Outside God

The whole world stands inside of God save us,
we stand outside of God because we're free,
yet we are only part way out and thus
obey we must in order just to be.

Our free part's there not to deny God's law,
that gives all other things their rightful place,
but to let us choose to hold God in awe,
and on our own accept His gift of grace.

How much of us resides outside His sway?
Barely enough to let us cut the cord;
we are just free enough to choose to pray
and humbly take the blessings of the Lord.

A tiny speck of faith God asks of me
to go inside for all eternity.

                        -- by Pete Voelz        11/05

At Sea with God

O God, I cannot fathom Where You’re at,
Your ways are sunk in so much mystery,
My Ark I strand upon Mt. Ararat,
when I should dive down deep into Your sea.

Alone it seems I launch my tiny craft,
tossed by a tempest or the smallest squall,
yet it’s Your rigging steers me fore-and-aft,
I need but set my sail to where You call.

In prayer You strengthen me, but not by force,
to trust in You and cruise by my free will.
“But He Who has the steerage of my course,
direct my sail,”* as my heart I keep still.

So well You tell how my soul I might save,
to know Your love below and above the wave.

* Prayer of Romeo that night as he assesses,
unknowing but trusting, his meeting Juliet.

                              -- by Pete Voelz       12/6/12

Tainted All

All things are tainted by our sins and flaws,
as God’s grace blesses all the things we face,
and just as all are bound by His great laws,
our misdeeds too are tainted by His grace.

With no free will, the rock obeys the rules,
the flower has life but has no wish to stray,
the lion moves by instinct, unlike fools
who use their freedom most to disobey.

Our fallen world is no fault of our own,
yet we still have a tainted fallen choice
to fall to all temptation as we're prone
or rise to grace with all our strength and voice.

O God, I freely pray my prayers You heed,
so Your grace more than taints my every deed.

                             -- by Pete Voelz      3/06

Three Friends

(Dedicated to my friend Lucas Goerner--RIP.)

If A’s good friends with B and B with C,
then aren’t both A and C, Lord, good friends too?
So as we’re good friends, Lord, as he’s with me,
then is not he a good friend, Lord, with You?

So if to You, O Lord, for him I pray,
will You not see Him too as Your good friend?
And if we three friends do not drift away,
will You not then befriend him to the end?

So long I pray we friends will stay the race,
so long our friendship three will never cease,
I pray we rate with You our state of grace,
and pray You share with us Your life and peace.

Befriend us, Lord, in this our hour of need,
so we can follow where, O Lord, You lead.

-- by Pete Voelz       12/4/12

Miracle Prayer

My prayer can help the pain that's more than pain,
for prayer can bring the power of God to bear;
more likely than our yen to pray for rain,
a prayer for spiritual cure can prompt God's care.

We all are doctors when it comes to souls,
just as church is a sinner's hospital,
the power of prayer lets us take the controls,
and prayer just takes a quiet interval.

To help prayer even more it would be nice
to put a bit of body on the line,
and add to words a little sacrifice,
and give our humble thoughts a little spine.

O Christ, You said, "Ask and you shall receive,"
to give us miracle power, I believe.

                                      -- by Pete Voelz

The Fog of Faith

God keeps me in a fog so I can’t know
all about Him, so He’s still mystery,
He does not want His soul too much to show,
that Him we figure out like history.

God partly shows Himself in His Creation,
but can’t reveal Himself to us too much,
He tells more--like His Son--through Revelation,
Someone like Him to see and hear and touch.

For all this information, God still hides,
compared to all He is, still pretty slim,
for final proof, only our faith abides,
our puny minds just can’t know all of Him.

It’s not mean God wants to leave us bereft,
to know Him, faith’s the only thing that’s left.

-- by Pete Voelz       12/2/12

Love's Show

If God is love, then what does God's love show?
If God is love, then what does God's love say?
See His love in creation on the go,
hear His words rescue us in our dismay.

But God's love showed the most when He made man,
the innocence of children everywhere,
and spoke best when His Word God-man began,
and offered all of us His heaven to share.

It shows best when His love in us we see
 returned to Him and others every day,
to get our love, He had to make us free,
to show His love or throw it all away.

O God, You show and say Your love so well,
I hope to go to heaven's great show and tell.

                                      -- by Pete Voelz