From The Eternal Goodness

 

I know not what the future hath
Of marvel or surprise,
Assured alone that life and death,
God's mercy underlies:

 

And so beside the Silent Sea
I wait the muffled oar;
No harm from Him can come to me
On ocean or on shore.

 

I know not where His island lift
Their fronded palms in air;
I only know I cannot drift
Beyond His love and care.

 

~ John Greenleaf Whittier

Trust Him

 

Trust Him when dark clouds assail thee

Trust Him when thy srength is small,

Trust Him when to simply trust Him

Seems the hardest thing of all.

 

Trust Him, He is ever faithful;

Trust Him, for His will is best;

Trust Him, for the Heart of Jesus

Is the only place of rest.

 

Trust Him, then, through doubts and sunshine

All thy cares upon Him cast,

Till the storm o flife is over

And the trusting days are past.

Trust

 

Sure, it takes a lot of courage

To put things in God's hands,

To give ourselves completely,

Our lives, our hopes, our plans;

 

To follow where He leads us

And make His will our own,

But all it takes is foolishness

To go the way alone.

 

~ Betsy Kline

We Shall Steer Safely

 

We shall steer safely

through every storm

so long as our heart is right,

our intention fervent,

our courage steadfast,

and our trust fixed on God.

 

~ St. Francis de Sales

Walk With Me

 

Walk with me, Oh Lord I pray.

Give me strength throughoutthe day.

Take my problmes big and small,

Lift me when I tend to fall.

 

Walk with me, Oh Lord I pray.

Prompt me what to do and say.

Let me feel you always there.

Lift me when I feel despair.

 

~ Helen Parker

Keep Going

There's no skill in easy sailing

When the skies are clear and blue.

There's no joy in merely doing

Things that anyone can do.

But there's a great satisfaction,

That is mighty sweet to take

When you reach a destination

That you said you couldn't make.

The Bend In The Road

 

When we feel we have nothing left to give

And we are sure that the "song has ended" ---

When our day seems over and the shadows fall

And the darkness of night has descended,

Where can we go to find the strength

To valiantly keep on trying,

Where can we find the hand that will dry

The tears that the heart is crying ---

There’s but one place to go and that is to God

And dropping all pretense and pride,

We can pour out our problems without restraint

And gain strength with Him at our side ---

And together we stand at life’s crossroads

And view what we think is the end,

But God has a much bigger vision

And He tells us it’s only a bend ---

For the road goes on and is smoother,

And the "pause in the song" is a "rest,"

And the part that’s unsung and unfinished

Is the sweetest and richest and best ---

So rest and relax and grow stronger,

Let go and let God share your load,

Your work is not finished or ended,

You’ve just come to "a bend in the road ."

~ Helen Steiner Rice

Press Onward

 

Keep a brave spirit, and never despair;

Hope brings you messages through the keen air ---

Good is victorious --- God everywhere.

 

Grand are the battles which you have to fight,

Be not downhearted, but valiant for right;

Hope, and press forward, your face to the light.

I Will Not Quit!

 

 

I will not quit until the battle’s won;
I will not quit until I hear the words, "well done!"
Though rough be the way, and hard be the fight,
I will not quit the conflict and right!
There’s much to be gained, true choices to make.…
Lord, show me the path --- just the right one to take!

 

~ Roxie Lusk Smith

My Kingdom

 



I do not ask for any crown
But that which all may win;
Nor try to conquer any world
Except the one within.
Be Thou my guide until I find
Led by a tender hand,
The happy kingdom in myself
And dare to take command.

~ Louisa May Alcott,

1831-1888

What I Need

 

I need a strength to keep me true

And straight in everything I do;

I need a power to keep me strong

When I am tempted to do wrong;

I need a grace to keep me pure

when passion tries its deadly lure;

I need a love to keep me sweet

When hardness and mistrust meet;

I need an arm to be my stay

 When dare with trouble grows my day;

And naught in each can these afford,

But all is found in Christ my Lord.

~ Theodore Horton

Give Me The Courage

 



Give me the courage, Lord, to sail

my boat out from the shore

I'd rather know the ocean's gale

and hear the tempest's roar

Than anchor safely in some bay

because fear conquered me,

Let craft less daring inland stay...

be mine the pathless sea.

 

~ Joseph Morris

Have Courage

 

Have courage

for the great sorrows of life

and patience for the small ones.

And when you have finished

your daily task,

go to sleep in peace

God is awake.

True Happiness

 

I sought for joy in creatures,

I tried human live to win;

But these things did not satisfy

The world with all its din.

