Evening Prayer

-

Peace
deep in the fibers of my soul.
I come to prayer
with my guitar in hand
and sing songs
expressing the calm in my heart.

Give us peace
when we tire from the struggle.
Give us warm bodies
to embrace,
those You have brought into
our lives
with special purpose.

Give us health
when sickness weakens us.
Give us a longing
for Your touch,
the promise of salvation,
to shelter us in the night.

Peace,
I rest in a safe haven,
where You protect my soul
from all that
hinders.




copyright 2016 - Donald P James Jr

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Jesus in the Snow

-
Image
This picture hung on the side of my parents refrigerator when I was a child.  I was always intrigued by the black and white blotches which did not seem to form anything recognizable.  One day I asked my mother about the photograph.  She said it was the face of Jesus and that if I looked closely I could see Him. I could not for the life of me see our Lord in the meaningless menagerie of spots.  I remember standing at the side of the refrigerator staring at the picture as it hung there almost taunting me. One day, in my teen years, when I wasn't really trying to see the face in the black and white blotches anymore, I saw Him.  Maybe I needed to see the face more, at that age, when I was on the threshold of adulthood then when I was a child.  Now, as the years have passed, I find it difficult not to see Him in the patterns of melting snow on the mountainside. ~ I have a question for you.  When you look at the patterns of melting snow, do yo...
Read more

Daily Bread (Proverbs 30:7-9)

-
Image
Two things I ask of you, Lord; do not refuse me before I die; Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the Lord?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God Proverbs 30:7-9 "I have these needs," she says. "I need an abundance of things.  My closet is full.  My pantry is stocked.  And yet, if I really think about it, I'm not happy.  I've recently discovered this about myself.  I don't know how to change.  I don't know where I should direct my life.  I feel that my world is cluttered... a mess." The listener sits back in her chair.  The woman across the room is crying out for help.  The listener knows she is limited to the wisdom God will pour out.  She prays silently and speaks firmly. "Things. Stuff." The listener begins, "It burdens your soul.  You cannot find happiness when you see...
Read more

Embattled Denominations

-
Image
Embattled denominations, tearing apart the precious body of our savior. Laws of man, apart from God's word, twisted by politics and the quest for filled pews. One phrase, one word, and one religion is saved, while another is doomed. Jesus taught to seek Him, not the laws of men, the glory of modern Pharisees, or the virtue of politics. copyright 2025 - Donald P James Jr https://www.amazon.com/stores/Donald-P.-James-Jr./author
Read more

Matthew 19

-
Image
Does our law allow these things? And with the question He points back to scripture. "Have you not read". All the answers are right there. But you have to have eyes to see and ears to hear. Why then... and but...? Because you are dense, hard to teach. Two shall unite, man and woman, as in the days of creation. No man may separate or redefine. They ask a question, specific, and the Lord's answer encompasses so much more. They question divorce and He defines marriage. Does His law allow these things? copyright 2018 - Donald P James Jr https://www.amazon.com/stores/Donald-P.-James-Jr./author
Read more

The Women

-
Image
You ran, perhaps filled with a joy unknown before. After the empty day that was yesterday, you had expected nothing more than more emptiness. You ran, the light frightened you, but the voice gave you strength, so you sprinted from the sight of stones and boulders. Would they believe you? Your euphoria had to diminish, a tiny bit, as you considered rejection. You were women, you had no voice among the men, your opinion had no weight except in His hearing. You ran, all the way to great city. It is what the light told you to do. Peter and John, they will doubt your words. Your excitable rambling will make little sense to the world. Miracles exist to fester doubt, and what is seen by the women, is never equal to what will be seen by men. copyright 2025- Donald P James Jr https://www.amazon.com/stores/Donald-P.-James-Jr./author
Read more

Pine Tree

-
Image
"Is it perfect?" Marcy said as they stopped along the short path. It was quiet on the edge of the woods, walking through the tree farm.  She loved the sound of snow crunching under her feet.  The three inches that had fallen three days ago was crusty underfoot.  The sun was trying its best to melt winter's dressing.  Marcy could feel the glowing warmth on her face, despite the cold temperatures. "Better than perfect," Robert replied. This would be their first Christmas as husband and wife.  They had come out to tag the tree.  It would later be cut down and Robert would pick it up with his Ford F-150 next weekend. "Will the star fit on top?  It is my Grandmother's star.  It has to fit on the top." "It will," Robert assured her. She wrapped her arm around the crook of his elbow. "If I listen," she said. "I can almost hear the sap running through the bark." "You're thinking of Maple Trees." "Nope.  I am...
Read more

Empty Nets

-
Image
The sea lapped against the side of their boats.  The night had been unproductive for both vessels.  Men with muscular builds and hair covered limbs hauled their nets from the water.  Even empty, lifting the nets from the sea was a chore for tired arms. "The catch is barely enough to feed my family." The speaker of the complaint was solidly built.  His clothing had soaked up sea water and sweat.  His day was ending with mounting frustration. "Things will get better, Simon." For a brief moment Simon believed his brother's passive response to their looming starvation, or more urgently their inability to pay the tax, had some basis in reality. "Once again, Andrew, do I have to listen to your view of our lives, wasted on fish and the call of the sea?" "It would be possible... to be something different." "We have been fishermen all our lives.  You and I know no other trade.  I cannot, overnight, become a carpenter.  Neither can you.  I am not ...
Read more

Deep Calls Out to Deep (Psalm 42:7)

-
Image
A yearning, in the depths of the created. Calling out into the vastness, one soul, seeking one God. In the psalm it might be a deer, seeking a stream with clear water. It might be a soul, seeking a union meant to purify. A longing, a cry for intimacy. A lyric sung by a voice from the deepness of one realm to another. copyright 2025 - Donald P James Jr https://www.amazon.com/stores/Donald-P.-James-Jr./author
Read more

The Story of Albert Hobbs

-
Image
In the book 'Afternoons with Mister D', there is a chapter simply titled 'Nam, in this story within a story, the reader is introduced to a man named Albert Hobbs.  Albert is man full of hatred for those not like him, especially when it comes to skin color. The story below is written from Albert's perspective. And as always, 'Afternoons With Mister D' is available on Amazon.com Afternoons With Mister D He lies on his back, in the mud.   Overhead, the overcast sky looks down on him as he slowly inhales, taking one more breath.   Each time he fills his lungs, and then lets it out, he wonders if it will be the last. The explosions are deafening.   It matters little.   He is on the brink of moving beyond all of this, this war that is not a war. He has come to these jungles, because it is what his father would have done, and his grandfather.   The men in his family fought for their country.   He is no different.   God, family, country, apple pie, an...
Read more

Psalm 98

-
Image
Sing a song, which speaks to the Lord of His wonderous deeds. He has gained victory by His right hand and His holy arm. Sing a song, which speaks of salvation, bringing His word to the nations, telling of His love and His faithfulness. Sing a song, which can be heard from above. A song bringing forth joy. For each day He is worthy of your praise, and mine. copyright 2025 - Donald P James Jr https://www.amazon.com/stores/Donald-P.-James-Jr./author
Read more