Snapshots
Of the Valley of the Shadow
By David Andrew
Copyright 2011 David Andrew
Smashwords Edition
***
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
Thank you for downloading this free ebook. Although this is a free book, it remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, copied and distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes. Thank you for your support.
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Foreword
In life, each and every person can expect to go through many transitions. These transitions will vary in their degree of severity. A transition may be simply adjusting to a new neighborhood, or it may be adjusting to life after the death of a loved one. Whatever the transition is, however, the individual must confront it and move through it. Transitions are basically experiences—the very fabric of our lives. They tell a unique story about each person.
In this book, each poem represents a step along a journey of transitions. From naïveté to a sudden awakening to hopeful expectation, I pray that this book will encourage you and keep you focused on the only Person who never changes and never transitions no matter how messed up our lives may become. Give your full attention to the Author of Love and let Him carry you through all of life’s storms.
God
Bless,
David Andrew
***
Table of Contents
Ears
to Hear
Meditation
A
Beautiful Spirit
Peace
Like a River
God
of Our Fathers
His
Chariot of Fire
Keep
Up The Pace
His
Grace and Glory
Day
By Day
Guidance,
Sure and Strong
Bitter
Tears
Bliss
and Elation
Brief
Exhortations
Follow
This Road
Never
Before
Foolishness
For
Pity’s Sake
From
Isaiah 40:31 and Psalm 18:1-6
From
Philippians 4:4-7
From
2 Corinthians 12:7-9
From
Romans 8:26-27 and 1 John 4:1-6
Pointless
Ruined
Our
Generation
Mediocre
Mystery
The
Plea
Grace
Healing
for the Hurting
Hope
Have
You Ever Felt The Spirit
Once
Again
Jehovah-Jireh
Ode
of Praise
Progression
Restoration
Renews
and Rekindles
Re-Run
Believe
Doubt
The
Ride Home From Mexicali, Day Two
***
Of the Valley of the Shadow
***
Before the Transition
***
Ears To Hear
Dear Father, please grant me—
Ears to hear and
eyes to see,
All that You have willed for me.
Take my life and
let it be,
Ever, only, all for Thee!
I pledge my life, I
pledge my all,
I pledge my everything!
Behold, O LORD, I heed
Thy call,
Spare mercy on this wretched being!
***
Meditation
God is grace, God is
love,
His holy thoughts are far above
Our own; we can’t
compare
To Him—do we dare?
***
A Beautiful Spirit
A little bit here, a
little bit there,
And just like that God made you, beautiful and
fair!
Carefully shaped in the palm of His hand,
Life was
created from the dirt and sand.
You’re special to
God and you’re special to me,
Elated am I your friend to
be!
We’re so much alike which is why you’re unique,
I
marvel at you—a spirit so meek.
Words are a mockery
and pictures are skewed,
Though not due to anything wicked or
lewd!
These things do not aptly fit or describe
What was meant
for the soul and cannot be denied.
***
Peace Like a River
When peace like a
river attendeth my soul,
Nothing can stop me, though ere I
behold
A storm, and the rain cometh down from Heaven,
So I cup
my hands and drink.
Now come what may,
I’ll sing and I’ll shout,
Praises from the rooftops and in the
town about
How I’ve been saved and brought out of the pit,
How
my Father calmed and silenced my fit
Of despair.
***
God of Our Fathers
O God of our
Fathers, please bless us today.
Show us Your will; yes, show us
Your way!
Like sheep wand-ring ‘round in the dead of night,
We
call out to You in the midst of our plight.
You alone have shown
us true mercy,
May Your Name be blest!
By grace alone do we
find mercy,
Yea, may Your Name be blest!
Your plans are
perfect, pure and true.
Truly not one compares to You!
Friend
of sinners, Father of lights;
You light our way in the darkest of
nights!
***
His Chariot of Fire
Listen! Do you hear
the sound?
