An Illustration Of Sin

I saw a picture of two persons oblivious to their surroundings. Behind them, a wave of tremendous power was approaching, towering frighteningly over them. What could have better illustrated our blindness to sin? I then imagined an image of God there beside them, His hand stretched out toward them. I wrote this very simple poem to remember this picture.


Human

Our wills are resolute, our faces straight.
Our hearts are hardened in this charade.

But the waves are high, the forces strong.
His face is there, the master of wrong.

He lurks in the darkness where we cannot see.
By the time we know, we cannot flee.


God

"My feet are rooted into the ground.
I am here, my balance is sound."

"My grasp is firm, my grip secure.
I am here, I am your cure."

"Hold my hand, your wounds will be healed.
Cling to me, your life will be filled."


Human

My ears are deaf, I hear you not.
Now by this storm, I will be caught.

Help me to hear, and build my faith.
Help me to trust that you'll keep me safe.

I hear your voice, I hear you call.
Lord, hold my hand, do not let me fall.


Johnston

Les Miserables - On My Own

Eponine

And now I'm all alone again, nowhere to turn, no one to go to
Without a home, without a friend, without a face to say hello to
And now the night is near
Now I can make believe he's here

Sometimes I walk alone at night when everybody else is sleeping
I think of him and then I'm happy with the company I'm keeping
The city goes to bed
And I can live inside my head

On my own
Pretending he's beside me
All alone
I walk with him till morning
Without him
I feel his arms around me
And when I lose my way, I close my eyes and he has found me

In the rain
The pavement shines like silver
All the lights
Are misty in the river
In the darkness
The trees are full of starlight
And all I see is him and me forever and forever

And I know it's only in my mind
That I'm talking to myself and not to him
And although I know that he is blind
Still I say there's a way for us

I love him
But when the night is over
He is gone
The river's just a river
Without him
The world around me changes
The trees are bare and everywhere the streets are full of strangers

I love him
But everyday I'm learning
All my life
I've only been pretending
Without me
His world will go on turning
The world is full of happiness that I have never known

A Prayer For Faith

In the book of Habakkuk, Habakkuk questions God firstly of why the unrighteous of Judah go unpunished. God brings into revelation that He will raise the Babylonians against Israel. Habakkuk then questions of why God would allow an ungodly people to inflict suffering upon a godly people. The answer was that all would be judged, Judah, Babylon, and all else. Though, the righteous would live by their faith, even if they got caught up in the conflict. Yet even amidst these trialing times, Habakkuk concluded it all with a powerful confession of faith.

Habakkuk 3
17 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.
19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength, he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.

And so I pray that when my life is covered in the shadows of trouble and hardship, I will quiet my turbulent soul amidst my focusing on the Lord who is my redeeming light. I pray for faith. That should the malevolent of the world cloud me with confusion and the ones I hold dear decline to intervene, that should I fail realise reality and my sanity coalesce with delusion, that should I tread the paths of darkness and light should shine no more. That I should know that the Lord is Master of my life and Keeper of my soul. So that when my life is no longer filled with goodness, I will trust in His plan for me and follow Him till I die.

Johnston

1 Peter 5:6-10

6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time.
7 Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.
8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the Devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
10 And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

a longing of a dream

Her words unsettle me. Her presence flusters me. I have heard little of her voice, and seen little of her face. Yet she bothers my thoughts on a daily basis. She is always the theme within my dreams. I am a simpleton, to seek what I know nothing of. Is there a word greater than naive? Or a word that means double of foolish? Then I must be these things. For I cannot forget her. She is always at the corners of my eyes, whether the lids are open or closed. She is the genre and discourse of my life. What a struggle it is to control my pain! I relish just so many things. To see her again, be it in time or in haste. To settle my palm upon her pretty face. To hear her sweet voice sound and mellow my heart. To give her my all whether in whole or in part. Let her ask, and I shall come. I long for that better day.

Notsnhoj

Climbing Out Of Filth

I am a criminal and a law-breaker. I have displayed disdain for what is good. My words are not here to defend me, but to expose me. I have shown utter contempt for cleanliness, and thrown myself into filth. The slime is slippery. The grime is sticky. I yearn to climb out of this unwholesomeness. Yet how do I accomplish such a feat? I am not Achilles, nor be I Alexander. I am Johnston, small and insignificant. I wish for fresh air and the cleansing light. I want to lean on the strength of the Lord. Father, please help me so. Teach me so.

Johnston