Worthy of Praise #NaPoWriMo2017 #GloPoWriMo2017

Calling to the Lord, most worthy of praise
He gave me a new song, a hymn of praise

Praise the Lord, my soul, enthroned Holy One
To your holy name be eternal praise

All my inmost being, will sing and rejoice
Unseal my lips, Lord, to declare your praise

All praise the Lord, you his faithful people
Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise,

Shout for joy to the Lord, shout all the earth
Rejoice and sing to him a psalm of praise

Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous people
In glory of his name, make raucous praise

He holds keys to your hearts, by faith unlocked
Let all generations proclaim his praise

The NaPoWriMo.net official prompt for Day 13 of Na/GloPoWriMo2017 is to write a ghazal. The form was originally developed in Arabic and Persian poetry, but has become increasingly used in English, after being popularized by poets including Agha Shahid Ali. A ghazal is formed of couplets, each of which is its own complete statement. Both lined of the first couplet end with the same phrae or end-word, and that end-word is also repeated at the end of each couplet. If you’re really feeling inspired, you can also attempt to incorporate internal rhymes and a reference to your own name in the final couplet.
NaPoWriMo.net

Name Above All Names #NaPoWriMo2017 #GloPoWriMo2017

Alpha and Omega
Bread of Life
Chief Cornerstone
Good Shepherd
High Priest
Immanuel
King of Kings
Lamb of God
Messiah
Redeemer
Saviour
True Vine
Wonderful Counsellor

Jesus, Name above all Names

On Day 6 of Na/GloPoWriMo the official prompt at NaPoWriMo.net is to write a poem that looks at the same thing from various points of view, citing as an example the most famous poem of this type probably being Wallace Stevens’ “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird”.

His Territory

Self-imposed exiles,
Slaves held in captivity,
Your King sets you free;
Our hearts are his territory –
He bids come beside His throne

written in response to today’s prompt at The Daily Posttoday’s prompt at The Daily Post

All Hail the King!

There will be a day
Each and ev’ry knee shall bow –
Hail the risen King!

written in response to this week’s RonovanWrites Weekly Haiku Poetry Prompt Challenge #139 – “King” and “Day”

Since Ancient Times

No eye has yet seen,
Nor ear ever truly heard,
Nor mind understood –
Save by the Holy Spirit –
The full glory of the Lord

written in response to today’s prompt at The Daily Post, and inspired by Isaiah 64:4 and 1 Corinthians 2:9

One Day with my Lord

O Lord Almighty,
Blessed is the one who trusts in you!
Blessed are those who dwell in your house:
They are ever praising you!
How lovely is your dwelling place, my Lord Almighty!
For better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere!

My soul yearns, even faints,
For the courts of the Lord;
My heart and flesh
Cry out for the living God!
Hear my praise, Lord God Almighty;
listen to me, God of Jacob:
Better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere!

For the Lord my God is a sun and shield;
He bestows favour and honour –
No good thing does he withhold
from those whose walk is blameless!
Hear my prayer, Lord God Almighty;
listen to me, God of Jacob.
For better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere!

– adapted from Psalm 84 for my 1000th post

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream #NaPoWriMo2016 #GloPoWriMo2016

Today’s Na/GloPoWriMo2016 challenge – to write a poem with l..o..n..g lines (17 syllables!). Goodbye comfort zone.

In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had troubling dreams;
He summoned magicians and sorcerers, “I want to know what it means”
“Tell me my dream and interpret, or it shall be the worse for you all”
“What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal but the gods!”

The decree was issued: ‘put the wise men to death’, men sent out to obey
The commander found Daniel and his friends, and heard what he had to say;
Pleading for mercy from almighty God concerning this mystery,
During the night, all was revealed so that Daniel was able to see.

The king dreamed an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance,
A head of pure gold, chest and arms of silver, belly and thighs of bronze,
Its legs cast in iron, feet a mixture partly of iron and baked clay;
And as the king watched, a rock was cut out, but not by the art of man.

It struck and smashed the statue’s feet, and the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold
Were broken to pieces and became like chaff on a threshing room floor.
The wind swept all of the elements away without leaving a trace,
And the hewn rock became a huge mountain which filled all corners of Earth.

“Your Majesty, you are the head of gold, with dominion and power;
After you, other kingdoms will arise, but they shall come and then go
But in that time, God will set up a kingdom never to be destroyed,
It will bring all other kingdoms to an end, and endure forever.”

God showed the king what would be: true dream, trustworthy interpretation.

– Daniel 2

‘Hallelujah’ – Ben Cantelon

Be high and lifted up
Jesus
It’s You we glorify
It’s You we’re lifting high
Your Name be glorified

In His Name

There is power in the Name,
Power in the Name of Jesus;
I will worship His Name,
Worship the Name of Jesus.

Spirit of indifference,
I name you;
Lord Jesus make me
A vessel of Your love.

Spirit of despondence,
I name you;
Lord Jesus give me
An overflow of joy

Spirit of anger,
I name you;
Lord Jesus make me
A channel of Your peace.

Spirits of anxiety and haste,
I name you;
Lord Jesus give me
Patience to wait on Your time.

Spirit of spite,
I name you;
Lord Jesus let me show
The kindness you have shown me.

Spirit of selfishness,
I name you;
Lord Jesus let evermore,
Your goodness shine in me.

Spirits of harshness, and insensitivity,
I name you;
Lord Jesus give me Your
Voice and heart of pure gentleness.

Spirit of indiscipline,
I name you;
Lord Jesus give me
Self-control to keep your Word and ways;

Jesus, freely you have given,
Freely I pray I shall receive
And by my fruits, and for your glory,
Let You be known, always.

There is Power in His Name

Your ‘power’ is fleeting
Fallen angel, deceiver;
Your ambition was flawed,
Your name is cursed;
The Lord Jesus has crushed you,
Though you struck at His heel:
His blood has bought blood,
His death has brought life,
His victory is securely won.
Get behind me, Satan!
There is no foothold for you here!
For the Lord of Lords,
And the Prince of Peace,
Reigns over me forever;
Though the Earth be yours,
While the sands of time fall,
I am here, but not of it,
My soul is not bound by time,
And the only power holding me
Is the name of Jesus Christ.