Away with Escapism

Come, Lord Jesus,

And help me escape

This terrible world

That is full of hate.

I have had enough

And I am ready to go,

I know you’re looking down

And you must know.

Every single day brings

Some new terror,

Nightmare after nightmare

Like a Hollywood horror.

People don’t even care

About your precious word

Hence, I have given up

On this unrepentant world.

There was a time

When people would listen

But now, to oppose you

Have become the fashion.

I know you have a day

When you will return

But it is a waste of time

These people won’t learn.

They are stiff-necked

And rotten all the way through,

I see no hope for them

And so should you.

I am ready to come home

I am serious, Lord,

I yearn for you to come

Like you said in your Word.

I am tired of down here

Tired witnessing too,

I just want to leave

And be with you.

This is your faithful servant

All of these years,

And this is my prayer to you

Dear Lord, please hear.

My child

There are many to come in

Just like you did,

Don’t forget the times I called

When you ran and hid.

Finally, you responded

And you were doing well,

Your work isn’t finished yet

There are many you must tell.

Of course, if you are tired,

And really want to escape

Death could be your relief,

Should I hasten the date?

 

On second thoughts, Lord,

I would rather remain,

It is not so bad after all

I guess I became vain.

I have heard so much

About the bad things to come

That praying for your coming

Was my way to run.

There are many like me

That are growing tired of the work

And they are finding ways

In which they can hide and shirk.

They too long to escape

From whatever is to come

Forgetting they have been called

To a work in the kingdom.

Thank you, Lord,

For opening my eyes,

Please help me to love those

I would ordinarily despise.

Brothers and sisters

With such a great work to do,

Escapism as an option

Is neither for me nor for you.

To the work; to the work

As the great song of the Faith says,

Every new born-again believer

Makes for better days.

Making the world a better place

One believer at a time

Through your effort at witnessing

And also through mine.

Stewart Russell (c) June 2020

Is Praying a Waste of Time?

Is praying a waste of time?

I would think not.

It’s a command from God’s Word

It is the believer’s lot.

Can we change the future?

I would think not.

The future is already written

That is history’s lot.

By the way history is written

And I mean all of it,

It’s in the memory bank of God

And this is no trick.

So why do we pray

Regarding what has happened?

Can we change the past

Which is already fashioned?

I guess based on these facts

One would be inclined to say

We are wasting time and effort

Every time we pray.

If it doesn’t change anything

Why bother to pray?

Prayer is never about outcome

It is following God’s way.

Jesus prayed in the garden

“Let this cup pass from me.”

But he was resigned to God’s will

And that most assuredly.

He knew before he prayed

That nothing would be changed

So why did he pray

If he knew all was prearranged?

Jesus connected with the Father

And he did this in his prayer

This communication is important

As we live out each and every day.

It is about thanking the Lord

For all his benefits to us,

It is about acknowledging God

That sent our Saviour, Jesus.

It is thanking Him for salvation

And for the life everlasting

And knowing he is with us

Through whatever we are passing.

It is about saying to Him

“God what a wonder you are!”

And unceasingly adoring Him

For the bright and morning star.

Jesus is that Light

That faithfully shows the way,

We should thank God for him

Each and every day.

Our requests have already been met

But God wants to hear from us

He regards us as His dear children

Like he regards His Son, Jesus.

But He wants our communication

To be straight from the heart,

To be a token of our love

From which we will never depart.

Not based on the outcomes

As is the case with the World

But because we truly love Him

And trust Him at His Word.

What is there I must ask God for?

The answer to that is nothing.

But there is much to thank Him for

For everything comes from Him.

His care of His children

Is not dependent on their prayers

But is premised on His faithfulness

As a loving Father that cares.

So pray because you love God,

Pray because He cares,

Pray because you like talking to Him

And because He answers prayer.

Pray because He commands it,

Pray because you are on line,

Pray because prayer is a vital link

That God answers every time.

Stewart Russell © July 2018