March 2nd

March 2nd

Read: Gal. 5:1, Heb. 10:10-14; Gal. 3:17-4:7

ONCE IT WAS
Once it was that God must hurl
is thunderbolt to crash
Or fling His mighty ocean waves
Against the rocks to dash
Before I thought to lift mine eyes
To watch the changing sky
Or, my attention caught at last,
To wonder vaguely, “Why?”;
But now, ah now, ’tis but the gleam
Of hovering star’s sweet light
A-sparkle on a darkened lake
Upon a gentle night
Or sudden flash of lark in flight
Or sound of geese a-wing
That stops my heart and teaches me
A sweet, new song to sing.

Once it was that God must send
A crowd across my way
Or set me in a room where folks
Were grouped in party gay
Before my detached heart reached out
To share a bit of me
Or, my attention caught at last,
To feel some empathy;
But now, ah now, ’tis but the start
Of someone’s timid smile
Or shining light in someone’s eyes
That bids me pause a while,
Or but the look of loneliness
Upon a passing face
That calls me out from mine own way
To share my Savior’s grace.

Once it was that I was bound
Within my stubborn will,
Closed fast inside my boundaries,
Best by my own chill,
And then, as sudden thaw will loose
The waters of a stream,
The warmth of love I found in Christ
Released my frozen dream,
And now, ah now, my eyes look far
Beyond horizons wide;
My joy-filled heart may now embrace
The universe inside;
For my Redeemer once-for-all
Did die to rescue me,
And once-for-all I claimed His love
That sets the prisoner free.

Prayer: Dear Lord, I thank You for releasing me from bondage and the many limitations I set in my life at one time. I thank You for giving me LIFE.