| Psalms Poetry Contest |
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Due to insufficient entries{22 total}, time and other factors the Psalms Poetry contest is terminated with the 2008-09 season. As there are no further fundraising events, etc.; All reading fees or credits will be returned upon request, regardless of whether entries were ineligible {12 not "blind"} or stated as a donation {2}. All entries will be mailed by January 15, 2010. Certicates and checks will be included in mailing.
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$25. First Place-ROBERT LOUIS COVINGTON
Beautiful Gate
$15. Second Place-Charie Evette Daviston
The Way
$10. Third Place-Sandra H. Bounds
Confession
Honorable Mention - Kara L. Kraemer
Prayer of Thanksgiving for Salvation of Life
Editor's Choice-Kathleen M. Parnell
The Way
A Prayer A Day Body of Work Award
Lynne Patterson
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Submissions should be in a prayer format on any topic that has inspirational meaning. They can be in any form and between 18 and 24 lines. They may have been published elsewhere as long as the author holds the copyright. The work may be under consideration elsewhere and entered in other contests. Must be "Blind" entries. |
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The contest has been the most unique of our programs and urge poets to find ways to organize a collection or edition.
AMEN
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Poem/Prayers are written by the editor, unless otherwise noted. Recommended way of using these prayers is
to make the Prayer Yours; By completing each Prayer with YOUR NEEDS, BLESSINGS, etc. {in " " s}
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The Message
Your Angel has brought******YOU
To where you*****ARE
We leave behind only those *******
We have***LOVED
Live each day fully in the*********
Glory that is***YOU
Your value is in Your existence****
It is enough you***ARE
Harming self, nor others*****NOT
Trusting in Self to plot clear*******
Of Harms way**ALONE
BEING fully you is the Best*******
You can****BE
All of Nature exists for you
To be**HAPPY
Injustices have only that meaning***
Given by you**AND
Nice people don’t finish last*******
They**FINISH
IN
HEAVEN
“Dear LORD make Your message
mine and”…………………………...
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Our Creator that is everywhere
In all time
Blessed be Thy Name,
For there are many
Thy order for our will to become
On Earth align
With Thou Heavenly design
Forgive us as we forgive other’s crime
Give us this day Your blessings,
For there are many
As Your tasks for us are never done
Make known
Your love for us so we cross
Not the line
Our will not lost by the masses temptation,
For there are many
Lift us up from the muck and slime
So that in Your light we shine
Making Your design
Mine
“Our Father………………………………”
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My God, I love thee! Not because
I hope for heaven thereby;
Nor because those who love thee not
Must burn eternally.
Thou, O my Jesus, thou didst me
Upon the cross embrace
For me didst bear the nails and spear
And manifold disgrace.
And griefs and torments numberless,
And sweat of agony
Yes, death itself—and all for one
That was thine enemy
Then why, O blessed Jesus Christ,
Should I not love thee well?
Not for the hope of Heaven,
Nor of escaping hell!
Not with the hope of gaining aught,
Not seeking a reward;
But as thyself hast loved me,
O everlasting Lord!
E’en so I love thee, and will love,
And in thy praise will sing,--
Solely because thou art my God,
And my eternal King.
St. Francis Xavier
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The bird let loose in eastern skies,
When hastening fondly home,
Ne’er stoops to earth her wing, nor flies
Where idle warblers roam;
But high she shoots through air and light,
Above all low delay,
Where nothing earthly bounds her flight,
Nor shadow dims her way.
So grant me God, from every care
And stain of passion free,
Aloft, through Virtue’s purer air,
To hold my course to thee!
No sin to cloud, no lure to stay
My soul, as home she springs;--
Thy sunshine on her joyful way,
Thy freedom in her wings!
Thomas Moore
“So grant me God………………..”
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I Were an Excellent Devine 1 to 3
I would I were an excellent divine That had
The Bible at my fingers ends; that men
Might hear out of this mouth of mine
How God doth make his enemies his friends;
Rather than with a thundering
And long prayer
Be led into presumption, or despair.
This would I be, and would none other be,
But a religious servant of my God;
And know there is none other God but he,
And willingly to suffer mercy’s rod,--
Joy in his grace, and live but in his love,
And seek my bliss but in the world above.
And I would frame a kind of faithful prayer,
For all estates within the state of grace,
That careful love might never know despair,
Nor servile fear might faithful love deface;
And this would I both day and night devise
To make my humble spirit’s exercise.
Nicholas Breton, edited
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I would Were an Excellent Divine 4 & 5
And I would read the rules of sacred life;
Persuade the troubled soul to patience;
The husband care, and comfort to the wife,
To child and servant due obedience;
Faith to the friend,
And to the neighbor peace,
That love might live,
And quarrels cease.
