Because of Thee

The golden, flowing willow limb
From seed beneath the sod
Becomes a tree because of Him
The power of our God
We gaze in awe at sunsets grand
Or moon’s tranquility
The rendering of a higher Hand
My God, it is of Thee

Because of Thee the mountain-peaks
Reach to the vaulted sash
Where voice of wind and thunder speaks
And tongues of lightning flash
Because of Thee, the bud unfolds
Into a perfect bloom
Of pink, magenta, red and gold
Earth’s glorious living-room

Because of Thee the seasons pass
And You bestow them all
Spring and summers verdant grass
The coloring of fall
The snowflakes; each original
Of perfect symmetry
Winter’s argent madrigal
Is all because of Thee

Because of Thee the tiny babe
Born to this sin-cursed plain
May know there is a living hope
Your grace for every man
Upon a cross Your offering
Sets every sinner free
The broken can be whole again
My God, because of Thee

And though this world may ache and groan
Scarred by the fruits of sin
Because of Thee may it be known
We may have peace within…
Without we see sin’s sad decay
Within there’s victory
A living hope that will not fade
My God, because of Thee

Janet~

Praise be to the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope
Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
And into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade,
Kept in Heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power
Until the coming of the salvation that is ready to
Be revealed in the last time. 1 Pet. 1 4-5

When We See Him...

When we see Him it will not be
Beside a lowly manger
Come to earth a helpless babe
And to His own a stranger
We will not bow as shepherds did
And wonder at the sight
When we see Him it will not be
As it was that night

When we see Him it will not be
Beneath a blood-stained cross
As we bend low on trembling knee
And recognize our loss
No dying King with thorn-pierced brow
Will rend the heavenly realm
As every nation then will bow
That day, when we see Him

When we see Him each eye shall see
A King upon a throne
Robed in glorious Majesty
He comes to take His own
Holy, prefect righteousness
Enthroned; "Worthy the Lamb!"
As we behold THE ONE TRUE GOD
That day, when we see Him

Janet~

Then I heard every creature in heaven
and on earth and under the earth and on the sea
and all that is in them singing;
"To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power
forever and ever!" Rev.5:13

For This We Have Jesus.......

Who will keep this journey from being all in vain?
Who will help us cross the valley dark with fear and pain?
Who will quench the fiery darts of evils’ wicked scheme?
Or reach into our heart of hearts when we have lost the dream
Friend don’t you know?
For this we have Jesus

Who will hold our trembling hand into the vast unknown?
Or who will help our feet to stand when earthly friends have flown?
Who will help us drink the bitter cup of loneliness?
And softly, kindly lift us up above our helplessness
Friend, don’t you know?
For this we have Jesus

Who will give us hope beyond the things that we can see?
Who will help us cope with dying and eternity?
Who will help us cross death’s cold and unrelenting wave
Who will fill our loss and give us life beyond the grave
Friend don’t you know?
For this we have Jesus?

Janet~

I have come so they may have life
and have it to the full. John 10:10

Thankful.......

I’m thankful that we are not lost ships
Sailing on a sea
In some coincidental, cosmic galaxy

I’m thankful that we are born
Already part of a greater plan
Known by He who creates man

I’m thankful that for every sin there is forgiveness
And in every dawn
There is mercy and compassion

I’m thankful for hands
Those I hold or have held
Reminding me we live in an ever-changing world

I’m thankful for the One who remains
In spite of life’s ever-changing panorama
Always and forever, the same

Janet~

I love to send the kids off with a kiss and a prayer
And on some days, a verse…
This morning the verse was Isaiah 41:13

For I am the
Lord your God, who takes
Hold of your right hand
And says to you,
‘Do not fear; I will help you.’

….and I remembered, in spite of all
My fear and uncertainty
‘All the days ordained for me were written in a book
Before one of them came to be’ Psalm 139:16

…that, ‘because of the Lord’s great love
We are not consumed,
For His compassions never fail,
They are new every morning:
Great is Your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23

…and that ‘He is the same,
Yesterday, today, forever!! Heb.13:8

Never Too Late...

It’s never too late to call on Him
If cares of this life bring us low
When hope and strength are growing dim
And burdens are pressing so
There is no hour that He is not near
There is no prayer that He does not hear
There is no valley too dark or too deep
And there is no promise that He will not keep

It’s never too late to call on Him
If our feet in the mire should slip
As we reach for His hand again and again
Finding comfort in his patient grip
There is no end to His saving grace
There is no friend who could ever replace
The tender mercy and compassionate love
Flowing abundantly from His throne above

It’s never too late to call on Him
Though oft we do stumble and err
He lifts us up and restores us again
As we call to Him in prayer
Beacon of hope when our vision is dim
It’s never too late to call on Him
Lest we should choose His love to forfeit
And death should come…then it will be too late

Janet~


…and surely I am with you always,
Even to the end of the age…..Matt.28:20

I Know We Can't Imagine....(Song Lyric)

The road down here is long, I know
It can be awful hard
The going can be sad and slow
And oh, we get so tired
But there is coming a sweet day
A day when we’ll behold
A land beyond this weary way
Where streets are paved in gold
I know, we can’t imagine
Just how it will be
When we get to Heaven….
And eternity……..someday

The night down here can be so long
When sleep evades our eyes
In its dark we toss and turn
And long for the sun-rise
But there is coming a sweet day
When night will be no more
For they say there is no night
On heaven’s blissful shore
I know we can’t imagine
Just how it will be
When we get to Heaven….
And eternity…….someday

This life is full of sorrow
And burdens we must bear
But in some near tomorrow
We will lay aside each care
For there is coming a sweet day
Where no tear dims the eye
For He will wipe each tear away
In the sweet by and by
I know we can’t imagine
Just how it will
When we get to Heaven…..
And eternity….someday

Eye has never seen it
Ear has never heard
The glory that is waiting
For believers of His word
Tongue can never tell it
But we know it is true
For God Himself has said
‘I have prepared a place for you….’
I know we can’t imagine
Just how it will be
When we get to Heaven….
And eternity….someday

Oh how glorious it will be….someday

Janet~

In My father’s house are many mansions,
If it were not so I would have told you.
I go to prepare a place for you
And if I go to prepare a place for you
I will come again and receive you unto Myself
That where I am, there ye may be also. John 14:2-3

Grappling............

