Life Lessons

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Focus

It is amazing
     just what I can see.
When I slow down my life
     and I look beyond me.
Life goes by quickly,
     it soon will be past.
Just what am I doing
     will anything last?

It is so easy
     to live for a job.
To go through the motions
     ‘til your mind is a blob.
Your work’s automatic,
     but that’s all there is.
There’s no sparkle left,
     no pop and no fizz.

I need some help
     to see a new view.
So I take lots of pictures
     and I share them with you.
I look through the camera
     for what catches my eye.
It is quite amazing
     what all I can spy.

I take many pictures,
     some far and some near.
Some flowers, some birds,
     and even some deer.
I zoom in, I zoom out;
     I stand and I kneel.
They become more than pictures,
     they express what I feel.

It’s through this expression,
     I hope I do start.
A season of worship
     in somebody’s heart.
I know that has happened,
     for me it is true.
I pray that you’re blessed
     and worship God too!

So whether I’m writing,
     these poems that I share.
Or posting some pictures
     I take everywhere.
The goal is the same,
     I hope you will see.
It’s all about God
     and His work in me.

So whatever you’re doing,
     whoever you are.
Take time to slow down
     if you want to go far.
For your life to matter
     beyond what you live.
You must do for others
     in the way that you give.

Take time to relax
     and get a new view.
Reflect every day
     on how God sees you.
When you understand
     God deserves first place.
You’re well on your way
    to winning the race!

© 2014 by Tom Lemler

As I’ve been blessed with a great vacation opportunity, I’ve been using my camera as a tool of worship as I look at things from a different perspective and praise God for His incredible handiwork. As I was taking pictures today and thinking about the detailed work that God does, He began to form this poem in my mind. I pray that you make the time in your life to slow down and recognize the work of God so that you may share it with others.

In prayer,
Tom

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Amazing GRACE

Today marks the completion of one year, and the beginning of another year, of my being back on the staff of the Deer Run Church of Christ.  It has been an incredible year — a year best described by the words “amazing grace”!  My return to Deer Run was nothing short of the gracious hand of my God upon me, to favor me with His compassion.

My brain seems to be wired in a way that makes verbal conversation difficult — though many believe God has gifted me with an ability to write that can make up for the verbal inadequacies.  As a side note, it is amazing to me that God continues to show up in my preaching and teaching with the ability to speak powerfully through me.  For me, writing is therapeutic — it helps me to see where I’ve been and how far God has carried me.  While I still carry scars and hurts that continue to heal, God has taught me much over the past year.

I know I have a long way to go, but His mercy has helped me be more merciful.  His grace has taught me to be more gracious.  His compassion has led me to be more compassionate.  And perhaps the most difficult of all for me, His love is helping me know how to love.

So, how does this all happen?  What’s the secret?  I think the key to all of these lessons is that God continues to draw me to Himself and surrounds me with people who have a genuine concern for me as a person and as a child of God.  So, what’s so amazing about the grace God has shown me over the past year?

  • Generosity — God has given me the grace of generosity.  A lot can be discovered about a business or organization by looking at the way they treat employees and staff.  While your first thought is likely about financial compensation, an attitude of generosity can be seen in so many details of the way a person is treated.  God has blessed me with an environment that cares about my needs being met.  I am valued by people who are generous with their resources, time, and abilities.  The people around me help me to see the grace of God through their generosity.
  • Rest — God has given me the grace of rest.  Our need for rest was called for and designed by God, yet it is a need that we often ignore.  The year began with God providing the opportunity for a vacation with my family.  For the first time in a very long time, perhaps ever, I was able to sit on a sandy beach and actually fall asleep!  But the rest didn’t stop there.  Throughout the year, God has surrounded me with people who help me to rest when I am away by taking care of things as they happen rather than save them all up for my return.
  • Acceptance — God has given me the grace of acceptance.  Most people have heard that God accepts them just as they are but loves them too much to leave them that way.  Many people doubt God’s acceptance of them because people who claim to represent God will only accept them if they fully conform first.  My family at Deer Run has seen the good, the bad, and they ugly in me and they still accept me.   They see me not only as being valuable to them, but more importantly, they accept me as simply having value for who I am.
  • Compassion — God has given me the grace of compassion.  When we struggle with the pain and sorrow that is part of life, we want to know someone not only understands, but they really feel what we are going through.  God has surrounded me with people who are willing to share together what we are going through — not for the purpose of a pity party, but for the building up of one another through a heart of compassion.  I am part of a team that is walking this road together and we all feel the same bumps and scrapes as we take this journey.
  • Encouragement — God has given me the grace of encouragement.  The people around me at Deer Run are a great encouragement as they allow me to use the various gifts God has put in my life.  Whether I am cleaning, mowing, writing, teaching, preaching, or anything else, I am surrounded by people who encourage me through their words of appreciation.  The willingness of people to help in so many areas and a multitude of ways is also a great encouragement as I know I don’t have to accomplish the necessary tasks alone.

