A Heart Full of Thanks

It was my last night at Istanbul,

It was the end of holiday season and the beginning of the New Year.

I was anxious to kick start the year with my grand plans.

Suddenly, the most unexpected happened,

I was abducted by terrorists and captured and put in

What seemed to look like a prison cell.

I was subjected to a daily routine of mindlessly waiting

To be set free from this living hell.

Suddenly, one day a light from a torch flashed against my window

It came on briefly flickered for a minute and went away.

Everyday the mysterious light would come and go the same way.

It became my window of hope.

When I became so sick and laid up in bed,

The mysterious light would shine all day.

The days rolled into months,every day was so very frustrating

The nightmare never seemed to end.

Finally after 9 months of agony,

My embassy finally got me free. 

I was so happy  to be alive  and  be back in my country, 

Reunited with family and friends and all those who supported me,

My heartfelt thanks and praises  to God.  

For his mysterious ways of  giving me hope,

In a foreign country by an unknown hand.

Thrash the Mountain

Deborah slowly made her way to the prison,

This was her routine for the past five and a half years.

Struggling to make ends meet,

And free her innocent son.

As painful as it was,

She did not give up hope.

On wards she continued day in and day out,

Believing God to open, her door of hope.

On her way home one day,

The  priest stopped her and said,

“Deborah tonight before you sleep, I want you to read this verse and pray,

Believe it with all your heart."

She read and reread the verse, and said to herself.

“I know you are able to, Yahweh,

It’s been, too many years now, I am fighting to move this mountain, I cannot do it anymore,

My body, mind and spirit has worn out, help me, please, "

She cried and laid her weary body to sleep.

Early morning she made her way to meet her son as usual,

There was a lot of commotion and cheerful voices, the lawyer was waiting for her with a huge crowd and with a  beaming smile,said,

“Deborah, you did it! ,your constant  perseverance and  petitions  has won the king’s favor, your son is now free by royal decree”!.

Tears of joy flowed down her cheeks,

With a voice constrained with emotion, and pointing her shaking hand, she pointed it upwards,

"It’s not me but HE,!" She sobbed,

She held the worn out paper with the verse and the lawyer read it out loud,

Douay-Rheims Bible: Isaiah 41:15

I have made thee as a new thrashing wain, with teeth like a saw: thou shall thrash the mountains, and break them in pieces: and shalt make the hills as chaff.

"Yes it’s Yahweh, indeed",he agreed.

"Its otherwise impossible  for your son to be suddenly set free.",he said.

And they all rejoiced with her.

  

Through it All

Through it all, Lord you stood by me,

Through it all Lord you were on my side.

Covering my hand with your mighty one,

With your sweet angels by my bed side.

It was a battle for my destiny,

It was a battle for my dreams,

And most of all, it was a battle for my life!

We marched on together,

The Holy Spirit, Angels and I,

With a swift stroke,

The blood sucking demon died.

"She is restored, she is well!",

Her well wishers cried!

She looked at them and smiled.

“What else did you expect, you fools!

When the son of God is by my side!

The Diary

Emma had just returned to her childhood home,

It was 25 years ago since she had left the town.

Looking through the attic she found her old diary,

The year read 1942 a year of her love story.

As she read through the pages she began to sob,

The emotions and pain of yesterday engulfed her heart.

She was dating Peter then who was a Jew,

Because of which she was humiliated too.

They put false charges and asked her to leave,

Her school, her town and her country.

Peter she knew was shot dead as was the case of all the Jews then.

With eyes red from weeping and her heart contrite with pain.

She closed her eyes and prayed to the Lord,

"O Master!  Just this once I beg of you, to let me see them all once again."!

The verse in the bible came to brain, that the good Lord would grant the desires of her heart.

She became peaceful once again.

The door bell rang

A bunch of beautiful ladies all her age threw themselves at her.

Their shapes had changed but their faces all remained the same.

"Emma, we came to know you are visiting, we are your friends from school!," they exclaimed

They laughed and chatted all the way,

So many things to catch up and say.

They reached the premises of her old beloved school,

The old majestic structure stood the same as it did 25 years ago.

It feels like I am coming "Home" Emma thought to herself again and again. 

The teachers and principal who taught her then,

Were all present to greet her once again.

They apologized for what they had done to her,

Out of their ignorance and spite please forgive us they cried.

They all hugged and cried as one.

"Thank you beloved Father", she whispered to the sky.

“For healing my wound made 25 years ago and granting my wish  

To see my beloved school mates once again!"

A Harvest of Praise

Old Chuang was preparing his altar

Banging away at it with all his heart.

It was a harvest time,

And he was getting ready to offer God

His harvest of praise!

His wife looked shocked!

“Your crops failed and you are giving God praise”? She asked

“Yes”, he said,” this past year when my crops refused to grow,

When what I watered and took care never gave birth,

My belief in myself and my God was so shaken,

This God who knew the pain I went through to pick up my dream land in my old age.

 How could he let me pick a barren land?

 A land that will yield no fruit.

The Lord then spoke to my aching heart one day.

                  It  is  not the one who plants or the one who waters the soil who makes the  seed grow. It is the Lord himself !

The seeds which I planted were the seeds of doubt,

What I am harvesting today is a harvest of praise!

For my God is the author and the finisher of my faith.”

Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor of the olive may fail,
And the fields yield no food;
Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,
And there be no herd in the stalls—

Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.

The Lord God is my strength;
He will make my feet like deer’s feet,
And He will make me walk on my high hills.

To the Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments.

Habakkuk 3:17-19 NKJV

 

The Cross

A burdened young lady

To tired to walk,

With a load on her head,

And one on her back.

The pain in her heart which never subsided,

 She was both widowed and orphaned. 

Made her way through the hilly region completely lost

Till she found herself in a quite grove with the cross of God.

She came near and found in bold letters the words which read

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Mathew 11.28 NIV

Strange she said those are the very words I need.

Tired, she dozed off to sleep.

Oh! How beautiful were her dreams,

Thinking of yester year,

Of parents, home, husband and laughter.

Now she was left alone to fend for herself and the children.

She found her way back home in the dark

And lo to her surprise, the children were jumping with laughter. 

Their father who had vanished was home and back.

Shocked with surprise ,

It was so unbelievable.

The love of her life was sobbing forgiveness!

Lost in glee with the sudden turn of events 

When in came a messenger and asked her to hurry!

Her rich father who was old  and on his deathbed,

Wanted to made amends before he left for the dead,

Hugging her and begging forgiveness.

Gave her his home and all his earthly possessions.

She was so overwhelmed and couldn’t comprehend,

The miracles which was happening to her this evening.

And then it came back to her,

The words on the cross,

With tears in her eyes,

She said a silent prayer.

If I had only known for all these many years.

I wouldn’t have carried my burdens alone,

And to the night sky,

She gently whispered.

Thank you Jesus, you are the best!

All is Well!

When my heart is beating fast,

And anxiety is flooding my soul,

When worry is clouding my thoughts,

The Holy Spirit whispers “All is Well”.


Like raindrops to the parched ground,

So is your word O God,

Releasing us instantly from all our fears.

Filling us with the assurance ,

That you O God are there in our situation.


The walls around my mind

Which failed to see,

All that you promised is

For me,

I cried and yelled and shouted out aloud,

Till I could no longer take

The hopeless situation I found myself in.


It took a man of God

To show me Your word,

That my God will grant me all that I requested,

He is in control and He knows what's good for me,

So what am I shouting about?

He knows all about me.


My worries and problems are

No longer mine alone.

He quietly reminds me,

He is still on the throne.

Come what may He is there,

So all I can say

Is All is well!!