poems

 All my poems can be found at my poetry blog: Thoughts in Rhyme.   Below are a few links to ones I’ve written:

 

Captive – this poem describes my conversion (Romans 6, Ezekiel 16).  Christ captured me from the sprial of sin and death and made me a captive to His unending love.  My prayer is that I never grow tired of hearing these truths… Christ redeemed me from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for me.

 

Sweet Surrender - the name of my blog is based on Hebrews 13:15.  This poem describes an unhindered all-consuming trust in God.  That is my goal. 

 

So I Thank - Psalm 100 commands us to enter into the Lord’s courts with thanksgiving and praise.  I wrote this poem during a time that I was enduring some immense physical suffering to remind myself that my attitude should always be one of thanksgiving, whether God chooses for my path sunshine or rain.

 

You are Holy – Nothing compares to the greatness of our God.  He is unlike anything else; He is holy.  Isaiah 6 describes an encounter with that Holy God.  When Isaiah first saw the holiness of his God, he was undone.  But through Christ’s righteousness, we can stand unashamed before that holy God, full of thanksgiving and praise because our guilt is taken away and our sin is atoned for.

 

Question and Answer – the book of Job describes a God that is both powerful and merciful.  Job suffered much in his life, and when he questioned God, he saw that power and mercy.  This poem is a dialogue between God and Job… a “trial” of sorts.

 

The Sovereign Shepherd – Psalm 23 talks about the LORD guiding us, through valleys and paths of trial.  He is with me, there is no need to fear.  This poem takes me from doubt and uncertainty to the promises of a God that will never ever fail.

 

Give Unto the Lord – this is my translation from Martin Luther’s writings on Psalm 37:5.  The original hymn was written by Paul Gerhardt in 1653 and featured in Opus BWV270 in B minor by J.S. Bach.  John Wesley provided an alternate English translation entitled “Give to the Winds thy Fears.”

 

Not the Way I Would Have Chosen – As Christians, God chooses paths for us that sometimes we would never pick for ourselves.  But in His kindness, He knows that is what we need to cause us to run to Him.  When in those times of life, my goal is to grow in a rooted trust in a God that has promised never to leave me.

 

Why? - This poem describes my questions to God during a time of immense emotional heartache, grief and pain.

 

the One - Sometimes in life, we feel alone.  Wandering with no answers or hope.  This poem is a story about a bird that couldn’t fly.

 

Help! –  God commands us to forgive… not because its easy or because they deserve it, but rather because He has lavishly forgiven us.

 

all poems © Emily Schankweiler 2007-2009