Grappling………..
With life’s uncertainties,
Its fears
Its worries
And tears
With cold hard truth
And the unknown
With disappointment
Or being alone
With bitter regret
Or hidden sorrow
With anxiety
About tomorrow
Grappling with pain
With loss
With burdens
Simply because
We forget to trust
When we kneel and pray
Picking up all our troubles
As we walk away……….

Janet~

Come unto Me, all you who are weary
and heavy-laden, and
I will give you rest...........Matt.11:28

This Is Our God.....

He sits enthroned above the earth
Holds in His palm this drop of dirt
He stretches out from sea to sea
The heavens like a canopy
He brings the stars out one by one
And knows not one of them is gone
Lift up your eyes from fields of sod
Look to the skies, THIS IS OUR GOD

He tends His flock, we are His lambs
Tender shepherd, great I Am
He gathers us into His arms
Close to His heart; He leads the young
Who can measure His great hand?
Who His mind, can understand?
Who can hone His chastening rod?
There is none; THIS IS OUR GOD

The gods of earth are formed by man
Gold on gold or silver chain
Carved of wood that will not rot
Idol yes, but God, they’re not
Have you not heard or understood?
A God cannot be made of wood
While unbelievers scorn and laugh
His breath sweeps them away like chaff….

To whom then, can he be compared?
Can anybody teach the Lord?
Who taught Him to understand?
Who can rule above His hand?
He, who brings princes to naught
Can He by anyone be taught?
This world’s kings reign over sod
He is Supreme; THIS IS OUR GOD

Do you not know? Have you not heard?
He is the everlasting Lord
He is the God of all creation
He is the God of our salvation
We cannot fathom or understand
This God of no beginning or end
He exceeds all realm of thought
Look up and see, THIS IS OUR GOD

Janet~


Isa. 40

Payday.....

I do not labor for silver or gold
Or wealth beneath the sun
I labor to hear on that blessed Payday
“My good, faithful servant, well done”

I do not labor for mens applause
When at last my race is run
I'll fight the fight and run because
I want Him to say "well done"

The wealth of this world is fleeting and vain
It's pay is quickly gone
But there is a grand payday up in Heaven
If we hear Him say "well done"

Janet~

Dirge For the Year Departed....

The winds have wept a mournful dirge
The seas have moaned a madrigal
The pale moon and the stars converge
To join this tongue-less musical
The hill a quiet vigil keeps
As the last fading minute weeps……

And here we gather throng on throng
In solemn, pensive reverie
The trite expression of the tongue
Cannot beckon now to thee
Slipping through Time’s misty veil
Silent beauty; ethereal

So what of fiercest tears we’ve shed
What of the dew-drop or the rose
They are as laughter of the dead
Obscure in history’s repose
All that has been again will be
Such is this mortality

Then ash to ash and dust to dust
The fair and evil quickly pass
And all the mortal gains we trust
Are temporal as the terrene grass
On this veiled porch mankind must wait
And dream and search and contemplate……..

….the purpose of this fleeting hour
The deeper meaning of it all
Life; the picture of a flower
The seed, the bud, the bloom, the fall
As one more quick year softly slips
From the whisper of our lips

Some lift their glass to lesser gods
And praise the merits of their lust
Forgetting, ‘neath their feet the sod
Waits to reclaim their wealth of dust
But wiser men humbly resign
Their dividends to One divine…..

Though winds may weep a mournful dirge
Though seas may quote a madrigal
Time and eternity converge
Somewhere beyond this darkened veil
Life does not end beneath the sod
Time is our pathway up to God…………..

Janet~

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth...Rev.21:1

Into Thy Hands.....

Into Thy hands, Lord I entrust
These common sands and dreams of dust
Lest, as to each vain charm I cling
I would forfeit life’s greatest thing

Into Thy hands I place each care
Life’s cold demands and sad despair
Softly then within Thy grip
My faltering footsteps cannot slip

Into Thy hands, Lord, take my pride
Remind me why, for whom Thou died
Then, as I see Thy love-scarred brow
Humbly at Your feet I bow

Into Thy hands Lord, I place mine
There are no greater hands than Thine
Guide my footsteps one by one
Until this fleeting day is done

Janet Martin~

I can do all things
through Christ who strengthens me. Phil.4:13

Comfort......

Against my wish, I cannot hold all my loved ones near
But I can embrace them tenderly in the arms of prayer
On my own I cannot quell the plaguing doubt and fear
But I can place them trustingly in the Arms of care

I cannot see into the great abyss of the unknown
But I can place my faith in He who will abide
Where’er He leads I know that I will never be alone
He who directs our paths will never leave our side

Janet Martin

Yea, though I walk through the valley
Of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,
For Thou art with me
Thy rod and Thy stall they comfort me…..Ps.23:4