poems 97c

poems from mid-end of '97

1. There is a Rock

2. We Will Not Hearken!

3. Saved to Serve

4. An Open Door

5. Keeping my Eyes on You

6. The Pit

7. The Silken Thread of Hope

8. A Pocket of Peace

9. Homesick

10. An Offering of Crumbs

11. A Christmas Present

There is a Rock;
A sure foundation.
And yet, for some,
A stumbling stone.

A Rock to break
Or grind to powder;
Once it was struck
And water flowed

There is a cup;
A cup of trembling;
Another cup--
The wine is red.
The wicked of the
Earth will drink it;
The grapes are ripe
For Him to tread!

There is a fountain
For sin and cleansing;
It shall be opened
In that day
To flow for all
The house of David;
And so all Israel
Shall be saved!

There is a city;
There is a river--
Its streams make glad
the holy place!
There is a gate,
One Door to enter....
And those inside
Shall see His face!

lori fiechter
8-13-97

We Will Not Hearken!

Bright colors flash--
Yellow and red;
The signs read:
Danger Up Ahead!
They warn of judgment
and of doom:
"Repent and pray;
He's coming soon!"

The signs are generally
Ignored--
"We've heard that blather
all before
Yet things continue
just the same--
Those warnings we consider lame!"

So signals flash
and sirens blare;
The masses simply
do not care;
They work and play
And eat and drink.....
Perched on this age's
very brink.

lori fiechter
8-17-97

Saved to Serve

Saved to serve;
Not saved to sit!
Saved to please the
One who saved us
And to Him submit.
No longer serving
Self or sin;
For He has changed us
From within.
Now free to serve Him
As He shows us
Though all the world
May yet oppose us.
Saved to follow
As He leads us;
Slaves--by choice!--
Of Him who freed us.

lori fiechter
8-16-97

An Open Door

I search for direction;
A door I can enter...
And then, right before me
A corridor looms.
I run fast to reach it
And stand in amazement:
A hallway of doors!
An abundance of rooms!
Each door is wide open--
Until I draw near.
Then the sound of doors slamming
Is all I can hear.
Those numerous choices
slammed shut in my face!
I sit down in despair...
'til I spot a staircase:
Somewhat narrow and hidden
(Was it there before?)
I cautiously follow it
To the very top floor.
And there, at the top,
Is one door--much too small
For me to squeeze through
Even if I should crawl.
I almost turn back...
I don't know what to do.
Then I poke at that door
With the toe of my shoe.
The door opens!
and somehow, I simply walk through.
Once the door had been opened,
It was easy to do!

lori fiechter
8-26-97

Revelation 3:8
"I know thy works, behold, I have set before thee an open door
and no man can shut it....."

Sometimes we find ourselves in a "pit"; maybe it is just a shallow rut; maybe something more serious than that. Maybe we fell in because we strayed off the narrow road; maybe we fell in through no fault of our own.

When I find myself in such a pit, all I want to do is get out--and fast! But perhaps I am in that pit so that God can teach me a thing or two....

The Pit

I fell into a pit of my own making:
A loathesome pit, all dark and damp and deep.
I sit in miry clay way at the bottom
And gaze up at those sides, so smooth and steep.

I cry out to the Lord, "O, save me, Father!
Rescue me now or I will surely die!"
...no answer comes;
no on-the-spot deliverance...

Could it be the Father did not hear my cry?
Desperately, I try to climb the slippery walls
Until I fall, exhausted, in a heap.
The spot of light above me turns to blackness
But I am too afraid to fall asleep.

I finally pray, "What is it You want to teach me, Lord?
I'm in Your hands--
do whatever You must do.
You have my full attention now--I'm listening!
Thy will be done, Lord; I will trust in You."

I feel a peace and calm--enough to rest now.
I'm not alone! I sense His presence here.
When I awake, I rub my eyes in wonder.....
How did that
--ladder--
suddenly appear?

lori fiechter
9-10-97

I've found that when I am in the middle of a trial, illness, or difficulty--that is when it is the most difficult to read and pray; to remember all of God's promises; even just to trust and hope. Sometimes the only thing I can tell myself is "Hold on. It will get better--it always does."
"...for he hath said, I will never leave thee; nor forsake thee." (Hebrews 13:5)
Jesus Christ is our Hope--it is to Him that we "have fled for refuge to lay
hold upon the hope set before us: which hope we have as an anchor of the soul..." (Hebrews 6:18,19)
May you be anchored in His hope today!

The Silken Thread of Hope

The hardest thing to grasp and hold
is Hope--
When all seems bleak and cold;
To fight that cloud of dark despair--
That fog that fills and fouls the air.

Though hope seems thin--
Too thin to feel--
Hold on! It will prove
Strong as steel.

The blackest clouds cannot remain
And Time can heal the sharpest pain.
When your mind is dull and vision dim,
Dig in your heels and cling to Him!

The clouds will lift;
The sun will shine;
You will live to fight another time;
And stronger grown....for now you've learned:
He does not fail!
And Hope stands firm.

lori fiechter
10-17-97

There's a pocket of peace
In the midst of the storm;
A shelter secure
where we stay dry and warm.

Where the cold, pelting rains
cannot dampen our souls;
Nor the chill, whipping winds;
Nor the thunder that rolls.

For our rest is in Christ:
He's our Sabbath, our Vine;
Our Rock and our Refuge--
If we yield and abide.

Take your eyes off the storm,
Off the worry and stress;
Look to Jesus--your Shelter--
For He offers you rest!

He offers you peace
In the midst of the storm;
Shut that door to the cold;
Let His hearth keep you warm!

lori fiechter
10-26-97

An Offering of Crumbs

You take the smallest crumbs I give
Of service, worship, or of praise;
Crumbs of the manna You provide
Yet You accept them with delight!
(It is a father's way.)

You loved me when I was unlovable;
I'm not much better now!
I trip and fall; You pick me up;
I don't know why or how.

You must see me with different eyes...
My paltry self You don't despise.
I'm puny, blotched, a sin-pocked sight.
...You see me clean and clothed in white.

And so, I offer up my crumbs
Yet not in shame, nor yet in pride;
For though the best I give is crumbs,
You change them into loaves divine!

Lori Fiechter
12-5-97

A Christmas Present

Infinity wrapped
In a very small space;
The Eternal One
Entering our time and place.

Born a King--
Who would know it?
(unless very wise)
A servant rejected,
This same baby despised.

The Omnipotent
Drawing an infant-sized breath;
His glory and strength
Now swaddled in flesh.
For our sakes
He agreed to this baffling plan,
And the Son--now forever--
Takes the likeness of man.

...Love was wrapped up
in the form of a Babe;
And there's life if you'll open
The present He gave.

Lori fiechter
12-18-97