Even unto the wise it confounds!
The trees, they
whisper. Yes, they shout!
“What is all this ruckus about?!”
It’s
the sound of the Lord, in His chariot of fire,
It’s the sound of
the flute, and the harp, and the lyre.
The wind is
revealing, and only time can tell
The sorrows it’s bringing, the
rain straight from hell.
Still behold, the Lord comes in His
chariot of fire—
May this plague-stricken land repent, or the
Sire
Will bring consequences, yes, ones that are dire.
(Yea, His vengeance is kindled in His chariot of fire.)
***
Keep Up The Pace
Keep up the pace,
don’t slow down,
Keep pushing on, right on towards that
crown!
Righteous anger has its place,
But all-conquering Love
is what finishes the race!
Thank ye the Lord
for His glory and power,
Thank ye the Lord our King and strong
tower.
All hail Jesus who died on the cross—
Who died for our
sins and suffered our loss!
All hail Jesus who rose from the
grave,
Whose power is great and is able to save!
Great is Thy
faithfulness, Precious Lord on High!
Hear us O Father; please,
hear our cry!
I’ve run out of words, my throat has run dry,
O
hear me, dear Father; O God, hear my cry!
***
His Grace and Glory
Richly flowing words
of Love,
Sweetly revealing hearts above!
Peace and mercy
condescend,
God’s Grace will never end!
When all at once my
heart doth swell,
With rapture that words cannot tell,
I see
You smiling lovingly,
And pouring down Your Grace on me!
The Glory of God is
shining through
Our hearts; His mercy is made anew,
Holy is the
Lord of Hosts,
Our pride is frail; we cannot boast.
***
Day By Day
Beautiful child, my
enchanting one!
Your beauty is fairer and brighter than the
sun!
Still, an unfinished work, far from done.
It grieves me to see
you in the midst of trial,
It was never my plan; it was
Satan’s—how vile!
I’ll use it for good—there’s no
denial.
I want you to love,
I want you to grow,
I want you to cherish the time that you
sow,
Through all of this pain, I want you to know,
I’ll remove the
blinders, you’ll see me more clearly,
I’ll give you my love
and you’ll love me more dearly.
I’ll show you the path to
follow me more nearly.
Day by day, my Grace
will I give,
In you, dear child, my Spirit does live!
If you
want to be pure, you must go through this sieve.
“Thanks be to
Thee, my Lord Jesus Christ
For all the benefits Thou hast given
me,
For all the pains and insults Thou hast borne for me.
O
most merciful Redeemer, friend and brother,
May I know Thee more
clearly,
Love Thee more dearly,
Follow Thee more nearly.”
—St. Richard of Chichester
***
The Desert
***
Guidance, Sure and Strong
The will of the
Father is unknown to me,
I ever hope He will hear my plea.
I
ask for guidance, sure and strong,
For a peace of mind forever
prolonged.
***
Bitter Tears
I shed bitter
tears,
But no one hears
Me sigh, and cry, and waste away,
Yet
live to see another day.
***
Bliss and Elation
The Spirit of God be
with you alway,
The One who treads invisibly, yea,
Through
darkness and grief, shadow and flame,
Bliss and elation, and
happiness the same.
***
Brief Exhortations
Days are weary,
time, it lags.
Clothed in sackcloth, dressed in rags.
Moving
forward, steady, strong—
Time on earth, though short, is
long!
Long and hard with seldom new,
Press on far ‘till you
come through!
For Jesus said our lives are rough,
We need some
Love; we’ve had enough!
Dear Lord, I pray You’ll come right
soon,
In broad day-time or by night moon,
In hour of dark or at
high noon.
Then in glory ‘round we’ll shine,
Filled with
the Ghost and not with wine!
How we long for You, O Lord!
We’re
held by sin; we’re blocked by a horde
Of thieves and demons,
angels of light
Who lure you in ‘till you’ve walked out of
sight.
