Father, this heart is hurting so,

It throbs in pain, it writhes, it bleeds

I cannot find the way to go,

Groping through these misty reeds

 

Father – thou art my shining key

And with thy name, the clue unfolds

If thou gavest my life to me

Then thy heart, my future holds

 

Let me climb upon thy knee,

Press me close upon thy breast,

That in thy beating heart found there

My soul may find its rest

 

And sitting there with thee, so close,

My gaze shifts now – from me to thee;

Not what I will have, my Lord,

But to thy face look up, and see

 

Reflected there, in lovely eye

The great green earth, the waters deep

The moon, the stars, the heavens wide

The mountains high, the cliffs so steep

 

I glimpse the pages of thy creation,

The threads of epics, the sands of time,

Of every empire, the foundation

Of all great kingdoms, the decline

 

And those with giants on the crest –

Boys and girls, who laugh and weep

The men who fight, and try their best

And women kind, who courage keep

 

Families and enemies, friends close or cold

Of all these tales thou hast the thread –

The gifts of youth, and growing old,

The book of life, souls of the dead

 

Father – it is enough, I see;

The lovely threads thy hands do weave,

To perfect end – not just for me

But for all the lonely hearts that grieve

 

How can I, a child so small,

See all hearts, o’er nations spanned?

How make to fit this order tall –

One life alone, yet infinity-planned?

 

The plans I’ve laid, I’ll leave today

I’ll slip my hand quiet into thine,

And enter in to thy great play

Let me love what’s yours, as mine

 

Let me turn from my own tending

To seek and find thy lovely will,

Whose golden field all care and mending

Thy spirit’s light and life shall fill

 

My heart will follow then my master

What better place have I on earth?

Than by your side to sing and labor

Towards that pearl of infinite worth?

 

I’ll train my eye on thee, to follow

And see what end thine eye does see,

And though perhaps my sight be shallow,

For plying, strength reward shall be

 

Then by your side, my precious Father

I’ll look for what thine eye has shown;

Will you not care for me, my Father –

And tend my heart as if your own?

 

On then, as you rise, I’ll follow

My life’s heart I hide with thee.

I give my soul and my tomorrow

And find my treasure, Thee – Epiphany.

 

– Beth Francis 🌸

Learning and Growth Poetry Prayer The Good Father Uncategorized Father of our Souls Poetry The Shining Vision Thee-trusting heart