JOYFULLY YOURS

 

What's wrong with the church,
what's wrong with the people?
Why isn't there more to the building
than walls and a steeple?

Where's the spirit that once was here
when we met every time;
Back to those good old days so often,
my heart does pine.

I took my questions to the Lord in prayer,
and He told me to look around;
And see what I could find missing;
see what could no longer be found.

I quietly walked through the shell of a building
that once was full of spirit and joy;
Why?? Why would folks let this Heavenly thing
all be gone and destroyed?

“Look at the altars”, He spoke,
“there are no longer puddles of tears;
No longer do My children bring Me
their worries, their fears.

“They 'hope' things will get better
in the bye and bye;
But no longer do they
seek My face, kneel and cry.

“They take time for all of life's pleasures,
and attend to the sorrows of others;
But they no longer lay themselves on My altar,
giving their lives for their brothers.

“They SAY 'Bless this one' , and 'God bless them all',
yet they do not pray;
It's only little veneer words
that they need not even take the time to say.

“They no longer kneel at the altar
and seek My face,
I guess they no longer need My love,
My mercy, My grace.”

As I listened to the Father's words,
I saw tears falling on the altar where I knelt;
And I knew they were HIS tears, and not my own;
it was HIS sorrow that I felt.

I cried for mercy as I knelt; I prayed for forgiveness,
of all the folly I had done.
“Father, never let my tears quit flowing;
never let me forget the death of the Son.

“Let me lay my very life on the altar,
and give my all, once again to You!
Father, forgive me, forgive me
for the sin and wrong that I do!

“May my tears again puddle on the altar
before Your very throne,
As You so graciously forgive my errors,
my shortcomings, my wrong.”

I stayed there and let the tears flow;
the travailing has long since gone from the Church;
I would that we all stay at the altar,
and purify our hearts, let God do the search!

For He has given us a book to follow as we go,
yet I see so few reading; crying; praying;
But a lot are asking, begging and hoping,
forgetting what the Father has been saying.

So slow yourself down, take time to kneel and pray,
and LINGER at the altar of prayer;
For there and only there can all of your answers be found
to all of life's hostile affairs.

 

 

Joy Marie Parker