The Day of Trouble

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By Michael W. Raley

As black storm clouds roll across the sky,

A foreboding sense of doom and dread

Creep into my spirit.

The thunder crackles like cannon fire

And the lightning lights up the sky

Like the afternoon sun.

The rain pours down trouble on all sides

And the ground becomes overwhelmed

With the sudden flash flooding,

I seek out the higher ground-

The Rock that is higher than I.

The Lord, my shelter, will guard me

In the day of trouble.

When terrors overwhelm me,

When life’s pressures become too much,

I find refuge in the Lord,

The Lord God Almighty

Who can turn the day of trouble

Into a night of joy and dancing.

The storms will come

And the storms will pass,

But the Lord remains forever.

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The Past has Passed Away

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By Michael W. Raley

The past has passed away

And the Lord blesses us with a new day.

The past, whether it’s been five minutes, months or years,

Is not coming back no matter the dwelling thoughts or shed tears.

While we have the gift of God’s grace,

Let us repent and run a new race.

The past is dead and gone

And life will go on,

With or without us.

All we can do is place our trust

In the One who holds us in His hands,

The One who has numbered our hairs and the grains of sand.

My friend do not fritter away the gift of today

Wondering and speculating about the events of yesterday.

Another Obstacle

By Michael W. Raley

Another obstacle lies in my path

And there’s no way around it.

There lies before me another battle

I must wage,

Yet, I don’t have the strength to fight.

For all of the fortitude and resolve I must muster,

I might as well be enduring the trials of Hercules.

I am battle hardened,

But my mental, spiritual, and physical reserves are depleted

And I don’t see reinforcements on the horizon.

I pray for a sign and await the arrival of the Deliverer.

Please, please, Savior, do not delay,

For my strength is almost gone.

Choose Life, Choose Christ

By Michael W. Raley

What if we could extend God’s grace to those around us?

What if we could embody love in a time of anger and hate?

In a time of hedonistic pleasure,

The call for a return to virtue goes almost unheeded.

People choose to live by their own truths

Instead of the universal truths of God.

There are those who call out their own virtue

Without understanding the true nature of justice, righteousness, and love,

Bringing shame and humiliation to anyone who may disagree.

Brothers and sisters, this ought not be so.

Though we may have different skin tones and languages,

We bleed the same red blood.

However, the time has come for us

To stop shedding the innocent blood,

To stop the hate, the violence, the ridicule

And the mob mentality.

For our Lord is calling us to a time with Him,

A quiet time of prayer and reflection.

Perhaps it is a time of listening to the Lord

From His holy hill, allowing Him to transform us

Into who we should be,

Not what the world wants us to be.

The Lord is calling us to a spiritual paradox-

We must separate ourselves from the darkness

While being a light in that same darkness.

Choose this day whom you will serve-

The day or the night?

The darkness or the light?

Death or life?

Virtue or sin?

Choose Christ and choose freedom.

Greed

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By Michael W. Raley

Greed is a cancer on the human soul,

An ever-growing tumor showing no signs of slowing down.

Greed is a demon, which has possessed humanity,

Creating an ever-widening path of destruction

Of war, corruption,  the enslavement, oppression, and murder

Of family, strangers, friends, and entire groups of people

Whose only wrong deed was being in someone’s perceived way.

And for what? More possessions? More money?

Do you think your blood money will buy you a seat in heaven?

Will your soul ever be satisfied? Will your belly ever be full?

Judas lost his soul over thirty pieces of silver,

How much will it take for you?

Wealth must be mixed with generosity for the betterment of all

And not so each one can build their own kingdom.

Just like the fool who decided to build bigger barns and rest,

So your soul may be required of you this very night.

Who then, will take care of your barns?

You may have gained the world,

But how much did it cost you?

Wash the filth off of your hands

And repent with all your heart!

 

 

Hold The Line

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By Michael W. Raley

The armies of darkness and despair have waged war in my life

For what seems an eternity.

I have paid a heavy price and suffered tremendous loss.

Yet, I remain steadfast in the midst of this battle.

“Hold the line!”

By the grace of God, I have come too far to waive the white flag.

Now is the time to regroup and to strengthen what remains,

For victory is imminent, so judgment will be executed on the darkness and despair.

As long as I have breath, I have hope.

“Hold the line!”

My spirit and my resolve are battle-hardened,

My strategy is coming together,

As I plan to launch an offensive

That will scatter the enemy and break their spirits.

“Hold the line!”

 

 

Embrace Today’s Second Chance

By Michael W. Raley

O how the body aches,

O how the heart breaks,

When you realize

That the dream has died.

All of the work, love, faith, and hope you planted as seeds

Has become a harvest of drought and weeds.

We shrug it off as not meant to be or not part of a plan,

Neither of which bring us comfort nor understanding.

Time will go on and somehow so will we,

Keeping our distance and remaining skeptical and leery.

The sacrifice and pain came at such a high cost

That it will take time to get over this loss.

However, some wounds will never heal

As we may become bitter about our raw deal.

Some things we will never get over, with the burden on our shoulders.

We perceive ourselves to be destined like Sisyphus, pushing a boulder,

Only to have it roll down the hill again.

Or consider Job, who sought an audience with God and an explanation,

Only to be pelted with unanswerable question after unanswerable question.

Yes, Job’s family and fortunes were restored,

But why did he have to go through all of that before?

We must hold on to the loved ones and days which remain,

In spite of the sorrow and pain.

We must embrace today’s second chance,

For as Aurelius said, we are meant to wrestle with this life and not dance.