Theopoiímata

Michael Chase
 Theopoiímata —
poems and psalms to God

© 2011 Michael Chase

In You 1

O God, my God,

how I love to watch the beauty of Your creation.

The passage of a brilliant sunset,

the quiet play of the breeze rustling the leaves.

The joy and uncertainty of a toddler looking up into her first raindrops.

O Lord, I praise Thy name!

Your greatness extends to the next generation
As we sing and share of Your glory and Your majesty.

You hear our praise, and our prayers rise up before You.
When our hearts are grieved, our cry falls upon Your ear.
You do not leave us when we fail to remember You,

when we slip and sin against You.

Your Son, our Savior, is our hope and our salvation,
You have not left us without a voice to speak before You.

The Lord Jesus is my strength and my shield.

In Him I trust him with all my heart.

He fills my heart with joy
and I can't help but break out in songs of praise.
O God, Your love is all around me and in me,

keep my mind and my heart on You and Your unfailing love.

When my mind is troubled,

when the worries of this life pull me down,

You, O God, hear my prayer;

You teach me to trust in Your unfailing love!

You, O God, are sovereign still, always and ever sovereign.

May I find my life in You alone.
Unfailing One 2

You, O God, are the eternal King, with or without my consent.

You are King whether I acknowledge You;

even when ignore You.

You are King and will always be King,

and on that Day all mankind will bow before You

and acknowledge You as King –

even if those who do not want too – they will.
May I never cease to tell of Your judgements,

so that those who hear will have no excuse.

For that which honors God and God loves to honor is obedience.
My heart is broken before You.

The hammer You have swung by the Spirit to convict my heart,

is much more powerful than any words
of man or angel.

The rule of God is available for anyone to accept...

yet You have given each the right to refuse to surrender.

I love you, my Lord, my God — You make me strong.
You are the granite crust beneath my feet,
You are the fortress around me,

the One who rescues me.

You are the great high place where I find my safety,

safe in Your granite refuge.

Your unfailing love is higher than the heavens.

Your faithfulness reaches to the ends of the stars.

Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens.
My Rest 3

I take rest in You, my Refuge,

I am always in Your arms;

Remind me today to keep my thoughts on You,

in the knowledge of Your faithfulness,

For You are always faithful,

even when we are not.

Your ways and Your plans
are far beyond my feeble ability to comprehend.

Unlike men who cannot see beyond the moment,

who put their hope in luck, who trust in their sight.
Coincidence, luck and karma are not how God deals with us —

His will is not moved by our foolishness.

God's planning sees far beyond our vision.
He sees all things in the past, the present,

and throughout the future eternity.

My rest is in Him. My hope is in Him. My faith is in His grace.

I ask God for one thing, only one thing:
To live with Him in His house my whole life long.
Me Again 4

Here I am again, Lord.

Once more I have let You down.

How many times can I keep coming back like this,

like a dog with my tail between my legs?

If I thought that this would end,

my whole outlook on life would change.

But, here I am again,
seeking to be pure and whole again.

Hold me in Your mercy,

clothe me with grace.
Cover up my sin.

Wash it clean in Jesus.

And in Your hand protect me.
In the hand that will not let me go.
Craving Faith 5

Where can I turn but to You, O my God Almighty?

When my worries eat at me like a cancer in my bones --

I cry out to You in despair and doubt,

wondering if You even care.

Surely You hear,

but my mind would say that You do not answer.

Build up my faith that I might trust in You alone.
You have kept me through all that has gone before,

I know that it is true.

Build up my faith that I might not doubt,
for doubt is easy and ready at my side.

Build up my faith that I might believe,

and strengthen me in my unbelief.
Build up my faith that I might not need all the answers,

even though answers are what I crave.

May I crave to be filled with You,

with Your Holy Spirit to renew me daily;
and for Your Son to shine in and through me.
Where can I turn but to my God?

You are my ever-present friend,

my lover and my hope.
Singing 6

Lord, in Your presence, I sing,

to You alone, I bring,

All that I am, and hope to be,

accept it as an offering.

For Your glory is all consuming

in the honor and praise of You,

Cleanse me fom my sin,
wash me once again.

Jesus gave me everthing,

I need to be with You.
Help me not to seek

my own way in my life.

Keep my feet from wandering,
I'm prone to going alone,

I want to daily live

singing in Your presence.
Wreck 7

Open my eyes, Lord,

that I may see what You have done.

