Poets & Saints

Scripture   Romans 5:3–5 (NIV)    Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings,   because we know that suffering produces perseverance;   perseverance, character;   and character, hope.   And hope does not put us to shame,   because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts   through the Holy Spirit, who has b...

Scripture   2 Corinthians 12:9 (ESV)    But he said to me,   “My grace is sufficient for you,   for my power is made perfect in weakness.”   Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses,   so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Refrain   God meets me in my weakness. Quote  Brené Brown    “Vul...

Scripture   Mark 2:3–5 (NIV)    Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man,   carried by four of them.   Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd,   they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it   and then lowered the mat the man was lying on.   When Jesus saw their faith,   h...

Scripture   Romans 12:1 (NRSVUE)    I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters,   by the mercies of God,   to present your bodies as a living sacrifice,   holy and acceptable to God,   which is your spiritual worship. Refrain   My body is held in the love of God. Quote Cole Arthur Riley , from This Here Flesh   “B...

Scripture   Ecclesiastes 3:1,3 (NRSVUE)    For everything there is a season,   and a time for every matter under heaven:   …a time to heal,   a time to break down,   and a time to build up. Refrain   I trust God in the in-between. Quote   Pádraig Ó Tuama , from In the Shelter    “Sometimes healing  ...

Scripture   Joshua 1:9 (NIV)    Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous.   Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged,   for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Refrain   I have the courage to be here. Quote   Henri Nouwen    “Courage is not the absence of fear.   It is the presence of love.&nbs...

Scripture   Psalm 8:3–4 (NIV)    When I consider your heavens,   the work of your fingers,   the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,   what is mankind that you are mindful of them,   human beings that you care for them? Refrain   Wonder opens me to God. Quote  Annie Dillard , from Pilgrim at Tinker Creek “There...

Scripture   Lamentations 3:25 (NRSVUE)    The Lord is good to those who wait for him,   to the soul that seeks him. Refrain   Waiting is still a place where God meets me. Quote Pierre Teilhard de Chardin    “Above all, trust in the slow work of God.   We are quite naturally impatient in everything   to reach the end without dela...

Scripture   Isaiah 43:19 (NIV)    See, I am doing a new thing!   Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?   I am making a way in the wilderness   and streams in the wasteland. Refrain   I am not undone—I am being made new. Quote   John O’Donohue , from To Bless the Space Between Us   “May we come to accept the beauti...

Scripture   Psalm 34:18 (NIV)    The Lord is close to the brokenhearted   and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Refrain   God does not rush my sorrow. Quote   Nicholas Wolterstorff , from Lament for a Son    “I shall look at the world through tears.   Perhaps I shall see things   that dry-eyed I could not see.&nbs...

Scripture   Song of Songs 8:5 (NIV)    Who is this coming up from the wilderness   leaning on her beloved? Refrain   I lean on the One who carries me. Quote   Julian of Norwich    “He did not say: You will not be troubled,   you will not be tempted,   you will not be distressed.   But he said: You will not be...

Scripture   Mark 8:25 (NIV)    Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes.   Then his eyes were opened,   his sight was restored,   and he saw everything clearly. Refrain   In time, the light returns. Quote   Barbara Brown Taylor , from *Learning to Walk in the Dark*   “I have learned things in the dark &nbsp...

Scripture   Matthew 5:6 (NRSVUE)    Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,   for they will be filled. Refrain   My hunger is sacred ground. Quote Teresa of Avila    “God, if You are love,   then I am hunger.   And in this longing,   I find not emptiness,   but promise.   You do n...

Scripture   Habakkuk 2:20 (NIV)    The Lord is in his holy temple;   let all the earth be silent before him. Refrain   I meet God in the quiet. Quote Thomas Merton    “True silence is the rest of the mind,   and it is to the soul what sleep is to the body—   nourishment, restoration, awakening.   In silence, we find no...

Scripture   Jeremiah 20:9 (ESV)    If I say, “I will not mention him   or speak any more in his name,”   there is in my heart as it were a burning fire   shut up in my bones,   and I am weary with holding it in,   and I cannot. Refrain   The fire within me is from God. Quote St. Catherine of Siena    “Be who...

Scripture   Psalm 126:5 (NIV)    Those who sow with tears   will reap with songs of joy. Refrain   What was planted in sorrow rises in joy. Quote Wendell Berry , from Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front    “Be joyful   though you have considered all the facts.   Practice resurrection.   Plant sequoias. &nbs...

Scripture   Exodus 33:14 (NIV)    The Lord replied,   “My Presence will go with you,   and I will give you rest.” Refrain   In the pause, God is present. Quote Macrina Wiederkehr    “O God,   help me to believe   the truth about myself—   no matter how beautiful it is.   And help me move  ...

Scripture   Hosea 6:1 (NIV)    “Come, let us return to the Lord.   He has torn us to pieces   but he will heal us;   he has injured us   but he will bind up our wounds.” Refrain   I return to the God who never left. Quote  Rumi    “Come, come, whoever you are.   Wanderer, worshiper, lover of leaving—&nbs...

Scripture   Psalm 16:5–6 (NRSVUE)    The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;   you hold my lot.   The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;   I have a goodly heritage. Refrain   My limits are places where grace meets me. Quote Hildegard of Bingen    “Everything that is in the heavens, on earth, and under the ea...

Scripture   Isaiah 37:31 (ESV)    And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah   shall again take root downward   and bear fruit upward. Refrain   God is moving in the unseen roots. Quote   Rabindranath Tagore    “Trees are the poems that the earth writes upon the sky.   But their roots—hidden, patient, strong—&nbsp...

Scripture   Isaiah 38:14 (NIV)    I cried like a swift or thrush,   I moaned like a mourning dove.   My eyes grew weak as I looked to the heavens.   I am being threatened; Lord, come to my aid! Refrain   When I have no words, the Spirit still prays. Quote   Christian Wiman , from *My Bright Abyss*   “There are prayers...

Scripture   Psalm 90:2 (NIV)    Before the mountains were born   or you brought forth the whole world,   from everlasting to everlasting   you are God. Refrain   I belong to the eternal now. Quote  John O’Donohue , from *Eternal Echoes*   “Time is a relentless river.   But eternity is not later.   It is...

Scripture   Matthew 11:28–30 (NIV)    “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,   and I will give you rest.   Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,   for I am gentle and humble in heart,   and you will find rest for your souls.   For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Refrain   I walk lightly, loved and...

Scripture   2 Corinthians 4:18 (NIV)    So we fix our eyes not on what is seen,   but on what is unseen,   since what is seen is temporary,   but what is unseen is eternal. Refrain   I am carried by what cannot be seen. Quote  Pierre Teilhard de Chardin    “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience.  ...

Scripture   Genesis 16:13 (NIV)    She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her:   “You are the God who sees me,”   for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” Refrain   I am fully seen and deeply loved. Quote Emily Dickinson    “They say that God is everywhere,   and yet we always think of Him as somewhat of a reclu...