"Amen"

Lifted rein, ignored the pain,

And tapped her with a spur,

Trotted out, without a doubt,

It’s just the way we were.

Found some space and needed grace,

To soothe a broken heart,

Out off the grid is where I hid,

And nature did its part.

To help me think and not to sink,

Into depression’s hole,

To cowboy up, pour out the cup,

Of bitter from my soul.

The campfire warm stills the storm,

The cattle graze nearby,

The stars are bright though dark the night,

I feel the Lord is nigh.

It’s cold and clear, but I am here,

Home pastures call my name,

With early dawn, my pain is gone,

My burden’s not the same.

A healing night with the Spirit’s light,

To rise and ride again,

He met me there, and now I swear,

My life can say amen.

“…Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning…” (Psalm 30:5, NLT)

Many of us can remember when the night was dark and long. Some don’t survive it, but those who do realize the joy that comes with the dawn. The Lord is really the only one who can truly help us make it through the night. It becomes our testimony. The night threatened to do us in, but the light healed us. The poem is about a night like that for me- a horseback night when the old year was ending and a new year was about to begin. And, at the time, I was not sure what to do with the searing pain that burdened me. The Lord was the answer then an dnow.

Lord, help us realize You are the giver of joy, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Andy Mast, used by permission. Thanks, Andy, and God bless you.