Prayer for health of all that are diseased,
Confession unto all that are convicted,
And patience unto all that are displeased,
And comfort to all that are afflicted,
And mercy unto all that have offended,
And grace to all, that all may be amended.
Nicholas Breton, edited
“I pray for…………………………………”.
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The Angel’s Knee
I do not know why I am as I am
I only know I Be—
And that Angels watch over me.
Like shepherds for the lamb,
Their presence I do not see;
But they shelter from Satan’s sham.
And as I become,
And shall be much taller on one knee,
For you dear Lord, are – What I am.
Asking only to be a better me.
Please ask not of what was ask of Abraham
For I am not he,
And my child is a part of You and me.
What meaning Be
Till the child given by You
And taught on my knee
Is free to Be her and he
Fully worthy of life’s turbulent sea!
“O God of the Angels too……………….”
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There is something greater than you
And you are a part of that Greatness.
There is such a force beyond your Will
That brings order to your Freedom.
Jump High!
You will return to where you stood.
You do not struggle.
You may float on Ocean Waters.
You maybe lifted by the gentle fluff
Of soft White Clouds.
You are Grounded
And held in the Palm of God.
“All powerful Father………………”.
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There is something greater than you
And you are a part of that Greatness.
There is such a force beyond your Will
That brings order to your Freedom.
It matters not what you call this Force.
Only that you know that you are
NOT ALONE!
That your Life
Is a part of All Life;
And that your Life
Affects All Life
Living and Unborn.
Live well in Joy and Comfort
For you are Being Held
By a Force Greater than your Own!
“O Lord, thank you for your presence…”.
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THE HOLY SPIRIT I to IV
I in the hour of my distress,
When temptations me oppress,
And when I my sins confess
Sweet Spirit, Comfort me!
When I lie in my bed,
Sick at heart, and sick in head,
And with doubts discomforted,
Sweet Spirit, comfort me!
When the house doth sigh and weep,
And the world is drowned in sleep,
Yet mine eyes the watch do keep,
Sweet Spirit, comfort me!
When the artless doctor sees,
No one hope but of his fees,
And his skill runs on the lees,
Sweet Spirit, comfort me!
“Blessed Holy Spirit, comfort me….”
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THE HOLY SPIRIT V to VIII
When his potion and his pill,
His or none or little skill,
Meet for nothing but to kill,
Sweet Spirit, comfort me!
When the passing bell doth toll,
And the Furies in a shoal,
Come to fight a parting soul,
Sweet Spirit, comfort me!
When the tapers now burn blue,
And the comforters are few,
And that number more than true,
Sweet Spirit, comfort me!
When the priest his last hath prayed,
And I nod to what is said,
Because my speech is now decayed,
Sweet Spirit, comfort me!
“Comfort me my Lord……………..”.
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THE HOLY SPIRIT IX to XII
When God knows, I’m tost about,
Either with despair or doubt,
Yet before the glass be out,
Sweet Spirit, comfort me!
When the tempter me pursu’th,
With the sins of all my youth,
And half damns me with untruth,
Sweet Spirit, comfort me!
When the flames and hellish cries,
Fright mine ears, and fright mine eyes,
And all terrors me surprise,
Sweet Spirit, comfort me!
When the judgment is revealed,
And that opened which was sealed,
When to thee I have appealed,
Sweet Spirit, comfort me!
Robert Herrick
“Forgive me merciful Lord……….”.
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The Martyrs’ Hymn
Flung to the heedless winds,
Or on the waters cast,
The martyrs’ ashes, watched,
Shall gathered be at last;
And from that scattered dust,
Around us and abroad,
Shall spring a plenteous seed
Of witness for God.
The Father hath received
Their latest living breath;
And vain is Satan’s boast
Of victory in their death;
Still, still though dead, they speak,
And trumpet-tongued, proclaim
To many a wakening land
The one availing name.
Martin Luther
“Praise be thy name, O Lord………..”.
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The Fight of Faith
{written by an executed women by Henry VIII
while in prison in 1545}
Like as the armed Knight,
Appointed to the field,
With this world will I fight,
And faith shall be my shilde.
Faith is that weapon strong,
Which will not faile at need;
My foes therefore amonge,
Therewith will I procede.
As it is had in strengthe,
And forces of Christes waye,
It will prevaile at lenghte,
Though all the devils saye naye.
Faith of the fathers olde
Obtained right witness,
Which makes me verye bolde
To fear no worldes distress.
I now rejoice in harte,
And hope bides me do so;
For Christ will take my part,
And ease me of my wo.
Edited
Anne Askewe
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“Only Waiting”
{Written by a “very aged man in an
alhshouse."}
Only waiting till the shadows
Are a little longer grown,
Only waiting till the glimmer
Of the days last beam is flown;
Till the night of earth is faded
From the heart, once full of day;
Till the stars of Heaven are breaking
Through the twilight soft and gray.
