The following is a poem that I had shared with my extended family and then with my church family this past Sunday for Christmas. It is a celebration of God's incredible, sovereign protection over us. Maybe in His will and plan for His glory, your life and family have not been free from tragedy. If that be the case, I pray this simple poem will help remind you of God's unceasing love directed toward you in hundreds of others ways and hundreds of other days besides the ones that were tragic, and though hidden, in the tragic ones as well. In the end, we all have reasons, and thousands of them, to praise God for His wondrous graces. I hope you do more than enjoy this poem. I pray it and hundreds of more thoughts, songs, experiences, and Bible verses will drive us daily to our knees in heartfelt gratitude to God for His undeserving, unrelenting, merciful hedges.Enjoy and Merry Christmas!
These Merciful Hedges
A Few Mornings Ago As I Met With The Lord
My Thoughts Gave Rise To Thanksgiving
For All The Pits That Appear In Daily Living
Seen And Unseen, Revealed and Hidden
My Feet Have Yet To Slip Into Some Dreadful Gorge
The More I Contemplated The More It Was Astounding
Of All The Tragedies That Mount Around Me
Hurricanes Blowing, Bombs Exploding, Bridges Collapsing,
Cars Wrecking, Mines Caving, Terrorists Killing
My Life's Only Invasion Has Been God's Flowing Mercy
As I Tried To Somehow Offer Him Grateful Praise
My Mind Began To Ponder Another Way
His Faithful Mercies Were New Again Today
Millions Of Evils And Harms Were Kept At Bay
Through All My Steps Of Ten Thousand Yesterdays
There Is No Merit Or Claim From Within Me
That Can Yield Or Provide A Sufficient Answer
As To Why His Graces Constantly Over Me Shower
And Every Day Buds With Another Blessed Flower
It All Points Back To God's Generous, Abundant Mercy
Just Examining One Life Is Evidence Enough
To Waken The Soul From Complacency's Slumber
But These Mercies Multiply Without Number
When I Consider My Entire Family's God-given Cover
And Realize The Enormity Of God's Vast Protecting Love
Now Sorrow Has Been Felt And Met With Prayer
As Death And Illness Have Occasionally Entered Our Homes
But Horrific Tragedy Has Not Risen Here
And Unexpected Evil Has Not Been Seen Anywhere
For God Has Shielded Us And Only Mercies Are Known
While Grace Has Lavished Our Hearts And Brought Salvation
We Dare Not To Us This Wonder Attribute
For Each Member Has Only His Sin To Contribute
So May We Fall To Our Knees, Sing Loud My Tribute,
And Offer Him Cheerful Worship For Such Extensive Protection
Let Us Not Take This Lightly And Neglect To Daily Praise Him
For At His Will These Mercies May Someday Lift
And Heartaches Flood And Days Grow Dim
And Tragedies Seek Our Faith To Sift
Let Us Resolve Now To Then Give Him Glory
For The Same Loving One Who Gives Also Lovingly Takes Away
Whether Life Is Full And Over-abundant In Blessing
Or Trials Push Us To Fearful, Faithless Ledges
May His Glory Bring Forth Our Lives As An Offering
And Each Day We Bless God Above For These Merciful Hedges
Wil Owens
© 2007