Faith Song

While driving to Lubbock this morning to minister to someone having surgery I heard a phrase in a song that grabbed my attention. The lyrics that stuck out to me were, “When you live life by faith you have a song to sing.” Hence the title “Faith Song.” Those words caused the wheels in my mind to stir. If I were going to write a song to my Lord about what I have experienced with Him through faith, what kind of song would that be? I am no song-writer or a singer but here is my best shot.

You met me years ago in the stands of a battlefield of glory,

At the time I lived for myself – writing a far different story,

You in amazing grace embraced and won my stubborn heart,

And on that fateful day the first words of this song did start,

Little did I know about church and stories found in your book,

Maturity came as page after page I read and began to look,

Who would have thought you would handpick me to proclaim,

Your message so profound – beyond my ability to explain,

I resisted, argued, and like Jonah tried to run the other way,

You overwhelmed me with your call - finally had the last say,

I waved the flag of surrender and answered Your divine call,

To proclaim with your help - a message at home, abroad, to all,

It was hard at first, scared – knees wobbling and visibly knocking,

Limited in understanding –no eloquence it was amusingly shocking,

The more I read and studied – the more my faith began to grow,

The more time spent in secret with you – the more glory you show,

You brought a love to my life, a flower of rare beauty and bloom,

I never knew I could love so deep – a helpmeet from the womb,

Brenda has been my lover, friend - my God ordained soul mate,

You enabled her to endure when dreams were soured by ill fate,

She stood firm next to me when we fought life in the trenches,

She encouraged me when we slowly progressed by only inches,

My quiver if full with a girl and four strong and strapping boys,

Who in different ways have all filled my heart with myriad joys,

A series of test – severe in nature – pressed me down to my knees,

Prayers mixed with tears, desperation in fueled my private pleas,

You stretched me, tested my resolve, shook me more and more,

Confused I wondered why I was wounded by the one I adored,

The climb was steep, the pain was deep, I stumbled and fell,

You taught me like Spafford, with you my soul is always well,

Miracles came, some beyond belief, and then the call to write,

The stories that have been told – I walk by faith and not by sight,

There were failures, blunders, deep regrets at ministries gone by,

Spring Creek, Burke, CentrePointe, and GX failed though I tried,

Then there was Paradise, a true Heaven found on this earth,

Where my faith soared, and hope was revived in a second birth,

The joy of faces that flash across the screen of heart and mind,

Bring surges of delight – greater people would be hard to find,

My love ran like a river for a flock whom had come through disaster,

I worked hard to earn the right to be called the Paradise Pastor,

Our dreams were large, bigger than any of us could have conceived,

And then suddenly God called me out and still our hearts are grieved,

Who can understand the mind of God and comprehend all of His plan,

Paradise was our home, we felt we were already in His Promised Land,

It was hard to leave a people we all had grown to love so intensely,

Hard to leave a beloved community we had invested in so immensely,

By faith we packed our things and lives and followed God out West,

Confused but by faith trusting that following Him is always best,

When at last we bid Paradise farewell – the tears stained our cheeks,

I ached and grieved like death, the future appeared dismally bleak,

We arrived in town the night before school was about to start,

By faith we were obedient but inside we still had broken hearts,

Who knew our move to Seminole was one of God’s Sovereign grace,

God’s ways are good, His plans right and sewn with loving lace,

We hit the ground running and trusting God each step of the way,

Who could not have foreseen His power publicly put on display,

The crowds swelled, the seats became scarce, bewildered by it all,

Forced in the prayer room where in fervent faith I continually call,

You have blessed me with a flock who love us with words and deeds,

They have opened their hearts and pockets to help meet our needs,

You heard our cries and moved the mountain to one of our desires,

Through prayer and faith at last our own home you have acquired,

Praise the God of the Edwards who has not failed in good and bad,

Who has brought eternal joy to one who grew up so hurt and mad,

Praise Jesus who saved my life from the murky miry pit of sin,

Who has brought life, hope, delight, and love to this child again,

Praise the God of Lufkin, Burke, Brownwood, and little old Rochelle,

Praise the God of Weatherford, Paradise, and Seminole who excels,

My faith song is one of a heart brimming with joy and infinite delight,

To One who brought life and redemption out of my darkest woeful night,

Jesus I bow in adoration and cling in wondrous worship to your feet,

With you I am blessed, with you my life is abundant and complete,

This is my feeble attempt to write from my heart a true faith song,

To you forever and forever do my loyalty and all the glory belong,