This has been a very brief summary of some of the ways God, and His amazing people at Deer Run, has extended His grace to me over the past year.  While the descriptions of this amazing GRACE that I have experienced over the past year focuses on what God has been doing for me, the real point is that God is using all of it to teach me how to extend His GRACE to others!  

God surrounds me with generous people so that I learn to be more generous.  He gives me times of great rest so I have a greater understanding of the need for others to rest.  He showers me with His acceptance, when I deserve it least, so that I would accept others more freely.  He surrounds me with His compassion so that I will be a more compassionate person in my preaching and teaching, as well as in all of my interaction with people.  He encourages me daily so that I would be better prepared to encourage the people around me.  

As God teaches me these lessons of His amazing grace, I pray that I learn to practice them so that others would learn of His amazing grace through me.

In prayer,
Tom

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Cleaning

My eyes have grown tired
     as I work today.
I try to stay focused
     as I clean and pray.
The cleaning’s not hard,
     it just never ends.
Can the same thing be true
     as I pray for my friends?
As long as we live,
     there is cleaning to do.
Not just of a building,
     but of me and of you.

I stop at each desk
     as I go through the room.
I pray for each student
     as I push a broom.
The job takes me longer,
     when I stop to pray.
But I can’t imagine
     not doing it this way.
The results can’t be measured,
     they are hard to see.
But prayer makes a difference
     because it changes me.

Can I keep watch 
     for an hour or more?
Or do I give up,
     thinking this is a bore?
Would things be different
     if I took the time?
To pray for a person
     when I want to whine.
Perhaps it will change them,
     as God does His thing.
Or a new perspective,
     to me He will bring.

Prayer is effective,
     more than we know.
If we really believed it,
     I’m sure it would show.
To spend time with God,
     seeking His face.
Is what makes a difference
     as I work in this place.
If you want changes,
     in how you see your day.
Whatever you’re doing,
     include time to pray!

© 2014 by Tom Lemler

I’m going through the building getting it ready for Sunday with a combination of cleaning and praying. As I was doing both, and finding my eyes becoming heavy, this poem showed up in my mind.  I pray that it encourages you to pray in all circumstances and surroundings.

In prayer,
Tom

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Mother’s Day

Today is a day,
     we honor our mother.
But how is that different,
     from any other?
While it is nice
     to set aside a day.
Honoring our parents
     is really God’s way!

You may not be one,
but surely you’ve had.
Your very own mom,
I pray good and not bad.
The lessons we learn
from a mom who is good.
Are things we should hear,
to do what we should.

To Plead for her children,
this mom always will.
She lifts them to God,
praying that He will fill.
She Respects those around her,
even God when she prays.
She wants Him to guide her,
each of her days.

When things take a wrong turn,
she Adapts with the best.
She still has a focus
that her children can rest.
As she talks with God,
her spirit does Yield.
She may not understand
but she trusts in His shield.

These are some lessons,
a godly mom can teach.
They’re also the same ones
that I plan to preach!
I pray that you listen,
to God’s Spirit in me.
And He shows you clearly,
what He wants you to see.

© 2014 by Tom Lemler

I was wanting a poem for the Mother’s Day sermon I would share, but God hadn’t put the words for one in my mind, so I figured I wouldn’t have one.  Sunday morning while I was in my office praying about the message, God gave me these words — the timing made the saying, “God is rarely early, but never late.”, ring true in my mind.  I pray that this poem is an encouragement to you and honors the moms who read it.

In prayer,
Tom

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Kiamichi Trip

I went to the mountains
     of the Kiamichi.
To spend time with God,
     so I’ll share what I see.
It was a great gathering
     of men young and old.
This side of heaven,
     the greatest I’m told.
As I sat among them,
     and looked all around.
A group that is greater,
     nowhere could be found. 