So stay close to God and uphold His commands,
Keeping
His Word will abate reprimands.
Stay with friends who’ll help
and encourage,
Remember that God is our true source of
courage!
Bravery will come to those who are wise,
For strength
isn’t based on visage or size.
God bases worth on Jesus
alone—
Life’s through the Son; His blood can atone!
Jesus
can save us from bondage in sin,
Can make us His children–like
long-lost kin.
Listen to wisdom; make no mistake!
Be sincere
not fake.
***
Follow This Road
Trudging along on
this lonely plain,
Curses all mine, my cheeks are stained
With
these unceasing tears
Flowing from self-inflicted fears.
Follow this road;
follow this pain.
Learn from experience; learn from your
shame.
Afraid of the dark and this uncertain path,
I find
myself filled with an inward-turned wrath.
The heat of the
desert, it shows me these things.
In my eyes does the wind take my
dreams and fling
Them out of the world; I lose all my zeal.
O
God! Please help! I can’t see what is real!
Trudging along on
this lonely plain,
I know my God does not wish for my pain.
To
love Him and know Him, that is the test.
Until I am ready, I
cannot know His best.
***
Never Before
Never before have I
struggled like this—
Between the truth and these lies,
I am
torn apart, betrayed by a kiss,
So full of hate and why’s.
Yet, at my deepest
moment, You tell me You love me,
And I am broken.
Here, in my
despair, You say You seek to restore me,
I am silenced; You have
spoken.
I cannot explain nor
shall I try,
The things that I feel—the love that I miss,
So
give me a note and I shall cry
‘Till my throat is dry—my voice
barely a hiss.
You’re asking me
to rise above,
I don’t think I can, but You do,
You’ll
fulfill my need if I spread Your Love,
Father, above all, help me
to Love You!
***
Foolishness
The way to living is
dying.
Come, let us follow our Maker!
He sees the tears that
you’re crying.
Come, let us follow our Savior!
The way to living is
dying.
The pain exceeds what words can tell.
Old principles I’m
decrying,
And I admit that our Gospel
Is foolishness.
***
For Pity’s Sake
Who did ever seek
His Love
And find Him truly whole,
But sought some other
being’s love
Which left him bland and dull?
What point is there
in seeking Love
When there is nothing left?
What hope is there
of life restored
When it’s always been bereft?
Cornered now in deep
despair,
I cower from their lies.
For me, no one will ever
care,
My spirit sits and dies.
I crave a firm and
fine example,
Not these selfish, second-rates!
This is my soul;
please, do not trample
It down; it already hates!
Help me, God, my
tourniquet!
I cannot bear the ache.
Hear me, Thou immortal
Spirit!
Heal me, for pity’s sake!
***
From Isaiah 40:31 and Psalm 18:1-6
When sorrows come
and run me through,
I will wait upon You!
When through the
valley of the shadow I trod,
I will call upon my God!
When pain and
hardship doth accrue,
I will wait upon You!
When with weariness
my head begins to nod,
I will call upon my God!
When anger builds
and my temper spews,
I will wait upon You!
When worry and fear
hath through me sawed,
I will call upon my God!
Though the way is
narrow and the followers few,
I will wait upon You!
Though
through this long journey with impatience I’m gnawed,
I will
call upon my God!
***
From Philippians 4:4-7
Rejoice, O
Christian! Sing praise to the Lord!
Give thanks to Him, our God,
our reward!
Proclaim to all your moderation,
And never cease in
supplication,
Thankful in all and fervent in prayer,
Make known
to God your every care,
And the peace of God that we can’t
understand,
Will guard your hearts from Satan’s hand.
***
From 2 Corinthians 12:7-9
A thorn in the
flesh, a pain in my side,
The servant of Satan continues to
chide,
I sought the Lord, three times did I this,
To remove me
this pain which thwarted all bliss.