Open my eyes, Lord,

that I may see the things only You can do.

My eyes have grown weary with pain,

the pain of living with my sin and shame.

Today, I feel so worn out,
tired of being a failure.

Discouragement dogs my steps,

because my eyes are set on things
of this life and of this world.

I saw myself lying out on a hillside.

A rusting wreck of a truck.
Hood up,

with a tree growing out of an empty hole.

Unable to move,
rotting away.
And yet, I hear Your voice say,
"You are mine. I have made you new."

Open my eyes, Lord.

I want so desperately to see what You see.

To see my life as You see me.

Loved. Reborn. Redeemed.

May I lift up my eyes from the hills,

and see the glory of the Risen Lord.
Singing II 8

As I enter into Your sanctuary,

as the songs of the redeemed echo in my heart

My eyes pour forth tears of praise to Your name;

You, O my God, are glorious above all others.

You alone, are God above,

there is no god like You.

You hear and You answer;

You are not an idol made by the hands of a man.

You are not a panacea to make our days tolerable;

You have always been and always will be.

You are God,

lead me into Your presence;

lead me into Your sanctuary;

lead me in the praises of Your people.

Your love brings me to my knees,

as I come by the blood of Jesus.

I praise You for Your unfailing love.

Change 9

My God is with me...

why should I fear?

Well, I am afraid.

Scared of the unknown, of change.

Change can be a good day.

Change can be that bad day.

We all have them...
They happen to us all.

The good and the bad... they force us to change.

And change, is my best friend.
And my worst enemy.

God is much more interested in my bad days.

He wants to know how I deal with them,
do I slug it out alone?

Do I run to Him for help?

He is always there.
He is never late... nor will He ever be.
He wants to use the change, the pain, the struggle.
He wants me to grow, to blossom under His care.

Sometimes we get inspired by our bad days,

Inspired by the God who loves us.

I will always praise His name.

He carries me through, and He never fails!
Blessed be the name of the Lord.
Real 10

I don't want to be a facade...

fake, phony, false.

Most of all I want to be real,

especially with You.

You know me as I am,

but You want me to face You,

as I am,
and what I am is often...

afraid, ashamed and alone.

What can I hope to gain by faking it for Jesus...
when You reserved Your harshest words for the phonies?

If I am only faking this life I live...

is it nothing more than fantasy? You have made me to be Your goodness.

Do I really believe? You, who are always faithful,

Is faking it, in reality, having false faith? have taken me, the unfaithful one,

I really, really want to be real. and instilled within me a faithful heart,

Your grace is here to make me real. a heart like Yours.

In Your grace I need not be afraid. And in that heart,

I can dance... and with that heart,

I can sing... I will always praise You,

I can be free to be me. for You are good, and

You have no desire for me You have loved me with Your unfailing love.

to slave at being good enough. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

In Your Son, In Jesus, May Your name be glorified,

You have made me good enough. for You alone are holy and good!
Choose Life 11

I watched my niece go down,

under the water dying to sin.
And then, in a moment,
that which was dead and buried,
Broke the surface and new life was here.
Joy was the emotion of the moment...
for all but her six year old.
She was crying, trembling...
what she had seen was frightening.
She wasn't able to connect the act
with the result.
The truth that her mommy needed to die to live,
made no sense.
Her innocence should make us take stock.
The day will come where she too,
must make this choice.
The capability to sin...
the possibility or probability...
is different than the commission of sin.
The problem may well be this...
we would like to make a way where we know of no way.
No matter whether we like it or not,
there comes a time when all our children are lost.
They come to a point in life where they need Jesus.
All my good intentions, my protections, my protestations,
fall on deaf ears.
My offspring are sinners in need of a Savior.
They must by the very nature of God’s good will...
make a decision of their own making...
they must choose Jesus... by faith...
of their own will... they must die.
And fall on the grace of God.
Early In the Morning 12

Early in the morning,

as I come before Your face;

I look into the sky,

and address my praise to You.

As the dawning light

moves upon a shadowed land.

Your unfailing love
shines on my heart once more.

May I ever find my place

before You on my knees.

May Your praise

be always on my lips.
May I never cease to tell

of Your unfailing love.

Early in the morning,

as I kneel before You Lord;
I speak of all that You are,

and confess how indescribable;

How beyond our imagination,

are Your ways.

Lord, You are holy,

and the One who cleanses me.

