Suicide

It’s not your fault,
you know.
You couldn’t comprehend the pain,
of guilt & shame,
& dark depression,
force driving her to end too short life.

Pain she couldn’t share,
made life unbearable.
Pain unconfessed,
festered inside.
She couldn’t confess,
to be healed.

She saw no way out,
guilt & shame & pain held her tight.
Blackness & depression,
Churchill’s black dog,
closed around.
Suicide seemed only way out.

Storms of Life too strong to endure.
Like Peter with waves too tall,
she started to sink.
Like Peter she lost sight of Me,
but she didn’t/couldn’t reach out,
In waves too tall.

They claim suicide’s unforgivable sin.
So what.
There’s nothing I can’t forgive.
Its wrong to try to control your life,
by choice of when you die,
rather than God’s will.

It’s no worse,
than any other sin,
where you seek control.
You all wander off,
going your own,
disobedient way.

Judas after his betrayal,
in dark guilt and grief,
Death seemed only choice,
alone in his bleak fatal field.
Death only choice,
to end dark sharp pain.

Peter the lucky one,
with brother,
who walked with him,
in time of sorrow.
Held him close and showed him love,
helped him go on.

Walk with those in their dark hour,
when pain seems oh so dark.
You cannot stop the awful pain,
but you can be a light.
Light of hope.
Light of joy & peace.

Like Andrew stay so close to them.
Let them know My love.
Love that reaches out to them.
Love that offers peace.
Hope in fiery furnace.
Joy in time of grief.

Be My hands and feet.
Hands to hold them close.
Feet to walk beside them,
in their valley of despair,
when dark shadows loom.
Threaten to overtake.

Minister to those,
trapped in guilt and shame.
Show them My love,
Joy & forgiveness.
Offer them healing.
Offer them Me.
©Bob F, January 25, 2002

So many Christians don't understand mental illness, they think it is a sin, not understanding it is just a sickness like so many we are subject to in this world where evil seems to much easier to understand than good. This poem is a message of hope in the midst of the most awful despair.

Brook of Kerith

Fear not
I will provide.
In time of drought
come to My brook.

My living water
will give you life.
Like Kerith’s brook
Saved Elijah’s life

Be shrewd.
Trust that I
will provide
what you need.

Like Elijah
at Kerith brook
My ravens will come
to meet your needs.
(1st Kings 17:2-6)
© Bob, September 23, 2001

It is hard to realize that more than three years have passed. This poem focuses on trust. This is one of the hard ones, trusting when there doesn't seem to be any reason to trust.

Finding God at the World Trade Center

Devil Cloud

You saw the devil’s face
looming in awful cloud.
Death bringing cloud
from tower’s fall.
True face of evil showed
plain above the earth.
More than mere sign of evil
true devil face in New York sky.
©Bob, September 25, 2001

Finding God at the World Trade Center

You saw the devil’s
leering face.
You thought it meant he’d won.
But you saw Me
in hero’s faces
standing against evil.
In hero firemen
running into buildings.

You see Me
in child’s face.
Tears flowing
at their loss.
You see Me
in friend holding picture.
Friend feeling pain
caused by love’s loss.

You think that I
am absent in this time
of great grief.
In this agony of pain.
I’m right here beside you.
Reach out.
Let Me
take your hand.
© Bob September 15, 2001

These poems sum up a feeble understanding of how God
is present with us in dark times like these.

Take up Your Cross

Put down your idols.
Take up your cross.
Follow Me.
Step out in faith.

Hear My demand.
Do the impossible.
Like Peter
step from your boat.

Your hands too full
to take up your cross.
Let Me empty them
so you can follow.

Your idols bind you
with chains
impossible for you
to break.

Surrender your idols,
to Me.
Let Me break,
their chains.

Take up your cross.
Follow Me.
I will lead you,
to joy.
© Bob, September 9, 2001
I heard this two days before the towers fell.
Hard to know just what will be required.
What cross will we have to take up?
What innocents will die in the coming days?

What things still keep us from doing
what we should do?

Sound of Death

We heard death sound
in midst of devil cloud.
Pitiful chirping
telling brave men died.

Sound of death
filled our ears.
Sign of awful dying.
Such a plaintive sound.

Worse than locust plague.
When will it stop?
When will our guilt
fall silent?

Let us use the tower’s ash
as sign of our remorse.
We repent of our failure
to hear Your repentance call.
© Bob, September 2001

This poem is an attempt to express some of the pain from September 11th. May we never forget.

Be not Afraid

Do you trust Me?

In this time

of Dark Evil.

Do you see Me?


Do you trust Me?

When fear’s chains

bind so tight.

Escape impossible.



Do you trust Me?

Do you know Me?

Know I will provide

all you need?



Do you trust Me?

Be not afraid.

See My angel army

gathered around.



Do you trust Me?

Know I will provide

all you need

each day of your life.



Fear should be your friend.

Let Me break his chains.

Let him be a guide

to keep you from danger.

(2 Kings 5:14-17)

© Bob, October 14, 2001

This poem seems applicable in these dark hours where fear seems so strong, and hope so weak.

Suffering, God's Gift

I offer gift to you
suffering, pain & woe.
All stronger than you
can stand or endure.
Will you trust Me
when I offer this gift?
Will you still follow
as you bear your cross.
Cross too heavy
to carry on your own.
Will you join martyrs
ready to die for Me?
In midst of senseless death.
Death of innocents
death unexplained
pain to no purpose.
Will you seek My purpose?
Will you follow Me?
Will you drink My cup
offered James & John?
Will you find joy
in midst of suffering?
Feel My love
in midst of tears?
© 1: 15 PM, September 11, 2001, still in shock at unknown, awful, pain and loss.
Loss that served no good purpose, yet death planned by unknown killers.
Lord, help us see you in this pain.
Help us see you in such awful death.
Help us say, forgive them, they know not what they do.

I wrote those words, or heard the questions, September 11, 2001. I still don't know the answer to the questions. The terror of Beslan reminds us anew these questions don't go away. We only think we can ignore them. Between now and September 11th 2004, i will be posting mostly poems seared into my soul that dark September. They still seem far too relevant. I fear far worse awaits, yet in the midst of this dark valley of the shadow. REJOICE.BE NOT AFRAID.
PresbyPoet
Help us say, forgive them, they know not what they do.

On loving our enemies

You demand we love our enemies.
How can we love the killers of Fallujah?
What do You mean when You say to forgive?
Does love do nothing and ignore evil?
What did You mean when You said.
"Let he without sin cast the first stone."

Do we sit silent and do nothing
when evil shows its full face?
Is this what it means to turn the other cheek?
Is that what You demand?
How can we approve what they did?
How can we endorse what they did?

Is it that we should not react but respond?
Not simply seek revenge but justice?
Is this the hard lesson we must learn?
We cannot do it on our own.
You did not remain silent
in the temple that day.

Your righteous anger showed us
sometime response is required.
Lord teach us to hear You
when revenge tempts us.
Help us learn how to forgive
and when to overturn tables.

(Matthew 5:38-39,43-47, 21:12-13, Mark 11:15-17, Luke 19:45-46, 23:34, John 2:14, 8:7)
Written on April 2, 2004. This is the first poem to be posted to Poems from God. A new poem should be posted daily.