And then said the
Lord in holy reply,
He said just to me in response to my
“why,”
“Sufficient and full my grace is to thee,
I am
perfect through weakness, in my strength you’ll find glee.”
So with wholeness in
sorrow and power divine,
I’ll glory in weakness, all glory be
Thine!
Crippled and maimed but as happy as can be,
I’ve no
reason to fear, Christ’s power is in me!
***
From Romans 8:26-27 and 1 John 4:1-6
What shall I write?
What shall I say?
Truly, my cares at Your feet I do lay!
Your
Spirit intercedes with ineffable groanings,
Silence ensues with
Thy Presence, then moanings.
“Be still and know
that I am God,”
Miraculous signs is the spirit of fraud.
For
if it denies that Jesus is Lord,
Then it’s nothing more than a
spirit abhorred.
The Spirit indwells
us, makes us whole,
He’s stronger than Satan who’d like to
control
Our every move—make us stray away,
O help us, dear
Lord, through Your power today!
***
Pointless
Noise. Crowding out
my thoughts.
Sickly emotions twisted in knots.
Careless ease
upon the breeze
Sifting through the stolid trees.
Harsh and loud,
corrosive fear,
Eroding thoughts of peace so dear.
Who can find
a cause to face
His desperate, growing lack of grace?
Life is now so
arduous,
How have I become so callous?
Scared to face my own
demise
Someone, hear my desperate cries!
***
Ruined
I built a bridge all
by myself,
A tribute to my power and pelf,
My bridge came
crashing down on me,
A failure made for all to see.
Let’s raise a
glass to our shortcomings
And all their vile, obscure
forthcomings,
Let’s sit and sulk in solitude
Ingloriously
poised now to conclude.
Ruined. Come to
grips with sin.
I can always see where I have been.
Damaged.
Brought to my wits’ end.
Have You a helping hand to lend?
Lost in the sordid
mess of life,
Want nothing less than an end of strife,
Battered
down with endless weeping,
Somehow know I’m safe in Your
keeping.
I failed at love,
don’t know why,
I hated Your people, it made me cry,
Discouraged
here now as I let out a sigh,
Will You give me yet another try?
***
Our Generation
We are fear, we are
hate,
Our sun is setting, it’s getting late.
You are love, you,
our hope,
Give us help—help us cope!
The others left, the
others lost,
Did they think that service had no cost?
Will no one stay?
Will no one fight?
Will no one try to make things right?
Oh God our help in
ages past,
Have mercy on us, the latest and the last.
***
Mediocre
Hope for what I
cannot see:
Is that faith or apathy?
Do I care or do I not?
Is
this a lie that I’ve bought?
Living life by what
I fear,
Comfortability so dear,
Willing then to risk it
all,
Play it safe and never fall.
Risk it all on
giving up,
Shattered dreams, an empty cup.
Curse this
mediocrity!
Crave your half-hearted pity.
Tell me, Father—do
I dare
To trust that You will lead me where
I need to be—close
to You?
Here among the chosen few?
***
Mystery
There is a key to
mystery,
An answer to a puzzle,
It all depends on how you
see
Yourself amidst the hustle.
Oftentimes you find
yourself
Asking bigger questions,
Questions bigger than
yourself
And questions asking questions.
Behold! The steady
anchor of Life!
The Lord Himself doth reign!
Heed not the
flurry of your strife,
Your Answer: the Lamb that was slain!
***
The Plea
The Plea
O
Sinner, dear Sinner, come back to me!
I know you’ve done
wrong, there’s no reason to flee!
Where there is sin, My
Grace will abound,
Will heal your scars, make your shame a
crown!
Sinner, I plead with
you; please hear my voice!
I love you so dearly; please, come—it’s
your choice.
Your sin made you stumble and fall into bondage,
But
I’ll pull you out—clean off all your sewage.
The
Response
Lord, I admit, I’m as guilty as can be!
I
have heard You call; I will answer Your plea!