Artie and his family
     direct the whole camp.
They do it so well,
    each one is a champ!
That’s not really the truth,
     is what they would say.
God directs the camp
     as He leads each day!
As I watched and listened,
     I could see this was true.
Their heart is to serve,
     first God, and then you. 

The days started early,
     with breakfast by seven.
Then worship began,
     to remind me of heaven.
The preaching was powerful,
     the men were quite bold.
Some of them young,
    some not, I am told.
The morning was full
     of music and fun.
Three powerful sermons,
     that was just session one! 

After feasting on God’s Word,
     we did break to eat.
Then back to the steel tent
     and return to my seat.
More powerful preaching
     and music galore.
A soul that is thirsty,
     could ask for no more!
But more surely came,
     I do confess.
As God’s men did gather,
    and His Spirit did bless! 

Down to the creek,
     to baptize a young man.
Who listened to God’s Word
    and followed His plan.
This was just the first one
      to take place this week.
As people did listen,
     and God’s face they did seek.
The joy of the angels
     was shared among men.
As men turned to God
     and away from their sin. 

The week was intense
     but relaxing too.
My body was tired,
    but my spirit made new.
Each of the mornings,
    our direction was set.
A reminder of God’s plan,
     so that we don’t forget.
God created the church,
     and created mankind.
We must follow His way,
     not whatever we find. 

There was a day,
    we had a short break.
So out through the woods,
     a walk I did take.
It was not crowded,
     it was just God and I.
Though some of His creatures
     did scurry nearby.
I walked in the stillness,
     took in all I saw.
God’s presence did fill me
     as I walked in awe. 

The break was refreshing,
     I was hungry for more.
So we gathered together
     for what God had in store.
I thought that I went there
     for a purpose I knew.
But God’s plan was different
     as I listened and grew.
To represent His work,
     He is doing through me.
Is not as important
     as I thought it would be. 

The last day did rain,
     creating a mess.
But God was still able
     to teach and to bless.
There were many surprises,
     I really can’t tell.
Just what is the reason
     that I liked it so well.
That is not quite true,
     I freely must say.
It’s because of God’s presence,
     because He led the way. 

The time finally came
     when I had to head home.
But one of the blessings
     was found in a poem.
It was not just in a poem,
     that God spoke to me.
But it seemed every session
     had some poetry!
As one God has given,
     poems that I share.
God said quite loudly,
     “I can use them, so there!” 

There is so much more
     I could write in this rhyme.
But my mind’s nearly empty
     and I’m out of time.
God gives to His children,
     gifts that they should use.
Sometimes we like them,
     some are not what we’d choose.
This is a great lesson
     that God taught to me.
When I went to the mountains
     of the Kiamichi! 

© 2014 by Tom Lemler

I went to the Kiamichi Men’s Clinic for the first time and was truly blessed by the entire experience.  As we stopped for the night on the way home, a good friend said I ought to write a poem about the trip.  As I was falling asleep that night, and then on the rest of the drive back home, this poem began to appear in my mind.  I pray that it is a blessing to you as it brings glory to God and accomplishes His purposes for it.

In prayer,
Tom

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Faith

Sometimes I stay up
     for I need to pray.
For family and friends
     who have a rough day.
They struggle with faith
     and questions of why.
Is God with me now,
     is He up in the sky?
Is He even real,
     how would I know?
I’m looking for proof,
     just what will you show? 

Faith does surround us,
     it is in us all.
We have faith in something,
     whether big or quite small.
Each day that we live,
     we trust something unseen.
(That’s just how it is,
     I’m not being mean.)
Show me a picture
     of what keeps you in place.
You trust in gravity
     for you’re not out in space! 

You cannot see it,
     but you certainly feel.
When you fall from the roof,
     gravity must be for real.
There’s some unseen force
     that pulls you to earth.
You learn to accept it,
     almost from your birth.
I know some will say,
     it isn’t the same.
It’s not about faith
     as I want to claim. 

That is quite different,
     perhaps some will say.
It’s not only proven,
     we feel it each day.
It is a real thing,
     perhaps none will dismiss.
Gravity existed
     before any knew this.
It can be explained,
     the how and the why.
Even show the effects
     to all who deny. 

