From Ashes to Glory

You have journeyed with me

through the span of time

from Ash Wednesday

to Resurrection Sunday

I have compiled the daily psalms

into one volume, now available as 

From Ashes to Glory

come find the holy with me

psalm 47

psalm 47

so this is it, all the prayers

worries, waiting, over

finished, rivers of tears

mingled with praise

bowing low, hands raised

awestruck again

He has risen, just as He said

one act, never seen before

changes everything forever

love unharnessed, profound

takes me deeper, lost

in Jesus, the only way

to be found

psalm 46

psalm 46

the silence of waiting 

is deafening, here

in the in-between

almost afraid to breathe

are You Who You said You Are?

will I stand alone now, forever

the loss of Your presence, fresh

raw, my heart torn wide

the future veiled, I see

only memories, grasping nothing

hope slips fast away

morning will come

the promise of Your glory

but for now, faith trembles

psalm 45

psalm 45

so dark this day

we feel the weight

thousands of years

and each year new

the gift given 

from despair 

and abounding love

an impossible choice 

was set before You

and You selected death

to give us life

so dark this day

where glory dwells

psalm 44

psalm 44

this world is upside-down Lord

deaf to Your Word, blind 

to Your mysterious ways

and I, a stranger here

choose to see with Your eyes

hear with Your ears

feel with Your heart

carrying Your pain

and theirs as I come humbly

into Your loving embrace

psalm 43

psalm 43

You set me on a high place

solid, stable, sure

my feet, heart, my mind

so prone to wander fixed 

where no enemy

can move me, Your hand

open, awaiting my grasp

all else may crumble

everyone else may turn away

reject me, despise me

push me toward dismay

or faltering faith

while You wait, hand open still

to move me higher

where the air grows thin

but thick with Your presence

inhaling deeply all that is You

and all that I need

psalm 42

psalm 42

all creation exists

by You, for You

and I as well

to honour and adore

to sing with the stars

the wind, the waves

hymns of mysterious joy

choruses of endless praise

psalm 41

psalm 41

You have planted seeds

where it pleased You

and all variety of life springs forth

some for food, many more

for beauty, splendor

to glorify Your name

and we too, first imagined

before time as reflections

of the One the Only

Creator of all

psalm 40

psalm 40

Thou shall have no Gods before Me

I read, I heard, I know

so I bow to only one God

(with a capital G) and yet…

how many little gods

have I worshipped

giving away time, focus, and my heart

chasing money, comfort, health

power, position and praise

forgive me again, forgive

this foolish child’s wandering

straining against the very chains

that set me free

draw me closer, Lord I come

psalm 39

psalm 39

we are never alone

You go before us, circle

round us, our rear guard

warrior, protector

wings stretch wide 

Your shadow over us

shade from the heat 

of the African sun

cover from icy stings 

of Canadian snow

here, there, all places

all times, You Are

and we stand, awestruck

in worship, helpless for words

to honour You

psalm 38

psalm 38

it is a simple question

two words only

hardly a breath span

“may I?”

hardly a breath span

two words only

and my world stops

the request trembles

my heart bowing to holy fear

hardly a breath span

two words only

a simple answer

“use me”

psalm 37

psalm 37

nowhere can I turn

run or hide, around every corner

I find You again

and my soul is stirred

You surround me

I am sheltered, shadowed

still, softened in Your presence

even as I often strain the leash

to think I would find freedom

anywhere but with You, in You

is foolishness, now

even Your laugh comforts me

psalm 36

psalm 36

stretch

You asked of me

expand, spread-out

amplify, but to do so

I need reach the end of 

my self, the box that 

holds me, step out 

of me and in to You

where there are no borders

no limits, just bridges

that magnify Your glory

psalm 35

psalm 35

so much time adrift

leaves my heart breathless

in the least predictable of winds

sails shape shifting

losing ground, dizzy

I have an anchor

held close and tight

my rock, strength

all that is solid and safe

but useless in my hand

I must let it go, release

the full weight of it

so it may sink deep and hold

in all that is true

all that Is You

psalm 34

psalm 34

I cannot tell a story more profound 

than stars, a single blade of grass

a lilac breasted roller

painted by Your hand

all designed in perfection

for Your pleasure

I ponder bones, flesh, blood 

coursing through vessel highways

mechanics beyond human ability

eyes of sea green, topaz

aquamarine, variety for beauty’s sake

and glory shines

psalm 33

psalm 33

nothing in my hands

in my head, in my heart

is good or worthy or true

I am crumpled, broken

fallen from the start

my eyes so often blinded

to my helplessness

forgetting to run back to You

I stagger, lurch and tumble

on ice too thin to hold

what was lost, then found

still foolishly seeks to stand alone

when only by Your grace

do I still breathe to praise Your name

psalm 32

psalm 32

I am content no longer

to tarry in the outer courts

or even linger long

within the inner courts, no

take me deeper still

to the holy of holies

the chambers of Your heart

where I may dwell

shaken, but still

in the secret place