Sing Praise
God fills the universe with His music.
Every beat of the praying heart sings glory to God.
Come let us wake up the morning.
Let us settle as dew across America’s plains.
Let us declare with her mountains the grandeur of the Lord.
It is He that feeds our hungry and grieves with the sorrowful soul.
He Who wraps His arms around a repentant heart.
He Who binds up our wounds and secures our homes to give us Sabath Rest.
By Joann Nelander
Heartbeat
It is not I who cause my heart to beat.
I am the recipient of life,
The legatee of form.
My heartbeat continues, unabated,
Until You say, this much and no more,
Then and only then,
Will my soul take leave,
Departing this earth, this time.
I will my heart’s beating,
Sound as a prayer in Your ear,
That You may hear me murmuring love,
Throbbing with desire in my groaning,
That my imperfection resound as supplication,
Beating upon Your breast, a plaintiff reverberation,
Crying and wooing,
As a babe trusting, trusting.
© 2016 Joann Nelander
Sweet Savior, I give to Thee my heart.
Make it as Thine own,
That it may love those in the world,
And those, having past from its bounds,
Not ready to see the Father’s glory.
With my every breath,
I wait on Thee,
Pleading the perfection of my cherished loves.
Pray, lift the veils persisting to obscure Thy Beauty.
Let me be a living prayer,
A votive candle,
Burning on the altar of Thy Cross,
Whose smoke rises as incense
With Thy Resurrection from the dead.
I am a captive to Thy call upon my heart.
I draw each breath,
For those You give me in this life,
By blood, as friend, foe, neighbor, passing stranger,
And those, still alien, to Thy love,
All, whom the Father desires
For life in You and in Thy glory.
By Joann Nelander
Lifted up,
You hang above the world.
Your outstretched arms
Measure the breath of Your Love.
How great the distance between us,
Yet, greater still,
Your unquenchable thirst for me.
I am a child, a lowly one,
Troubling you, yet, and always.
I tug at the hem of Your garment,
While You tug at my heart.
Lord of my hopes,
Lord of my longing,
Lord of my sorrows,
Lord of my weeping,
Ruler of all Time and Space,
You draw me to an Eternity in Your Embrace.