For me to say,
     that there can be no God.
After all that He’s done
     would really seem odd.
Some say it is fake,
     that it cannot be real.
There’s some other reason
     for all that I feel.
Explain it away
     if you think that you must.
Your doubt and resistance
     won’t diminish my trust. 

I believe in the unseen
     that pulls me to earth.
I believe even more
     in the One who gives birth.
I feel the force
     that keeps my feet on the ground.
And the presence of God
     I can feel all around.
You ask me to prove it,
     that God could be real.
But you want something more
     than just how I feel. 

That can be quite hard
     if you won’t receive.
That I am who I am
     through what I believe.
If anything’s seen
     that is good in me.
It’s because of my faith,
     it’s His work you see.
Life’s not always easy,
     hard things I endure.
I have the strength
     for my hope is secure. 

Take God from my life
     and it falls apart.
Just how He works in me,
     oh, where do I start?
Science is good,
     it teaches us much.
But it can’t explain all things
     that God’s hand does touch.
Where did life start,
     and where will it go?
Men have their theories,
     but they really don’t know. 

To say it just happened
     is a huge stretch to me.
When I look at the wonder
     of a single tree.
It takes in the sunshine
     and what we exhale.
It refreshes the air
     so that it isn’t stale.
We study and research
     and figure the how.
But why it can do this,
     we’re not quite sure now. 

We jump to conclusions
     to fit our belief.
To evolve to this now,
     is quite a relief.
For if it hadn’t happened,
     when we take a breath.
Instead of fresh air,
     we’re breathing in death.
It’s almost ironic
     that most people see.
The complex ecosystems
     that sustain you and me. 

You believe it just happened,
     I believe it was God.
Examine the detail
     and which seems most odd?
The statistical chances
     of all things falling in place.
Or a God who created
     all earth and all space.
This poem’s about finished,
     I hope that you see.
Without a Creator,
     there’s really no me! 

© 2014 by Tom Lemler

 I’ve spent much of the night praying for a friend who is asking if God is real.  As I’ve prayed, God put this poem in my mind.  Faith is a difficult thing because it forces us to let go of all that we are comfortable with and trust that which we put our faith in.  I choose God because I’ve seen Him pull me through circumstances that seemed impossible.  I’ve experienced incredible changes and growth in my life because my faith in God believed He could use me and do things in and through me that I would have never dreamed or imagined — these poems are just one example of that.  I pray that this poem is an encouragement to you whether you are secure in your faith in God or trying to find it.

In prayer,
Tom

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Always Be READY

I had the privilege to preach at the ordination service of a good friend and fellow servant of Christ.  While it was a great honor, it was also a very difficult task for me as the location chosen was one in which I had endured years of hardship before being rescued by God’s mighty hand.  As I sat there waiting for my time to speak, my heart was racing within my chest.  The pounding of my pulse was visible and I feared the sound of it would be picked up by the mic I was wearing, in a somewhat “Tell-Tale Heart” effect.  My breathing was becoming difficult and it was only the power of God’s Holy Spirit that lives within me that was able to keep the room from spinning as I rested in His grace.  This seemed to be a true test of the words I was about to speak — I could preach about always being ready, but could I live it?

The main text that God had placed in my mind for the evening was a common ordination service text.  Not only common, but quite fitting as God had developed a similar Paul and Timothy relationship between Taylor and I.  In the text, Paul writes to Timothy with these words:

“You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings — what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.  In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.  But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.  All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.   In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge:  Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage — with great patience and careful instruction.  For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.  They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”  2 Timothy 3:10 – 4:4 (NIV)

As you read the text, it is important to point out that the idea of being set apart for full-time Christian ministry is not just for a select few who take on vocational roles of ministry.  Each Christian is ordained by God into full-time Christian ministry at the moment of their baptism into Christ for the remission of their sin and God puts within them His Holy Spirit!  The blood of Jesus which covers our sin is the ordaining element that sets each of us apart for God’s exclusive use.  With that said, the Bible also teaches that God gifts some individuals to be involved in the equipping of His people for works of service.  To me, that is what an ordination service is about — setting apart those who have the responsibility to equip, train, and encourage others in the full-time service they do for God wherever He has them from day-to-day.  As you go about living the Christ-like life God has called you to, Paul makes it clear that you will encounter difficulties — “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted”.  Yet in the midst of the hardship and persecution, we are told to be ready to preach the word “in season and out of season”.  So to you, as well as to Taylor, I say, “Be READY!”