Forgiveness 13

Father, when I consider all that You have done,

it would be easy to think that I am

insignificant to You.

And yet, Father, You are always with me;

You never let me down,

You always hold me up.

My praise to You does not begin to cover
all the blessings You have lavished on me.

Father, Your love and forgiveness,

encompass all that I have done.
Your forgiveness far exceeds

my feeble ability to comprehend.

And Father, in Your Son, my Savior Jesus,
You have chosen not to hold my sin against me;

You have washed me and taken my sins away.

Remind me Father, that my feelings

have nothing to do with my forgiveness,
what is real is what You say about it.
Father, help me,

to not go back to the way I was,

Help me to turn a deaf ear to the evil one,

When he accuses me of my past,

and of my shortcomings and sins of today.

May I find rest in Christ alone,

in the knowledge that truly

Your grace is sufficient for this day.
Meditating 14

One to dance...
I watched a man in the park.
One to play...
A large circular bed of flowers,
One to teach...
was surrounded by a larger concrete apron.
One to stand — rooted to the ground...
And he walked around and around
One in death.
that circle.
In their midst...
Like the hands on a clock,
a shallow pool,
he went round and round.
reflecting... moving... contained.
Occasionally he would stop,
In time rocks crumble.
and sometimes he would sit —
Plants wither away.
only to get back up again and
Water evaporates.
resume his rounds.
Statues fall.
Why? Why do we continue
One day all this will be gone.
to go round and round?
What remains?
What prompts a man to pace without end?
Only that which has been set free.
Habit? Torment? Uncertainty? Lost?
Free from the endless cycle of a terminal existence.
Was this his answer to life?
Free from the bonds of created space and time.
You just go round and round
Free to be one with the Creator.
until you finally stop.
He is enough.
What is life -- if this is all it is?
He gives my life direction.
In the center of the park,
He sets me free... free to really live.
nestled in the midst of granite boulders,
I kneel before the Maker of the heavens and the earth;
towering evergreens, clumps of bushes,
Lord, as you give me life and breath,
and a profusion of flowers...
give me the strength to follow You.
Five female statues stand...
Let me drink deep from Your living water,
silent... rigid... lifeless... Let me find myself in You.
Illuminate 15

Let me hear Your voice in the quiet,

when I seek You in the solace of my heart.

Cut away the decay and deceit,

that what remains is Yours to command.

Almighty One, what a wonder You are.

In Your grace I live, keep me from wandering.

Like a flash of lightning in the night sky,

and I wait for the clap of thunder…

I see the moving of Your hand,

and I wait to hear Your Spirit speak…

Knowing that what You have for me is more illuminating

than a thousand flashes in the night.

I see Your handiwork in the mountains,

the gentle touch of the morning dew,

The ferocious path of an avalanche,

the boulders strewn by frost and ice.

And yet You spend Your time with me,

to guide, correct and love.

Lord, let me see Your majesty,

let me hear Your voice,

Let me know that You are mine,

as surely as I am Yours.

Let me not forget the price You paid,

to make a sinner pure.

Living Water 16

Living here is so dry —

sucks the very life away;

God, it’s making me so thirsty.

The winds of hate and anger

blow through and around me.

Temptation bears down

like the hot summer sun.

Sin lies at my feet to drag me

down in the dust and ashes of failed living.

Why so downcast,

O my soul?

Look to God and live!

Why so dry and thirsty,

O my soul?

Come to Jesus and drink

deeply from His living stream.

Refresh me, restore me,

never let me thirst.

You alone, O God can make

the water flow where there is no water.

You alone, O God can pour

forth water from the solid rock!

You give the gift

of the water of Life!

Mercy Sings 17

I need Your mercy,

to give me all Your

forgiveness.

I want to lift You higher,

I want to sing Your praises,

in the choir,

In Your presence.
Break Me 18

Break me of my selfish need

for everything to be on my time.

Keep my thoughts on You;

not on the frustrations

of that which I can’t control.

Let me relax in the consistency

of Your presence.

Let me see that this moment,

is not the end of all things.

Break me of my selfish need

for everything to be on my time.

Keep my thoughts on You;

not on that which I can’t control.

Let me relax in

Your unchanging presence.

Let me see that this moment,

is not the end of all things.

Circle Cycle 19

Going round and round...

the cycle of sin in my life.

When I am in that circle,

You never forsake me;

My sin is atoned for,

You are still my Savior;

You are still my God,
You are still my Father.