the blades of the plow

Hosea 10:9–13a "Since the days of Gibeah, you have sinned, Israel, and there you have remained. Will not war again overtake the evildoers in Gibeah? When I please, I will punish them; nations will be gathered against them to put them in bonds for their double sin. Ephraim is a trained heifer that loves to thresh; so I will put a yoke on her fair neck. I will drive Ephraim, Judah must plow, and Jacob must break up the ground. Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until He comes and showers his righteousness on you. But you have planted wickedness, you have reaped evil, you have eaten the fruit of deception."

plow, sow and reap
©2-23-11 hannah mclean

you have
sinned against Me and
there you remain
midst the harvest of
Satan
reaping evil
and ingesting the fruit
of deception
you grovel
atop unplowed ground
overgrown with
thorns and thistles
that cover what
could be

o stretch out
your fair neck
that I may
set this yoke upon it
and let us plow
together
let us break up this
fallow earth
let us uproot the seeds
of wickedness
that have been sown
hidden
and now multiply

for even as the
blades
pound upon
the thirsty ground
till stony soil
moves beneath My gentle touch
know this
when righteousness
is planted
you will reap love
and lavishly
My presence
My magnitude
and worth
will delight you
as you seek Me

grateful dust

Jeremiah 30:21b–22
Declares the Lord, “And you shall be My people, and I will be your God.”

“I am yours.”
©2-20-11 hannah mclean

it is not that You have said
“you are Mine.”
it is that You have said
“I am yours.”
oh, i marvel
that such holiness
would bend to kiss
the face of one like me
and from below
around
above and
within
proclaim Your desire to uphold
this passing breath
with that which never grows old
oh, Majestic King
You give Yourself to dust



and save what should be
swept and cast away

Your gaze shines
upon my face
i have heard You say
“I am yours.”

a morning with the Lord

for a moment i linger
@2-18-11 hannah mclean

in the paleness of the morning
You are there
Your presence surrounds me
Your Spirit fills me
as Your face shines
in dawn’s glow

never alone
with You as my companion
i sit amid the deepening hues
and bask in You

neither asking or telling
i simply linger
in what i know to be You

i feel praise and joy
emanating from my every pore
as i absorb Your radiance
honored to be called Your own
humbled by Your time
spent with me

marveling at Your worth
as the sun rises
upheld by Your mercies
for another day

in the paleness of the morning
You are there

The blessing of weighted feet

The dust that’s gathered
©1-9-11 Hannah McLean

Darkened by the smatter
of the world’s defeat
I stumble on the journey
weighted at the feet
And in my clumsy faltering
I finally lift a cry
Pleading to my Father God
“Do not pass me by”

Oh wash away
the dust that’s gathered all along the way
and cleanse me
in Your blood until I’m free

You stand before me open
and offer “here I am”
You would never pass me by
it’s I who’ve turned and ran
I thank You for the weighted feet
that slow my stumbling pace
But now I ask You, “Wash me, Lord
I long to see Your face”

Oh wash away
the dust that’s gathered all along the way
and cleanse me
in Your blood until I’m free

that You may be ALL

nothing and everything
©10-10-10 hannah mclean
ephesians 1

i thank You that
You let me know
understanding that to the core of me
i am nothing
apart from You

more than pain
more than despair
more than fear
at this reality
is joy that fills me
is hope that engulfs me
is comfort that upholds me

You are my all
the fullness of all of me

where the world tells me
to lament
instead i dance before You
enriched and satisfied
by You
in You
for You
through You

satisfied to be
nothing in Your presence
that You may be
all that You are

picture: surrender

Here is the picture God gave me: I am up on Your throne. Finding myself the size of an infant, I crawl backwards off Your throne and backwards until I am in my rightful place–bowing before it.

surrender
©9-17-10 hannah mclean

who am i–
self-exalted
sitting without authority
upon Your throne?

looking around
my eyes open to reality
why am i where only You belong?
i tremble at my smallness
dwarfed by the enormity of Your reign

i crawl backwards
off Your throne
my feet hit the ground
with a deafening thud
my hands and knees follow

i crawl backwards
to behold Your throne
rising immense before me
grateful to be where i belong–
bowing before You

who am i–
surrendered
basking in Your mercy?
i know that while You should cast me away
instead You accept my surrender
and my worship

who am i?
i am blessed
blessed to bow to You, my King

perseverance=fruit :)

Romans 5:1–5 "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance [perseverance], and endurance [perseverance] produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."

perseverance
©9-16-10 hannah mclean

when i consider the places
i have walked
crawled
ran
and stumbled
the theme of perseverance
floods my mind
heart
soul
and spirit

prolonged trial
requiring choice:
to trust You
or to deny and seek another way

impatient nature
displaying ability to suffer long
You are the only way
such transformation has progressed
beautiful Lord
i can only praise You

Hope that does not put to shame
holds me upright
Holy Spirit
mold me as You will
steady my steps
as i persevere
to the end

Revelation 3:10–12 “Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from My God out of heaven, and My own new name.”