Lord – Show Me the Way

Lord – You are my delight -
You are my righteousness -
You are the hope in my heart –

Oh guide me – Lord –
Make my path clear –
Your Word abides in me
My heart’s wrapped up in You
Diligently I seek Your face

 

Oh guide me – Lord –
Make my path clear –
 

I trust You – Jesus – Savior -
Lord – You only calm
My seas – Sing love to me
 
And guide me – Lord –
Make my path clear –
 
Direct my way like a Father
Leads a child along -
I wait for Your signal -
 
Oh guide me – Lord –
Make my path clear –
 
Guide me all the way –
Lord – Clear my path
For me – Thank You – Lord -

By Carol Ann Hoel © April 23, 2013

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Psalm 37:4-5 – (KJV) – Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

John 15:7 – (KJV) - If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

Hebrews 11:6 – (KJV) – But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Proverbs 3:5-6 – (KJV) – Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Springtime in My Heart

 

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Springtime in my heart – Lord –
Stirring breeze melts tedious freeze –
Your love like sun rays warms my heart –
My spirit leaps to treetop suites –
Love nest there waits –
In You I rest
Complete

By Carol Ann Hoel © March 6, 2013

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Song of Solomon 2:10-13 – The Bible – (KJV) – My beloved spoke, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; the fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 – The Bible (KJV) – To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

Resting in Times of Trial

During times of trial – LORD -
When help seems far away –
When the roaring of the lion  
Frightens me – and I need a place to rest –
You are here with me –
 
You hear me when I cry – LORD –
You speak Your words of comfort –
Yet I find myself running -
Times I should be resting in quiet expectation -
 You are here with me –
 
Why don’t you lift me out – LORD –
I know You can – but You don’t –
You say You have a purpose –
You tell me I can walk on the raging sea – if I want –
You are here with me –
 
I don’t want to walk on the sea –
Peace – be still – You say –
Rest in Me – I’m here –
I would carry you – if you’d wait for me – My Child -
Yes – You’re here with me -
 
I thank You – LORD – for Your presence
You are all I need –
Without You – I would die –
Only while I’m resting do I fully realize
You’re always here with me -

By Carol Ann Hoel © January 28, 2013

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Isaiah 43:2 – The Bible (KJV) – When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

Matthew 8:24-27 – The Bible (KJV) – And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.  But the men marveled, saying, what manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!

Matthew 14:24-31 – The Bible (KJV) – But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, it is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spoke unto them, saying, be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.  And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

Two Lives Entwined

Two lives entwined -
The younger
And the elder -
Forever friends -
For one believed
For the life
Of the other -
The elder for
The younger -
Forever two lives
Entwined by
Love – Defined
By necessity of
The younger -
Two lives entwined -
Friends – Forever
Walking with
Jesus – Savior and
LORD of both

By Carol Ann Hoel

Johannes and Ray – Went to Heaven 48 days apart.

My husband Johannes prayed continually for my son, beginning about two years ago. Johannes often checked with me on how Ray was doing. The report was almost always that Ray was suffering but trying to get out of his addiction and poverty. There was noticeable improvement in my son’s attitude during the last year of his life.

In a voicemail to me the day before his demise, Ray was making plans for his future. He expected to wake up, and wake up he did, but in the arms of Jesus.

My last conversations with my son were full of laughter and fun. Ray cooked the Thanksgiving Day dinner for his friends. He called me several times for instruction on how to prepare the turkey, how long to cook it, and how to prepare sweet potatoes, one of his favorite holiday dishes.

Ray apparently had contracted a virus that took him down rapidly. His kidneys, already compromised by years of drug abuse, were involved. How much toxicity the kidneys spewed into his system is not yet known.

Ray’s body gave out, but his spirit soars.  Ray wore two chains on his neck. One chain had a cross hanging from it, and the other was a pendant engraved with these words: Those that hope in the Lord will soar like the eagle, a paraphrased quote from Isaiah.

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Isaiah 40:31 – The Bible (NIV) – But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles…

Pieces of Me

Pieces of me
Floating in space
Like debris -
Pieces of me
Without a face
Falling free -
Pieces of me
Like debris
Land in sea

What to do
About you -

Pull yourself
Together -
You’ve become
Unglued -
Pull Yourself
Together -
Make another
You -

No can do -
Pieces lost -
No face
No future
No more me -

‘Til Jesus sees
Pieces of me -
Gathers them
Together -
Could it be
Another me -
No – the same -
But better -

There is none
Like You
LORD -
There is none
Like You -

I’m waiting
To see it
Happen -
LORD -
I’m waiting
To see it
Happen …

Carol Ann Hoel © December 17, 2012

(I lost my son on December 3, 2012, after losing my husband October 16, 2012. Grieving has started over. God gave me assurance that my son is with the Lord in Heaven. He was a believer since a child and had recently turned his life back to God. He wrestled with drug addiction. His struggle is over now.)

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Romans 8:28-39 – The Bible (KJV) – And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

2 Corinthians 4:8-11 – The Bible (KJV) – We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.

Face to Face – Snap

Face to face we stared at one another -
My furry counterpart and I – Through
Window glass – He or she outside –
While inside – aiming camera lens
Stood I – mystified

Having pulled up the blinds expecting
This long-tailed creature to run and hide
I could scarcely believe my eyes -
When it turned directly toward
The window glass and spied -

Spied me – My size so much greater
Than a squirrel – How could it think
To look me in the eye without a blink –
At once I knew – it had to know that I
Was forever locked inside -

I wondered what might happen if I
Were to give that window glass a tap –
Would my curious opponent at once decide
I’d found within the glass a gap –
A secret way to reach outside –

The thought had barely crossed my mind
When abruptly the creature’s demeanor changed –
As though it could read my mind – it leaped
Up and swiftly scampered away from me –
Though this portrait it left behind -

By Carol Ann Hoel © December 1, 2012

Believe in Me

How do I know I’m trusting you –
I’m resting – resting – resting –
Resting on your promises –
No sleepless nights
No tears – no fright

How do I know that You love me –
See Calvary – Calvary – Calvary –
See my nail-pierced palms -
Believe in Me
Believe in Me

By Carol Ann Hoel © November 29, 2012

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Philippians 4:6-7 – The Bible (NIV) – Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

John 3:16 – The Bible (NIV) - For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 14:1 – The Bible (NIV) – Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.