Only waiting till the reapers
Have the last sheaf gathered home,
For the summer time is faded;
And the autumn winds have come.
Quickly reapers! Gather quickly
The last ripe hours of my heart,
For the bloom of life is withered,
And I hasten to depart.
Only waiting till the angels
Open wide the mystic gate,
At those feet I have long lingered,
Weary, poor, and desolate.
Even now I hear the footsteps,
And their voices far away;
If they call me I am waiting,
Only waiting to obey.
Edited
Anonymous
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Sit down, sad soul, and count
The moments flying;
Come, tell the sweet amount
That’s lost by sighing!
How many smiles?—a score?
Then laugh, and count no more;
For day is dying!
Lie down, sad soul, and sleep,
And no more measure
The flight of time, nor weep
The loss of leisure;
But here, by this lone stream,
Lie down with us and dream
Of starry treasure!
We dream; do thou the same;
We love,-- forever;
We laugh, yet few we shame,--
The gentile never.
Stay, then, till sorry dies;
Then—hope and happy skies
Are thine forever!
Barry Cornwall
“Dearest Father……………..”
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Nothing but leaves; the spirit grieves
Over a wasted life;
Sin committed while conscience slept,
Promises made but never kept,
Hatred, battle, and strife
Nothing but leaves!
Nothing but leaves; no garnered sheaves
Of life’s fair, ripened grain;
Words, idle words, for earnest deeds;
We sow our seeds,--lo! Tares and weeds;
We reap, with toil and pain,
Nothing but leaves!
Nothing but leaves; memory weaves
No veil to screen the past:
As we retrace our weary way,
Counting each lost and misspent day;
We find, sadly, at last,
Nothing but leaves!
And shall we meet the Master so
Bearing our withered leaves?
The Saviour looks for perfect fruit;
We stand before him, humbled, mute;
Waiting the words he breathes,--
Nothing but leaves!
Anonymous
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The Universal Prayer I to IV
Father of all! In every age,
In every time adored,
By saint, by savage, and by sage,
Jehovah, Jove, or lord!
Thou great First Cause, least understood,
Who all my sense confined
To Know but this, that thou art good,
And that myself am blind;
Yet gave me, in this dark estate,
To see the good from ill;
And, binding nature fast in fate,
Left free the human will.
What conscience dictates to be done,
Or warns me not to do,
This, teach me more than hell to shun,
That, more than heaven pursue.
“Timeless Father…………………….”.
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The Universal Prayer V to VIII
What blessings thy free bounty gives
Lead me not cast away;
For God is paid when man receives,
To enjoy is to obey.
Yet not to earth’s contracted span
Thy goodness let me bound,
Or think thee Lord alone of man,
When thousand worlds are round;
Let me not weak, unknowing hand
Presume thy bolts to throw,
And deal damnation round the land
On each I judge thy foe.
If I am right, thy grace impart
Still in the right to stay;
If I am wrong, O, teach my heart
To find that better way!
“Teach us O’ Lord……………….”.
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The Universal Prayer IX to XII
Save me alike from foolish pride
Or impious discontent,
At aught thy wisdom be denied,
Or aught thy goodness lent.
Teach me to feel another’s woe,
To hide the fault I see;
That mercy I to others show,
That mercy show to me.
Mean though I am, not wholly so,
Since quickened by thy breath;
O, lead m wheresoe’er I go,
Through this day’s life or death!
This day be bread and peace my lot;
All else beneath the sun,
Thou know’st if best be bestowed or not,
And let thy will be done.
Edited
Alexander Pope
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O God! Our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home!
Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting thou art God,
To endless years the same.
A thousand ages in thy sight
Are like an evening gone;
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.
Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly, forgotten as a dream
Dies at the opening day.
O God! Our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be thou our guide while troubles last,
And our eternal home!
Isaac Watts
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A mighty fortress is our God,
A bulwark never failing;
Our helper he amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing.
For still our ancient foe
Doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great,
And armed with equal hate,
Our earth is not his equal.
Did we in our own strength confide
Our striving would be losing;
Were not the right man on our side,
The man of God’s own choosing.
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is he,
Lord Sabbath his name,
From age to age the same,
And he must win the battle.
Martin Luther
“Lord Christ Jesus…………………….”.
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How sweet the name of Jesus sounds
In a believer’s ear
It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds,
And drives away his fear.
It makes the wounded spirit whole,
And calms the troubled breast;
‘T is manna to the hungry soul,
And for the weary rest.
By thee my prayers acceptance gain,
Although with sin defiled;
Satan accuses me in vain,
And I am owned a child.
Jesus! My Shepherd, Guardian, Friend,
My prophet, Priest and King;
My lord, my Life, my Way, my End,
Accept the praise I bring.
