Poets & Saints

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...

Scripture   Habakkuk 3:17–18 (NRSVUE)    Though the fig tree does not blossom   and no fruit is on the vines;   though the produce of the olive fails   and the fields yield no food;   though the flock is cut off from the fold   and there is no herd in the stalls,   yet I will rejoice in the Lord;   I will exu...

Scripture   Ecclesiastes 4:9–10 (NIV)    Two are better than one,   because they have a good return for their labor:   If either of them falls down,   one can help the other up.   But pity anyone who falls   and has no one to help them up. Refrain   God moves through the people beside me. Quote Henri Nouwen  &nbsp...

Scripture   Mark 4:27 (NIV)    Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up,   the seed sprouts and grows,   though he does not know how. Refrain   Grace is at work, even when I can’t see it. Quote / Poem   Rainer Maria Rilke , from *Letters to a Young Poet*   “Everything is gestation and then bringing forth.   To let e...

Scripture   Matthew 16:25 (NRSVUE)    For those who want to save their life will lose it,   and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. Refrain   In surrender, I find rest. Quote Michael A. Singer , from *The Untethered Soul*   “Surrender is the highest form of control.   It is the choice to stop fighting with life  ...

Scripture   Lamentations 3:22–23 (NIV)    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. Refrain   Your mercy meets me here. Quote Julian of Norwich    “Often I wondered why, by the great foreseeing wisdom of God,   the...

Scripture   Zechariah 14:20 (NIV)    On that day,   “HOLY TO THE LORD”   will be inscribed on the bells of the horses,   and the cooking pots in the Lord’s house   will be like the sacred bowls   in front of the altar. Refrain   Nothing is too ordinary for wonder. Quote Annie Dillard , from Teaching a Stone to Talk &nb...

Scripture   Colossians 2:9 (NLT)    For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. Refrain   God is not far from flesh. Quote Richard Rohr , from *The Universal Christ*   “When God chose to reveal Himself,   He did it through a human body.   If we’re to understand the nature of God,   we must begin with this: ...

Scripture   John 1:5 (CSB)    That light shines in the darkness,   and yet the darkness did not overcome it. Refrain   Your light finds me, even here. Quote Barbara Brown Taylor , from *Learning to Walk in the Dark*   “Even when light fades and darkness falls—   as it does every single day,   in every single life—   Go...

Scripture   Romans 8:23 (ESV)    And not only the creation,   but we ourselves,   who have the firstfruits of the Spirit,   groan inwardly as we wait eagerly   for adoption as sons,   the redemption of our bodies. Refrain   Even my longing is a form of prayer. Quote  St. John of the Cross    “In the dark...

Scripture   Genesis 2:7 (NRSVUE)    Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground,   and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life,   and the man became a living being. Refrain   The breath in me is holy. Quote  Hildegard von Bingen    “Holy Spirit,   making life alive,   moving in all things, ...

Scripture   Jeremiah 17:7–8 (NIV)    But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,   whose confidence is in him.   They will be like a tree planted by the water   that sends out its roots by the stream.   It does not fear when heat comes;   its leaves are always green.   It has no worries in a year of drought &nb...

Scripture   Luke 17:21 (ESV)    “…the kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed,   nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’   for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” Refrain   This moment is a meeting place. Poem   Thich Nhat Hanh    “Drink your tea slowly and reverently,   as...

Scripture   Ecclesiastes 11:5 (NLT)    Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind   or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb,   so you cannot understand the activity of God,   who does all things. Refrain   I am held by the One I cannot explain. Poem   Rainer Maria Rilke , from Letters to a Young Poet&n...

Scripture   Deuteronomy 4:9 (NIV)    Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely   so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen   or let them fade from your heart as long as you live.   Teach them to your children and to their children after them. Refrain   I remember what You’ve done, so I trust what You’ll do. Quote / Poem...

Scripture   Psalm 23:2–3 (CSB)    He lets me lie down in green pastures;   He leads me beside quiet waters.   He renews my life;   He leads me along the right paths   for His name’s sake. Refrain   Lead me to the stillness that restores. Poem   Christian Wiman , from My Bright Abyss “Silence is not absence.  ...

Scripture   Philippians 4:6–7 (NLT)    Don’t worry about anything;   instead, pray about everything.   Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.   Then you will experience God’s peace,   which exceeds anything we can understand.   His peace will guard your hearts and minds   as you live in Christ Jesus...

Scripture   Ezekiel 36:26 (NIV)    I will give you a new heart   and put a new spirit in you;   I will remove from you your heart of stone   and give you a heart of flesh. Refrain   Soften my heart until it beats again. Poem   Mary Oliver , from Lead    “There is a heaven we enter   through institutional grac...