[i] My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
Oh God
How real You are
Your very absence proves it
When in former days my soul
Understood by closeness
Now it understands by distance
A breach
By disobedience
Created a gulf
A separation
Repentance
As reflex
How could I not
And forgiveness
Painful
That it needed to be sought
Your grace is sufficient
Yet presumption?
No, be it far from me
Can I assuage
My guilt
By dishonest gain
By being swayed
Even with that
Which is true
Who is it that saves?
Who is it that restores?
Who is it that speaks?
Who is it that ...
Is Sovereign
And dictates
Surroundings
And circumstance
Who creates
And changes
The very atmosphere
It is not abstract
Do we not know
Both Your Presence
As Your absence?
Do we not know change
In the seasons
In nature
And in Your movements
Through Your people
Who are called by Your Name
Last week
And yesterdays dealings
And importance
Seems far removed
But not the lessons
And the questions come
By a breach
An interruption
A signal failure
Sin
It cannot be retracted
And the accuser stands
Accusing
I know it
My soul knows it
It is my offense
Against Thee
And shall I
Be offended?
That there be
Silence?
Or the noise
Of the enemy
Shall over run
And over take me?
What good is the
Advice of a liar
Who can still on occasion
Speak the truth
Twisted as it may be
And for selfish motive
To drag back to destruction
To draw back to perdition
To appeal to the passing pleasures of sin
To accuse by facts?
To tattle on and to
Him who knows it already
Who knows all men
Surely this is but
Barking up the wrong tree
And so I was and am
Inconsolable
Not without hope
Nor by accusation
I will not even judge myself
For it is by poor judgment
It is unfathomable
To latch on to excuse
Or cast towards blame
My soul knows it
The Lord knows it
I will wait
On the Lord
And wait forever
For You alone
O LORD God of Israel,
Thou art righteous:
For we remain yet escaped,
As it is this day:
Behold, we are before thee in our trespasses:
For we cannot stand before thee because of this.
And I know this as well
That You will not cast off forever
For transgression
That is repented
Such a love
The world does not know
Nor does it understand
Though all day long
You hold forth Thy hands