Into Night

A spirit of darkness hovers before my eyes
It secretes a fog of ebony lies
It creates a fear of what it hides

The night blocks all that the light would show
It makes me doubt what I might know
And I ran out of wisdom long ago

But there are souls lost in that pitch black
They fell beneath the grim attack
They need a Guide to bring them back

They wander the land of the valley of the shadow
Their burdens bend their souls down low
And to these souls some one must go

To these people in darkness, light must shine
To them, Truth must be supplied
To this task, some one must rise

There must be a Light darkness cannot overcome
There must be gleam to shine when day is gone
There must be a Conqueror who has already won

And so, we stand. And so we fight
And so, we shine with Heaven’s Light
And so, we pierce into the night

A Coming Storm

There is a vision I have seen of storm clouds up ahead
A gale to match has never been, and it sight inspires dread

There is a choice that I must make of how I will prepare
Of what precautions I will take and how much I shall dare

There is a promise I have heard that calls me to the storm
But I often doubt untested words when I haven’t seen their form

There is a part of me which screams that I will be made a fool
And that smallest portion often seems the part that wields the rule

But there is another part of me that longs to press ahead
To smother my complacency and trust in what was said

Yet, here and there I seem to find shelter from the blast
And it would surely ease my mind to hide ‘til all is past

So, undecided, here I stand and think of what to do
I want to just throw up my hands and blame it all on You

For this seems so unneeded, this superfluous test
And my prayers seem so unheeded, unanswered like the rest

So I cast up one more longing glance toward the swirling sky
And I pray You have not turned to chance, and won’t leave me here to die

Remind of all that You have shown the other times I cried
Be my strength to walk alone and I’ll see You on the other side

Awake! Awake!

Awake! Awake! Put on might.
Awake! Awake! Put on power.
Awake! Awake! Rise to fight.
Awake! Awake! Face the hour.

Awake! Awake! Rise and shine.
Awake! Awake! The Day comes soon.
Awake! Awake! Light is thine.
Awake! Awake! Flee from thy tomb.

Awake! Awake! Night has left.
Awake! Awake! See and have sight.
Awake! Awake! Rise from death.
Awake! Awake! Christ will give Light.

Let me Sing Now

Let me sing now of my Savior
Who died that I might live
Let me declare His loving favor
And proclaim the grace He gives

I wish to shout His awful glory
I long to tell His mighty power
Let me sing the old, old story
Report His Day and His Hour

Let me write that some may read it
Let me proclaim the message well
Let me preach to all who need it
Let me live His praise to tell

Across the Waves (also called "The Way of Waves")

I dreamt I saw a faceless man beside a boundless sea
But what was on the other side neither I nor he could see
He stood upon the pebbled shore and stared across the tide
And thoughts of ancient sailor-lore aroused his fears inside
He dug his toes into the stones and turned his face away
Silently he stood alone in the dark of starlight’s day
Tales he had heard of the sea made him fear its foam
Wanderers had brought word of terrors far from home
Their grim horror made him dread the shadow of the waves
He held to the ground where tides are bound and their assaults are staved

And I dreamt I saw a glowing star giving out a lovely call
The waves all sought to blot him out, but he rose above them all
Its glory gleamed with Truth-light and spoke a message clear
It sung its way around the fright and divided all our fear
And then the man raised up his eyes and gazed upon the beam
The ocean’s grim and threatening cries were silenced by the gleam
And all was seen as mere milieu for the story of the star
And the man and I forgot our reason for remaining where we are
So we forsake our fear of going near the ocean’s raging wrath
We take foot in hand and leave the land and make the sea our path

And then, alas, I awoke though I wished I could dream on
For I longed to reach that singing star, though the journey would be long
But the more I found myself awake the more I saw that still I dreamed
For there was sense that I could make of what this star could mean
Today I stand upon a shore and dark waves assail my toes
And though I long to reach for more my dread will not let go
But over all the whelming flood a silent call breaks through
And the voiceless plea falls on me and replaces fear with Truth
So I pretend this won’t be my end, even though it may
But even so, still I know the waves will be my way

Did You?

Did you think you could do this without Me?
Did you think you were up to the task?
Did you forget I have all you’ll ever need?
Did you even remember to ask?

Did you think you had enough of your own strength?
Did you think you could outwit sin and death?
Did you think eternity has measurable length?
Did you forget the God who holds your breath?

Did you think you could ride winds that can’t be flown?
Did you think you could do what you can’t do?
Did you think you could make it on your own?
Tell Me. Did you?

The Tombs we Filled are Crumbling

The tombs we filled are crumbling
And the idols we built are tumbling
The safety we clung to is frightening
And the burden we bore is lightening

For the day is now near at hand, for which all creation groans
When praise will rise from surf and sand and stars and beasts and stones

The slaves are liberated
Grace is unabated
Now the lost will find
In darkness, Light doth shine