He inhabits our praise

Written for the service at church on 2nd October this poem is all about the extra "stuff" we take with us to church - and often everywhere else.  I'm a good example of this is a natural sense as I always have a bag of stuff - jelly babies, insulin, blood test kit etc etc.  Spiritually though we carry a lot of extra "baggage" emotional stuff, worries and fears for the future.  This poem suggests we own that stuff but declare to it that our God is bigger!

I have turned up this morning with baggage
I take it wherever I go
There is worry and illness and fear and concern
For my family and folk that I know

I’ve compressed it as best I know how to
In the hope it will take up less room
But there’s times when it all overwhelms me
And I worry I’ll explode one day soon.

I’ve been told to lay all of it down at the cross
And I do - very often I’ve tried
But it seems there exists and invisible thread
With a knot that I cannot untie.

So I drag it around - such a burden
And it’s here again with me today
And I’ve told God about it in detail
All my pain He has heard when I pray.

But this morning let all that still holds me
Bear witness and grow ever weak
To learn just how great and how mighty
Is the God whose due praises we speak.

Let the bonds of each worry be loosened
That invisible thread become frayed
For Jesus, God’s son brought us freedom
When our debts on the cross He repaid.

He inhabit’s the praise of His people
In His presence is fullness of joy
And liberty, freedom, release, restoration
Are ours, despite Satan’s vile ploy.

We’ll lift up the name above all names
And our vision of Him will increase
So that we can move forward with courage
And take a step nearer true peace.

Karen Holmes
24th September 2011.