 

Till freed from worldly tumult

In a quiet room apart,

I gave my love to Jesus

And found heaven in my heart.

 

~ Sister Mary Gemma Brunke

Where There Is Love

 

Where there is love

the heart is light,
Where there is love

the day is bright,

 

Where there is love

there is a song
To help when things

are going wrong...

 

Where there is love

there is a smile
To make all things

seem more worthwhile,

 

Where there is love

there’s quiet peace,
A tranquil place

where turmoils cease...

 

Love changes darkness

into light
And makes the heart

take "wingless flight"...
 

~ Helen Steiner Rice

Desert Wasteland

A heart without love

dances without song

and burns without flame

like shimmering sand

in a desert wasteland.

 

~ Edward A. Gloeggler

God Scatters Love

 

God scatters love on every side

Freely among His children all,

And always hearts are lying open wide

Wherein some grains may fall.

 

~ James Russell Lowell

Love God

 

Love God with all your soul and strength,
With all your heart and mind;
And love your neighbor as yourself:
Be faithful, just, and kind.

Deal with another as you’d have
Another deal with you:
What you’re unwilling to receive,
Be sure you never do.

 

~ Isaac Watts

There Is A Time

 

There is a time for all things,

but one thing for all times:

Love the Lord and one another.

 

~ Edward A. Gloeggler

It Is In Loving

 

It is in loving,

not in being loved

The heart finds its quest;

It is in giving

not in getting

Our lives are blest.  

We Always Hope

 

We always hope; and

in all things it is

better to hope

than to despair.

When we return to

real trust in God,

there will no

longer be room

in our soul for

fear.

 

~ Goethe

O Lord, Our God

 

O Lord, our God, under the

shadow of Thy wings let us

hope. Thou wilt support us, both when

little, and even to gray hairs. When

our strength is of Thee, it is strength;

but, when our own, it is feebleness.

 

We return unto Thee. O Lord, that

from their weariness our souls may rise

towards Thee; for with Thee is refresh-

ment and true strength. Amen.

 

~ St. Augustine 

God, Grant Me...

 

Courage and Hope

for every day,

Faith to guide me

along my way,

Understanding

and Wisdom, too,

And Grace to Accept

what life gives me to do.

 

~ Helen Steiner Rice

My Resolution

 

I won't look back;

God knows the fruitless efforts,

The wasted hours, the and the sinning, the regrets;

I'll leave them all with Him who blots the record,

And mercifully forgives and then forgets.
 

I won't look forward;

God sees all the future,

The road that, short or long, will lead me home,

And He will face me with every trial,

And bear with me the burdens that may come.

But I'll look up ---

into the face of Jesus,

For there my heart can rest, my fears are stilled;

And there is joy and love, light for darkness,

And perfect peace, and every hope fulfilled.

Hope Perches In The Soul

 

Hope

...perches in the soul,

And sings...

And never stops at all.

 

~ Emily Dickinson

Mystery Of Christ

The mystery of Christ is not to be solved

by lore of science, logic or reason,

or occult magic of the natural mind;

it is to be lived through the mind of spirit

by faith and grace, in peace and joy,

with good will and works for love of God and man.
 

~ Edward A. Gloeggler

Live In Faith

 

"Live in faith, knowing that far more

rewarding and longer enduring

than monuments, fame, or fortune,

are the acts of love, kindness, and

consideration The Almighty

privileges each of us to perform

every day of our lives."
 

~ Robert E.B. Fielder

Anchors

 

When sailing through the storms of doubt,

Discouragement, or pain,

I shall not fear the lashing wind,

Nor fury of the rain.

Three anchors hold my little craft;

I tested them with care;

There's one of faith, and one of hope,

And one of daily prayer.

With these to hold my ship secure,

What danger can betide,

I know that I shall reach at last

A harbor safe and wide.

 

~ Bess Samuel Ayres

In God We Are Secure

 

Faith

makes it wholly possible

to quietly endure

The violent world around us

for in God we are secure

 

~ Helen Stenier Rice

My Prayer

 

Oh! my Heavenly Father,

I come with humble prayer,

Not to beg for miracles ---

Just strength to not despair.

 

If I fail to see Your wisdom ---

Give me faith to never doubt it.

Help me bear the cross You send

And not complain about it.

 

~ Agnes Scopp

Faith

Oh, for a faith that will not shrink

Though battered by many a foe,

A faith that when standing near the brink

Of a valley dark below ---

Will buoy me up, and carry me on

To tasks as yet unknown;

A faith that will lead me through life's storms,

Then gently carry me home.

 

~ Nell McLean