Weak is the effort of my heart,
And cold my warmest thought;
But when I see thee as thou art,
I’ll praise thee as I ought.
Till then I would thy love proclaim
With every fleeting breath;
And may the music of thy name
Refresh my soul in death!
John Newton
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Sometimes I catch sweet glimpses
of His face,
But that is all.
Sometimes He looks on me,
and seems to smile,
But that is all,
Sometimes he speaks a passing word
Of peace,
But that is all
Sometimes I think I hear
His loving voice
Upon me call.
And is this all He meant when
Thus He spoke
“Come unto me”?
Is there no deeper, more enduring rest
In Him for thee?
Is there no steadier light for thee in
Him
O, come and see!
O, come and see! O, look, and look
again
All shall be right;
O, taste His love, and see that it is
good,
Thou child of night!
O, trust thou, trust in His grace and
power
Then all is bright.
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When all thy mercies, O my God!
My rising soul surveys,
Transported with the view, I am lost
In wonder, love, and praise.
To all my weak complaints and cries
Thy mercy lent an ear,
Ere yet my feeble thoughts had learnt
To form themselves in prayer.
When in the slippery paths of youth
With heedless steps I ran,
Thine arm unseen conveyed me safe,
And led me up to man.
Though hidden dangers, toils, and deaths,
It gently cleared my way,
And through the pleasing snares of vice,-
More to be feared than they.
When worn with sickness oft hast thou
With health renewed my face;
And, when in sins and sorrows sunk,
Revived my soul with grace.
Edited
Joseph Addison
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Thy bounteous hand with worldly bliss
Has man my cup run o’er,
And in a kind and faithful friend
Has doubled all my store.
Ten thousand thousand precious gifts
My daily thanks employ;
Nor is the least a cheerful heart,
That tastes those gifts with joy.
Through every period of my life
Thy goodness I’ll pursue;
And after death, in distant worlds,
The glorious theme renew.
When nature fails, and day and night
Divide thy works no more,
My ever-grateful heart, O Lord,
Thy mercy shall adore.
Through all eternity to thee
A joyful song I’ll raise;
For O, eternity’s too short
To utter all thy praise!
Edited
Joseph Addison
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The heavens declare thy glory, Lord!
In every star thy wisdom shines;
But when our eyes behold thy word,
We read thy name in fairer lines.
The rolling sun, the changing light,
And nights and days thy power confess;
But the bless volume thou hast writ
Reveals thy justice and thy grace.
Sun, moon, and stars convey thy praise
Round the whole earth, and never stand;
So when thy truth began its race
It touched and glanced on every land.
Thy noblest wonders here we view!
In souls renewed and sins forgiven;
Lord cleanse my sins, my soul renew,
And make thy word my guide to heaven!
Edited
Isaac Watts
“Dear glorious Lord………………”.
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CHILDREN of God, who, faint and slow,
Your pilgrim-path pursue,
In strength and weakness, joy and woe,
To God’s high calling true!-
O, weak to now a savior’s power,
To feel a father’s care!
A moment’s toil, a passing shower,
Is all the grief ye share.
The orb of light, through clouds awhile
May hide his noontide ray,
Shall soon in lovelier beauty smile
To gild the closing day,-
And, bursting through the dusky shroud
That dared his power invest,
Ride throned in light, o’er every cloud,
Triumphant to his rest.
Then, Christian, dry the falling tear,
The faithless doubt remove;
Redeemed at last from guilt and fear,
O, wake thy heart to love!
Edited
Bowdler
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And let this feeble body fail,
And let it faint or die;
My soul shall quit this mournful vale,
And soar to worlds on high;
Shall join the disembodied saints,
And find its long-sought rest,
That only bliss for which it pants,
In the redeemer’s breast.
O, what hath Jesus bought for me?
Before my ravished eye,
Rivers of life divine I see,
And trees of paradise!
I see a world of spirits bright,
Who taste the pleasures there!
They all are robed in spotless white,
And conquering palms they bear.
O, what are all my sufferings here,
If, Lord, thou count me meet
With that enraptured host to appear,
And worship at thy feet!
Give joy or grief, give ease or pain;
Take life or friends away,
But let me find them all again
In that eternal day.
Edited
Charles Wesley
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AMAZING, beauteous change!
A world created new!
My thoughts with transport range,
The lovely scene to view;
In all I trace,
Saviour divine,
The work is thine,-
Be thine the praise!
The tyrants of the plain
Their savage chase give o’er-
No more they rend the slain,
And thirst for blood no more;
But infant hands
Fierce tigers stroke,
And lions yoke
In flowery bands.
O, when, Almighty Lord!
Shall these glad scenes arise,
To verify thy word,
And bless our wondering eyes?
That earth may raise,
With all its tongues,
United songs
Of ardent praise.
Edited
Philip Doddridge
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