Am I Listening?

I cannot explain
This emptiness, this pain
I long for Your presence
But feel it has left me

I feel so hollow
So alone, by myself
I’m hurting, dear Lord
And Your Word seems so distant

I read; but nothing is planted
I see words; but they allude me
I hear hymns; but they are for others
I need You, dear Lord, forgive me

Into tribulation we fall
Bringeth patience and
Experience that we might hope
Oh the love of God
To us You have given
Freely, freely
The gift of all time
Lord help me
To stop handing it
Handing it back to Thee
Oh! May my heart be joyful
And graciously accept grace
You have given Your life
Manifest in me

You have promised never to leave me
You have promised to always protect me
Rain down Your healing, Lord
Wash me afresh
I know I can never be clean enough
Looking through my eyes
Your eyes are pure, and Your light is golden
It shines through my heart
In which Your dear Son is hidden
It’s not me, I can do nothing
To enter Your Kingdom
I surrender my all, to You, my all is given

© 2013 – present Liana Wendy Howarth

I Wait and Wait … and Wait

I wait.

For an answer.

To prayer.

The path before me divides.

Which path to take?

I have lifted the need in prayer.

I could go forward.

But I will sit.

And wait.

And trust.

A door will be opened.

In His time.

In His time only.

Just trust.

So I wait.

But Lord ….

I need the answer now.

I don’t have the time to wait.

Something has to be done now!

But still I sit.

And wait.

And wait.

Then one day  ….

A different solution arrives.

It’s easier.

It answers my problem.

And I didn’t have to do a thing.

Just trust.

And wait.

And not take the problem out of His hands.

It’s done!

All I did was wait.

And watch.

And believe.

And wait.

An answer always comes.

And it’s always the best for me.

Because He loves me.

And I love Him.

********

From “Fragrance from the Spring”

WAITING

“Wait on the Lord

Again I say wait.

In Christ, we find patience

To wait on the Lord

 

Onward Christian soldier

Nearer to Him we be

 

Tell the brokenhearted

He died for you and me

Ever faithful, everlasting

 

Lord, in Your radiance we live

On Your promises we believe

Render to each a measure of faith

Dearly beloved, a treasure to Thee”

 

His Death, Our Life

Pierced by hatred
Pierced by thorns
Crowned with pain
He died for all

Unrelenting agony
Suffered He for us
Torn, jagged flesh
Whipped with cruel bone

Life, it left Him
Emptying, abandoning
Covering every sin upon Him
Crimson, yet spotless, He bled for me

Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide
In bondage to those nails
A prisoner; but free
Fulfilling the will of the Father

May we never cease to cherish
That cherished moment
When He cried, “It is finished”
Glory to God in Heaven, forever shall be

Aiming Higher

Let   …   the   …    Son   …    be   …    your   …    goal.

His Masterpiece, the Colours of Emotion

Velvet pink through powder blue
Brings me back to thoughts of You
Shades of orange to poppy red
Fragments of a night-time shed

Scattered pearls of deepest iris
Foliage laced with blossom fragrance, ‘tis
Everything I in awe witness
The Artist’s masterpiece of lovingkindness

Lemon hues and orange crème
Woven with a sparrow’s dream
Silvery grey washes all away
And so, the beginning of a brand new day

The clouds roll in and cast their shadow
And my heart senses the ebb of sweet brightness go
Yet behind the heavenly sunless sky
My Saviour watches, I know He is nigh

So when the palette of my life, it fades
And each stroke of His brush, it lovingly raids
The very core of this, my believing heart
I look beyond the grey and embrace His divine art

© 2013 – present Liana Wendy Howarth

The Unfulfilled Rose – Sadness as Blossoms Fall and Lie in Falling Tears

A little something I wrote six years ago:-

Over the last week or so, I have been peering out of our bay window on waking, to see my beautiful ‘English Rose’ blossoming before my very eyes and being in awe, once again, of the perfect work of my Lord and Saviour. This is one of two David Austin roses that I recently bought and I was so excited to see the finished rose.

We’ve been having soft; but steady rain for quite a while now and the rose continued to break forth and grasp as much sunlight as possible.

Words cannot describe this gorgeous bloom laced with scent from heaven.

Sadly, the rain was bruising the underside (sorry I’m not technical in botanical terms).

But each morning brought with it another stunning image.

Really starting to open up now. I’m in love.

So many petals on one sweet flower and the colour, divine.

But the rain was taking its toll on the dear, little one.

And this morning I awoke to a broken sight.

My heart broke. Perfection, beauty lay fallen upon the ground.

The creaminess had become a soft shade of lemon. Crushed. Compacted in pain.

This is all that remains. Remnants of torn petals for which I feel much sadness and yes, guilt.

For you see, a few days ago, I took the damaged petals from the rose. I had to tear them off. I feel that I have in some way contributed to the rose’s demise. It was unable to hold all of heaven’s tears and unable to take it any longer, it just gave up and surrendered to what it knew it couldn’t control.

I had even written a poem :-

“Such a silly thing I did today

I tried to take imperfection away

I prayed the Lord, He wouldn’t take

The beauty of the rose at stake”

But by tearing away what I thought was something that was marring its beauty, was in reality actually holding it’s very existence together.

Yes, I know there will be some of you that think I am totally exaggerating; but I see amazing stories and spiritual truths in God’s creation and being able to capture them with the camera is a blessing.

We grow stronger with our trials. With pain. With tears. With anything that makes us feel like we can’t go on.

Jesus is the only One who can hold us together.

Tearing Him from our lives is devastating.

Maybe not now.

But one day.

God bless all who read this.

Challenge Me

Challenge me, dear Lord, to never let You go
Challenge me, dear Lord, my love to always show
When all and everything around me abandons my need and is lost
Draw me dearest Father, nearer to Thee, at all cost

For You paid an excruciating price for me
When Your Son hung so majestically upon that precious tree
Majestic in Your power and in eternal aim
For me to live, He endured such unimaginable pain

Challenge and convict my oft backsliding heart
So that nothing in this world will ever tear us apart
And together eternally, we shall always be
Send Your warmth to melt, mend, to reshape me

Father, please challenge, challenge me

© 2012 – present Liana Wendy Howarth

A PERSONAL QUESTION AND HOPEFUL RESPONSE

Will it be
That I
Will be
Left Behind
In life’s shadow
Where birds
No longer sing
And the breeze
Brings no refreshment
Where darkness
Only reigns
And light
No longer penetrates
Where loved ones’ voices
Are no longer heard
I’m alone
Alone and trapped
The door has closed
The heat
Intensifies
No escape
Lord, please
Help me
I don’t want
To be labelled
Labelled with a barcode
Where my price
Is visible to all who see
Please open the door
One last time
Set me free
’Tis only
The price
You paid
That I want
All to see

© 2015 Liana Wendy Howarth

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Matthew 11:28
Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Hidden For Now

1 Corinthians 2:9 KJV

“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.”

Hold on …

Don’t ever give up …

The answer is soon to be with you …

For now … hidden

Safely encased in the Father’s love

Safely encased in the countless beats of His heart

And there’s a beat of His heart that’s in rhythm with yours

Two hearts … eternally one

Apricot Skies

Skies of glory shine above darkened hills. The Son of glory shines inside once darkened hearts. Apricot skies amidst shadows of night.