Look, this my
sin, take it now from my sight,
Cleanse me, O Lord, make me
purer than white!
Dear Lord, I have
sinned; my guilt is so great!
Please grant me Your mercy, make my
path straight!
Look now on me Father; I repent of this
path,
Praise be to You, God of Love, not Wrath!
***
A New Beginning
***
Grace
Blessed be the Lord
on high,
Ancient of Days to whom I cry!
He who shows me greater
patience
Reprimands my insufficience.
Slowly now yet surer
still,
Reluctantly surrendered will,
Growing in me what I
lack,
My faithful God! No turning back.
***
Healing for the Hurting
Laughter and
sorrows—they just don’t mix.
I’m stuck in a rut that I
cannot fix.
Encompassing hardship—firm and austere,
My Jesus,
He meets and comforts me here.
A thorn in my side,
a pain in my flesh,
It gives me discomfort; it makes me
transgress.
Jesus, saved me and made me anew.
He loved me and
freed me from sin’s bondage too.
I worry and fret,
how will I move on?
I feel so worthless—like a small, useless
pawn.
But God doesn’t base worth on visage alone,
He looks at
the heart where His love is sown.
This world’s
temporary, trapping emotions
Will soon be gone like the tides of
the oceans.
When hurts and despair begin to spawn,
Remember
that darkness comes before dawn.
My Jesus, O God, O
Father on high!
I admit my failure; I’ve no alibi!
They say
You can heal the broken-hearted!
Dear Lord, I believe! So, please,
get me started!
***
Hope
Stricken with pride,
given to strife,
Curse this unrelenting life!
Weighted down by
useless grace,
Curse this mediocre place!
Gave myself to
compromise,
Foolishly believed your lies,
Do not heed my empty
cries,
Let the fear within you rise!
Hail thou the Lord
of Hosts—
The King who drives away the ghosts
Of sorrow’s
toll upon my past.
Satan’s scheming will not last!
***
Have You Ever Felt The Spirit
Have you ever felt
the Spirit’s hand
Leading you on an holy errand?
Did you run
from Him? Did you hide your face?
Did He take you back? Did He
show you grace?
Have you ever felt
the Spirit of Grace
Leading you to an holy place?
Did you
minister to a renegade soul?
Did He guide your words and make you
whole?
Have you ever felt
the Spirit of Joy
Exciting you like a brand-new toy?
Did you
bring some cheer to a grieving heart?
Did He give you both a
brand-new start?
Have you ever felt
the Spirit of Peace
Soothing your soul like a spiritual
grease?
Did you end a fight? Did you bridge a gap?
Did He guide
your steps like a spiritual map?
Have you ever felt
the Spirit’s hand
Leading you on an holy errand?
Did you seek
His help? Did you trust His Word?
Did He follow through? Did He
seem absurd?
The Spirit works in
mysterious ways,
His glorious splendor arrayed!
He is new every
morning for all of your days,
Through us His might is displayed!
***
Once Again
Once again the
Father wills,
In fact, He never fails.
He wills to Love us
through and through,
He loves to hear us sing.
Once again I’ve
had my fill
Of deep and mournful wails,
Yet by the night is day
made new,
Winter comes before spring.
Once again on lonely
hills
Creation itself hails,
And echoes praise to skies of
blue,
How worthy is the King!
Once again
harmonious trills,
(For darkness ne’er prevails,)
Pervade my
ever-widening view,
O death, where is thy sting?
Once again the
Father wills,
In fact, He never fails.
He wills to Love us
through and through,
He loves to hear us sing.
***
Jehovah-Jireh
Rustling wind—dead
leaves fall,
And despite my sin I have heard you call.
No
certainty, no purpose, no moral to uphold,
Just to rest and be
loved and made fit to Your mold.
Often I find these
sorrows deep within
Are self-inflicted, a result of our sin.
And
furthermore, so many times, I catch a glimpse of love,
And wonder
why this fleeting want invariably ends with a shove.
