"On every side the wicked prowl, as vileness is exalted among the children of man." Psalm 12:8

Philippians 2:5–10 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

overruled
©3-26-10 hannah mclean

your affirmation
does not overrule
judgment
your denial of truth
does not overrule
reality
your flattering lips boast
and taunt
you uphold evil as
your scepter
on your self-made throne

how long will you turn
your back?
how long will you kneel
to kiss your own shadow?
dirt falls from your lips
and your hands
you are stained by
your idolatry

there is a King
but it is not you
His rule
overrules and
rules over
you

A Spring journal entry

I love to pray. Conversing with the Lord is one of my favorite things. Interceding for others is one of my greatest privileges. Time on my knees is time well spent. But lately I have found that when I come to the Lord to pray for myself, I often don’t know how to articulate what I need.

It is ok, mind you, that I am clueless and short of words. Isaiah 65:24 says, “Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear.” Or, in other words, He knows my need before I ask and responds to the cry of my heart before it makes it to my lips. Today, I was grateful not only for this truth of God’s provision, but also for the one need of mine which I always know with certainty: I need God...I need my Jesus. Because that is all I know, I continually find myself on my face before His throne of grace...with or without words.

As I sat today with the Lord, I thought again of the verse from Psalm 81:10 that He had given me several weeks ago during a time of prayer where HE interceded for me. “Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.” As I considered this verse and the reality that I didn’t know what I was asking for--I simply desired to be filled by Him--to my mind came the picture of a baby bird.

The baby bird sits in the nest; it cannot yet fly because its wings would surely fail; it waits for its mother, who brings all it needs to be nourished as the baby bird expectantly sits with its mouth open wide. The mother knows what the baby bird needs; it cannot ask, but she knows when her child is hungry and what it needs to receive; she gathers for her own and provides for the unarticulated cravings of her young.

At this time in my life, I am God’s baby bird. I rest in the nest where He has set me with my mouth wide open, joyfully receiving all that I need from His own hand.

picture: prisoners

Here is the picture God gave me: I saw chains, so many chains. Some were buried, some were painted so they looked pretty, some were set aside, some were covered, some were twisted into other shapes, some stiff and rusted. So many chains and none of them were loosed.

prisoners
©3-19-10 hannah mclean

chains surround me
heaps and piles
thick and heavy
iron and steel

i see the chains
i see the ones that have been buried
bumping from beneath the dirt
i see the ones that have been painted
rainbows and butterflies to beautify
i see the ones that have been ignored
pushed aside so as to not block the view
i see the ones that have been covered
outlined beneath silky fabrics
i see the ones that have been modified
with links arranged into something new
i see the chains

buried
disguised
ignored
covered
modified
but never loosed

i lift my voice and shout
“you are not free”

i whisper as i weep
“you are not free”

o Jesus
break the chains
only You can free these
prisoners

picture: as He heals

Here is the picture God gave me: There is a person whose body is covered in cracks. Out of the cracks pour shining beams of bright light. The light wraps around the body, and heals it, making it whole. And the light now pours from their mouth.

as He heals
©3-19-10 hannah mclean

sometimes there are
no words
and Your redemption
pours not from my lips
but from my wounds

Your mercies spill
from the cracks of this broken vessel
with shining radiance

Your light surrounds me
binding
healing
making new

and when the words
do come
they capture your beauty
and ring with power
as they testify of Your work

the joy set before us.

Sometimes I have a difficult time observing the world around me. I see a frightening momentum to sin and its effects. Sometimes I am bombarded by the crescendo of brokenness. But, what a gift to be reminded...yes, the devil may be working, but God is also working. This week I have been hearing reports of His mighty hand at work; There is growth happening, there are lives being transformed by Him, there is joy overflowing for Him, there is worship being lifted from new lips and old lips. Oh what a gift and such an encouragement! All praise to my worthy God!

worth ALL
©3-3-10 hannah mclean

oh, the sights delight
brightly beams Your beauty
through the mesh
fruit in lives abound
proving and approving Your hand’s work
seeing this perseverance
is worth ALL

oh, the sounds resound
praises peal from loosed tongues
piercing the clamor
testimonies echo from the heights
and raise from the dust
hearing this worship
is worth ALL

observing Your radiance
amid the brokenness
darkness shattering in the
presence of unmatched light
wounds healing in the
reconciliation of fallen man
for joy i persevere
for joy i persevere
Your holiness and love
make ALL worth bearing

lifted with the harmony around me
i see You clearer
i hear You nearer
i feel You dearer

beholding Your greatness
is worth ALL