  • Be Real:  The first part of being ready, is to be real!  If you are to represent Christ well, there must be a consistency of character and conduct that the people around you recognize as genuine.  When Paul writes about Timothy to the Philippians, he says that there is no one like him who has a genuine concern — not for his own interests, but for theirs.  We live in a society where the right image has become so much more important than being real.  The harder we try to put on a front, the further we fall from being ready when people realize we are not real.  To be ready to represent Jesus, we must live, act, and speak the same throughout the entire week as we do when we are surrounded by Christian friends during a Sunday worship gathering.  People need to see that you believe enough in what you are saying that you are actually living it!  They also need to see that you, as did Jesus, can understand and identify with their weaknesses.  
  • Be an Example:  The second part of being ready, is to be an example!  Many people like to pull out Paul’s instruction to Timothy to let no one look down on him because of his youthfulness.  Unfortunately, many fail to finish the verse to know how to actually do that!  In First Timothy, Paul writes and tells Timothy that he must set an example in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity so that no one has a reason, or an excuse, to look down on him.  What we do, how we live, the example we set, can all make or break the message we tell about God’s great love for mankind.  A big part of the importance of being real is so that Jesus is not just heard about, He is visibly seen in the way that you and I live!  I believe that one of the reasons that the church seems to be making little positive difference in the American culture is because the Christians who make up the church have often failed to be an example.  Statistically, there is very little difference in the speech, life, love, faith, and purity of Christians compared to non-Christians!  Instead of being an example, our life often seems to shout out that there really is no difference.  When you wear the name Christian, how you treat others says more to them about Christ than what we tend to act like it does.
  • Be Available:  The third part of being ready, is to be available!  When you take life as a  Christian seriously, your primary business becomes people — regardless of what you do as an occupation.  While that sounds good and noble, it is not quite right!  It is that statement that gets many who enter vocational ministry in trouble.  As a Christian, your primary business is not people, it is your relationship with God!  When we get that mixed up, then it is not long before people are setting our schedule, agenda, and life goals.  We become exhausted trying to keep up with all the demands and needs of the people around us as we strive to be available to everyone.  While we need to make the most of every opportunity in our availability to people, we must make our availability to God the number one priority in our life!  When Paul writes to the Corinthians about the matter of some giving that they had purposed to do, he points out the attitude of the Macedonians who had first given themselves to God so that He enabled them to give beyond their means.  If you are going to be ready for what God has for you to do, you must live a life that is fully available to God for His exclusive use!  Doing this can change your entire attitude about service to people.  When the things that you do are based out of your availability to God, then you are truly able to work at it with all your might as one serving the Lord.
  • Be Decisive:  The fourth part of being ready, is to be decisive!  Throughout scripture, God calls people to make up their mind.  We live in a time when it seems like nearly everything is decided by public opinion.  Even within church and Christian ministry settings, it seems like we are often on that ship of doubt that James talks about — constantly being tossed from wave of survey results to wave of public opinion polls.  Yes, there is value in knowing what, and how, people are thinking, but that should never replace the authority of God and His Word in making decisions.  It is only when decisions are based out of time in prayer and careful examination of God’s Word that we are truly prepared to let our “yes be yes and our no be no”!  It is a sad commentary on the followers of God that the statements of Joshua and Elijah, calling the people to make a choice about who they will serve, are seen as such bold statements!  The church today needs courageous people who will stand up and boldly ask, “How long will you waver between two opinions?  If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if (Baal) is God, follow him.”  (1 Kings 18:21)  You can fill in the parentheses as to what goes there instead of Baal in your life and in the lives of people today.  To always be ready, means that you hold fast to your decision that the Lord truly is God and His ways are the only ways to live.
  • Be Yielded:  The final part of being ready, is to be yielded!  Hopefully you have seen this element throughout the other parts that I have already mentioned.  When you live a life that is fully yielded to God, you give Him all the room necessary to work and receive the glory that is due Him.  When Peter writes about always being ready to give an answer for the hope that is within you, he begins by instructing us to “set apart Christ as Lord”.  When Christ is Lord, He is in charge and every detail of our life is done His way.  Being yielded to God in everything means that He decides what being real looks like.  He is the example that I not only follow, but also the example that I become.  He has my full attention so that I am available for whatever tasks that He calls me to do.  His decisions are supreme, so my task of deciding is easy — I simply say, “Yes, Lord.”  Being yielded is what ties the entire idea of being ready, but it is often the most difficult part of it.  It is where the concept of complete submission to God becomes reality.  It is doing the parts of life that you enjoy and the parts of life that you don’t enjoy — simply because God sets them both before you as the work He created in advance for you to do.  It is daily praying the prayer of Jesus from the garden, “Not my will, but Thine be done.”  It is going when God says go and staying when God says stay.  It is why Paul can both give instruction to endure hardship and also praise God for rescuing him from those very hardships.  A life that is fully yielded to God is ready to preach the word both in season and out of season — and even ready to use words if necessary. 