Come to my rescue,
show me Your glory,
Be my escape, unravel this
story!
Jehovah-Jireh, please do what You say,
My spirit, renew;
my fears, allay!
***
Ode of Praise
Father of peace,
Father of lights,
Author of Love, I give you my rights!
Search
me, O God, scour my heart,
Run me, dear God; I’ve done my part!
More than just words
on a piece of paper,
More than ink and water vapor,
Songs of
Love pouring forth,
Sweet testimony, there’s light to the north!
Lovely praise,
unfettered Joy,
These are not simply phrases and coy!
We open
our hearts, unfolding ourselves,
Accepting sweet rest, releasing
ourselves!
***
Progression
Sorrows bleed
through bandaged wounds,
Fear is beyond control.
Your Word of
life restores and tunes
My heart; I am whole.
Who would have
thought belief to be hard,
Who could have started this
lie?
Abandon not faith to keep under guard
Your soul; you must
try.
For God has given us
strength and love,
We cannot be stolen from Him!
God imputes
His mercy from above
To us; we are in Him!
***
Restoration
Rising with the
early dawn,
Towards the future I am drawn.
Giving up this
worthless hate,
Controlling my elusive fate.
I used to try to
live in dreams,
Disregard my kinsmens’ screams,
Hollow then I
found myself,
Consumed with all my power and pelf.
Chained to my
unrighteous anger,
Fed by strife and petty languor,
Ease my
life to Your control,
Making whole my heart and soul.
***
Renews and Rekindles
O Lord our God, Your
Name be praised
With words and song our lips cannot phrase!
We
join the chorus in Heaven above,
For You’ve shown mankind Your
unfailing love!
At times we let our
spirits dwindle,
But Your love, like a fire, renews and
rekindles.
Our hearts, once frozen as cold as stone,
Now kneel
and bow before Your Throne!
Our wisdom and
knowledge cannot express,
Why You’ve chosen to give us life and
breath.
The constant support of friends all around,
And Your
infinite power when all evil surrounds!
***
Re-Run
Now, I find myself
undone,
Feeling familiar like a re-run.
Words are coming slowly
now,
Words of worth explaining how
I cannot reach a common
ground
With all of those I’m found around.
Simply now I close
this rhyme.
Why add guilt onto crime?
***
Believe
Life is hard and
life is short,
Exhort, I say, therefore, exhort
Each other on
towards holiness.
Be about Christ’s business.
Maybe, somehow, all
along,
My love, my life, my simple song
Of hope will grow, has
grown again.
Has grown despite the law of sin.
“Peace I leave, my
peace I give,”
All of this that I may live
And glorify my
Father’s Name.
Lord of all and God the same.
***
Doubt
Sunlight falls upon
a page
Written and worn with words of defeat.
This man, who now
is locked in a cage
Has given up in silent retreat.
Mourning comes so
naturally!
Do I really have to change?
I’ve dwelt so long in
apathy.
Joyousness seems strange.
I’m giving in to
You, O Lord.
I’m trusting in Your Word.
I’m waiting for a
great reward,
Content with what I’ve heard.
***
The Ride Home From Mexicali, Day Two
Searching, Gazing,
Thoughtful Reflections,
Aside from the past, I have no
objections,
All that I had now seems to be lost,
Arresting
desires now cease to accost.
Something behind me,
forgotten somehow,
Something around me is not right now,
Something
before me—exciting before me!
Something inside me, hoping
peacefully.
Lovely Father, allow
me to praise You!
Help me to love and learn to trust You!
My
life for Your Glory—all to Your credit,
You knew I would trust
e’en before I had said it!
###
About the Author
David Andrew is a self-published author whose primary inspiration comes from his relationship with God. His goal in writing poetry is to encourage others to persevere through their current life circumstances and press in to knowing God. He currently lives in Roseville, CA, and is working towards his BA in Music.