loves us still.

photo by Batang Latagaw on Unsplash