I pray that if you are in Christ as one of His children that you will Always Be READY!  You have been set apart for God’s exclusive use so as you go about life today, live like it!

by

Rescued

It’s been quite a year,
     as I look back now.
It’s hard to describe,
     except to say, “Wow!”
You live for so long
     at the point of despair.
And it surely seems
     like no one does care.
You work really hard
     at all that you do.
Yet the credit is taken
     by those around you. 

You watch and you wonder
     what you might have done.
That others don’t see you
     and your gift they do shun.
When people speak poorly
     about that which you do.
There’s none with the courage
     to stand up for you.
And so you do come
     to the end of your rope.
You cry out to Jesus
     for a glimmer of hope. 

So, God gives you strength
     as the years linger on.
You pray for the patience
     to see hope’s new dawn.
You hold tight to Jesus
     in the midst of it all.
You listen more closely
     for the sound of His call.
The years of oppression
     are not wasted, you see.
God uses each moment
     as training for me. 

I hear Him more clearly
     because of the pain.
It drives me to seek Him
     and submit to His reign.
His voice is much softer
     and loving to me.
Than I ever dreamt of,
     or thought it could be.
At just the right moment,
     my God says to me.
“My child it is time,
     for you to be free.” 

All this reminds me
     of Joseph in jail.
He sat there for years
     for someone did fail.
To speak up for him,
     his story to tell.
The man only cared
     that his own life went well.
So Joseph was faithful,
     even though treated wrong.
He still sought His God,
     through the night that was long. 

But God was not absent
     or without a plan.
At just the right time,
     He prompted a man.
That man was the king,
     who had quite a dream.
It disturbed him greatly,
     or so it would seem.
He sought out the wisest
     from throughout the land.
But it fell to Joseph
     to tell what God planned. 

God lifted him higher,
     than all but the king.
His purpose through famine,
     was rescue to bring.
God rescued Joseph
     from out of his cell.
For He had a message,
     someone needed to tell.
He rescued Egypt,
     but not them alone.
For to Joseph’s family,
     great mercy was shown. 

So when you are struggling
     in a jail of your own.
I pray that these words
     are good seeds that are sown.
That you hold even tighter
     to God’s gentle hand.
And wait for the purpose
     that God’s already planned.
That you remain faithful
     in all that you do.
Let God fill your life
     with all that’s for you. 

But always remember,
     as part of God’s plan.
You’re called to share
     with your fellow-man.
God uses hard times
     as well as the good.
To teach us His ways,
     so we do what we should.
So when you are lifted
     from the pit of despair.
You can’t help but shout it,
     you know God’s great care! 

So back to the story
     that this poem began.
As much as we’d like to,
     trouble we cannot ban.
But it is our choice,
     what we do with it.
Does it bring us down,
     or do we grow from it?
Part of that growth
     is to let people know.
That the troubles they face,
     also help them to grow. 

© 2014 by Tom Lemler

As I was spending time with God in prayer, praising Him for the incredible opportunities He has been giving me recently, He put this poem in my mind.  This poem is a reminder of where I’ve been and of God’s great work of rescuing me.  His reminder from the life of Joseph is that my rescue is not only for my benefit, but that He means for it to be a help and encouragement to others.  The greatest rescue from bondage that we will ever experience is the rescue of us from sin that Jesus accomplished on the cross.  It is important that we share our stories so that those who are near despair will hear of a  God who rescues at just the right time.  I pray that this poem is an encouragement to you to remain faithful in all things.

In prayer,
Tom