Author: Dan

A young man with a limp hobbled by
Looking for an empty corner to beg.
His sad and weathered face revealed
Life wasn’t giving him any breaks.

The shame and guilt of his disability
Were burdens wearing down his faith.
His desperation to find compassion
Gave way to other’s judgment and hate.

One day two men approached him
With accusatory and critical intentions.
They asked him what sins he had done
To cause his debilitating afflictions.

The man hung his head in despair.
But before he could muster a reply,
A good man joined the scene who was
Gentle, lowly - full of mercy and light.

The good man interceded in the attack
Seeking to reveal the evil in the men.
The accusations they were hurling
Were lies with no truth and foundation.

The good man lovingly proclaimed,
“This man or his parents haven’t sinned.
What has he done to warrant your hate?”
Disclosing the darkness that lies within.

Said the good man, familiar with suffering
And wrongful accusation’s plight,
“This man’s disability happened so that
The work of God be displayed in his life.”

“For nothing is wasted in God’s Kingdom.
All suffering will one day be redeemed.
Judgment is not what I have commanded.
But to love Me and My creation in need.”

Hope is hard to find or believe
Under the shadow of darkness.
The unfairness of life’s trials
Can be so cruel and heartless.

You can’t help but to wonder
Why a life would be cut so short.
No one understands the pain
That you can’t take anymore.

What can you look forward to
When the hourglass is so low?
Is this the only life to live?
Is this all there is to know?

What if this life is not all there is
When you breathe your last breath?
For the believer in Jesus Christ,
There is better life beyond death.

Does your perspective change
With the thought there’s more?
Could there be gain in the loss?
Is there another side to this door?

Where hope overwhelms despair -
Life beyond what you hear or see.
But what is that solid foundation
That you can stand on and believe?

Then you hear about a God of love
Whose Son took your place on a cross.
Yet rose to defeat death’s finality -
Giving hope for the hopeless and lost.

For the believer in Jesus Christ,
Light overcomes the shadow of death.
Your hurt and pain is not your end.
Healing is at heaven’s first breath.

So, it’s a lie that this is the only life.
If true, what purpose would it serve?
But if there is a hope of heaven,
Thank you, Jesus, for making it secure.

Our world is changing.
Indeed, not for the better.
An evil agenda of lies
Tightens spiritual fetters.

Eviction of God’s presence -
The goal of Satan’s plan.
Dimming the Spirit’s light.
Shrinking the Promised Land.

Consequences of the exodus
Includes something displaced.
Take away God’s goodness,
And with it departs His grace.

Something must fill the void.
It’s judgment entering the scene
Along with condemnation.
Attitudes stiffen into extreme.

No room for accommodation.
Love becomes tally marks.
It’s one side versus the other -
Unbinding hardening hearts.

So, can this agenda be broken?
What truth can be unfurled?
Try He who is in you is greater
Than he who is in the world.

This was proven at the cross -
Though it appeared a defeat. 
When Jesus was resurrected,
Truth triumphed over deceit

Love was also resurrected
By the power of God’s grace.
The Word of God testifies to
Strength in belief and faith.

So, if we repent and confess,
Jesus is God’s only Son.
We’ll find Satan was defeated
At the cross and grace won.

Evaporating grace will return
With the water of God’s Word.
The two go hand-in-hand.
Of that truth you can be sure.

When does the Son shine?
He shines all the time.
Searching into the darkness.
Even giving hope to the blind.

Light came into the world.
Jesus said in the Gospel of John.
But man chose the darkness.
Like taking music from a song.

Because even Jesus’ light won’t
Brighten the hardened heart
That’s determined not to believe.
Buying Satan’s lies from the start.

Can you fathom such deceit
That creates such a darkness?
Not even the light of the world
Can’t penetrate such hardness.

So, is there any hope for
These hardened hearts so lost?
Truth will always defeat the lies.
Like Christ’s victory at the cross.

The real power behind the light
Is the truth of God’s forgiveness.
That comes from a fount of love
For the sinner from the Sinless.

Yes, there is the promise of hope
For the heart darkened by lies.
If it will let the truth of God’s love
Reveal the power of His Light.

Oh, mighty eagle, I sorrow.
Your broken wings hold you down.
What calamity befell you
That pins you to the ground?

