Versing into the New Year: Part 1

The start of this new year has been tumultuous – globally, nationally, and for some of us personally. A lot of us need peace, reassurance, and a steadying hand.

This month, I’ve decided to do something a bit different here on the blog. Instead of writing a post, I’ve decided to share two poems, one this week and one next week, as a two-part series.

My hope for this week’s poem is that it helps you set your focus for the new year, even as you anticipate its challenges and uncertainties. My hope for the second is that it encourages you to persevere and hold on to that focus even in the thick of the journey.

I turn to poetry because it can speak in ways that prose can’t. We can pray,  even sing, through poetry. Take the Psalms, for example – they are all poems, and contain some of the most powerful and pray-able Scriptures in the Bible.

I hope that these poems give you encouragement as you face another  year of unknowns. Remember that even amidst the unknown, there is always a knowable, all-knowing God. He has been there ahead of you, and He goes with you. Seek Him always.

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I wrote this week’s poem many years ago at a friend’s request, reflecting on my then-imminent graduation and transition to college. It was later published in the Spring 2011 edition of The Arrowhead, Catawba College’s literary arts magazine.

I think it’s just as appropriate for the beginning of a new year. May it give you courage and remind you to seek Him who alone gives true hope and strength.

Align My Heart

I see ahead of me a future filled with joy, hope, and tears
A maze of open doorways and a road that disappears
I cannot grasp the magnitude of what the year will bring
I cannot know just how much the Lord will work through everything

When I come down to my knees, O Lord, remember who I am
When I look up to You, O Lord, give me the strength to stand
Guide me in my way, O God, with Your almighty hand
And when I come to seek Your face, give me light to understand

I am crossing a threshold, but one thing will never change:
Lord, I’ll always need You, and You remain the same
YOU ARE, and there is no one else to whom my life belongs
I want to make it into something that will be a worthy song

I do not know everything about the life ahead of me
All I can understand is what You have revealed to me
I need You to tell me which way to turn my feet
Lead me on the eternal path that leads me to Your feet

Guide me to Your heart, O Lord, and make it ever mine
Show me Your dreams for my life so that I may align
My heart with Your heart, and my steps with the prints You’ve left
Help me to soar on heights I’ve never dreamed of