Holding on or Eternally Held?

 

 

 

So often we say

We are holding on

But in actual fact

Our strength is gone.

 

We are being held,

That is the fact

And the hands that hold us

Will never grow slack.

 

This is the believer’s reality,

I mean the born again,

It is God’s mercy to us

In both pleasure and pain.

 

His holding is constant,

Our holding on is not,

Reliance on God’s dependability

Is the believer’s lot.

 

God doesn’t permit us

To pull our hands out of His

Even though, of course,

We are still exposed to risk.

 

I know we do things

That do not please Him

And it appears he has let go

On account of our sin.

 

 

But it is not what it seems

Though we have let go,

God is still holding our hands

That’s how much I know.

 

It’s difficult to understand

But is most assuredly real,

Almighty God, our Father

Can never fail.

  

Next time you are asked

How you are doing,

Reply “eternally held”

Even if it’s not showing.

 

For we walk by faith

And not by sight,

And when everything seems wrong

Everything is right.

 

There I go again

With the unexplained,

But once God’s holding my hand

All is well in sun or rain.

 

Stewart Russell © March 2020

 

Sheep-ology

 

“You silly sheep” is the insult hurled

At persons who commit folly,

Yet Jesus chose to be the Lamb

To die for our stupidity.

More that that he is the Shepherd

That looks after silly sheep,

I am glad I am one of them

For at night I can comfortably sleep.

This poem is named “Sheep-ology”

For in it we will study sheep,

And I trust that will stay with me

As I do not intend to be very deep.

As I said before I am a sheep

And not given to too much study

But bear with me on this occasion

As I share with you “Sheep-ology”.

It’s not a good-looking animal

I am sure with this you would agree,

Its ugliness may be its lone defense

That’s one point to being ugly.

No horns, no growl, no bark

Nothing to frighten off an enemy,

No tricks, no guile, no fleetness of feet

The sheep is an animal most silly.

No notion of hunting for its food

Or even to search for water

But as soon as these needs arise

The silly sheep becomes a wailer.

Its legs appear prone to break

So spindly for its ill shaped body

And its fore legs being shorter than the back

Hinders its running away in a hurry.

Its vision is surely not the best

When compared to other animals,

Perhaps that is one of the reasons

It is so dependable on people.

  

Animals do some form of grooming

But you’ll not find this with a sheep,

Sheep are at home in their urine and filth

And never a time do they smell sweet.

Sheep are very easily spooked

Especially when they are grazing

But the way they follow a leader

Is absolutely amazing.

Like the camel and the llama

Their teeth are made for grass

The front to bite the back to chew

Meat would be an impossible task.

The Psalmist David in the Psalms

Paints a picture of the sheep

And of the caring Shepherd also

That does not ever sleep.

The sheep needs no other defense

Whilst in this Shepherd’s care

And even when confronted by evil

Need not be overcome with fear.

The sheep to which I refer

Are the sheep in the Master’s care,

The sheep for which he gave his life

His sheep both far and near.

I rejoice in being Jesus’ sheep

It’s the best decision I ever made

Call me a silly sheep if you wish

I was lost but now I am saved.

No need of horns or fleet of feet

Neither claws nor ferocious growl,

I am safe within the Shepherd’s fold

Saved from the enemy most foul.

In the consideration of the world

I might not be bright

But this sheep is walking by faith

And definitely not by sight.

Stewart Russell © April 2019