Was it your relentless pursuit
Of the desires of the flesh?
Or a reckless abandon for
Keeping up with the rest?

Now that you cannot fly,
Was your pursuit worth this pain?
Even if you achieved your goal,
Would you be satisfied with the gain?

Or would it make you seek and crave
Something better, something more?
A future robbed of flight sounds like
Poe’s raven’s word, “Nevermore.”

But is it true there’s no hope for you?
Can your broken wings ever heal?
There is a cross-shaped tree
That promises hope to become real.

Make this tree your new residence,
And your wings will quickly mend.
Perspective and priorities change.
The God you hated is now your friend.

For it was God who made that tree
To change from its evil purpose.
To become a symbol to this very day
Of sacrificial love and service.

Please, mighty eagle, go to the tree,
You’ll have a new life once more.
We’ll all rejoice in seeing
Once broken wings can now soar.

My child let Me help you understand
Exactly what happened at the cross.
Some call it the Great Transaction
Where heavenly blessings were bought.

You were born as an object of wrath –
Separated from Me by your sin nature.
Because I require a holy relationship,
You were lost and in need of a Savior.

Atonement is a must for reconciliation
That requires the shedding of blood.
My Son’s sacrifice was the provision.
The Lamb of God’s blood was enough.

With that sacrifice came a peace
That surpasses all understanding.
Storms that knock most people down
Gives you the power to keep standing.

You’re also given My constant presence
With the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
He will shape you into the image of Christ
To live a new life as He would live it.

You are set free from the slavery to sin.
There’s enormous power in forgiveness.
Not only to let go of guilt and shame,
But also, to offer it as My witness.

There’s revelation of a better love
That doesn’t focus on just yourself.
It’s sacrificial and unconditional –
Transformative to a soul’s health.

There’s adoption into a new family.
Still flawed but united in Me.
Learning to love and serve
In a heaven-like community.

The cross reveals to a finite creation
Revelation of the infinite I Am.
Who seeks to save all I create.
This is the truth of My eternal plan.

These are just some of the blessings.
There are many more to see.
Ultimately, though, it’s your choice
To see them you must believe.

Driving to nowhere into the deep night.
Denying the confession of helplessness.
Carrying a burden and heavy load
Of years of sin and selfishness.

Inevitably, I broke down.
I was defeated down to the core.
Like a lost and broken ship
At sea that at last ran ashore.

I cried out with a surrender,
‘Won’t someone help me?’
At first there was only silence,
But then I felt a fresh breeze.

Arising out of the moonless dark,
Light emerged from the distance.
The beams were moving towards me
With a purposeful insistence.

A truck with a cross-shaped tow
Rolled to a stop to my right.
A man from the window said,
“I heard you calling in the night.”

How can that be possible?
No one was around to hear.
“I’ve been waiting for this call
All your days and years.”

“Now that you’re in this place
And have called out to Me,
I’m here to take your burden.
There is no charge – it’s free.”

I don’t understand this offer.
Why would you be so kind?
“This is the business I’m in
Unburdening the heart and mind.”

“You only have one thing to do
Should you choose to receive.
If you want your load to be lifted
You must confess belief in Me.”

I looked at the sign on the truck,
‘Welcome to Salvation Tow.
Forgiveness is the power to lift
And reveal a God you can know.’

I thanked the man and accepted
His free offer I so desperately need.
What a deal of trading my burdens
For a life of forgiven belief!

Suddenly the sun arose.
The night surrendering to the day.
I joined the Driver in the truck.
Forever going His way.

If Jesus saw your portrait
What would He see?
A face masking the pain
Or one of liberty?

Who are you fooling with
The mask you’re wearing?
Don’t you know He can see
The burdens you’re carrying?

There’s no point hiding
Every secret and sin.
He knows about them all
Why not let Him in?

He understands the shame
That’s weighing you down.
He’s sympathetic to the guilt
That ties you to the ground.

Forgiveness is the power
To take off your mask.
It’s there for the taking
You only need to ask.

Jesus reveals the lies
And always speaks the truth.
He went to the cross to show
How He feels about you.

He’ll never leave your side.
He loves with mercy and grace.
He’ll unveil the beauty
Of your maskless face.