Rose of Zion

Out of darkness, 
The Rose of Zion has blossomed into life. 
How beautiful and glorious she stands,
Rejoicing over her new found freedom.

Though her vale of tears have watered her night and day,
She is no longer called Mara,
For the light of truth shone through.
Now her life blooms with delight. 

How she rejoices in the truth!
How she hopes in the best in life!
O great faith that openeth her eyes.
O great love that faileth not. 

All of me wants all of You

[The train of thoughts of the woman that touched the fringe of Jesus' robe]
Matthew 9:20-22

All of me wants all of You,
All of me craves and yearns
for You.

I have been unhappy for so long,
Broken, sick and beat by life's
blows-
Hammered, simmered and shattered
By my shame and sorrows.

I have been bleeding for so long.
Heal me, for I need Your gentle touch,
Your warmth and relentless love.

All of me yearns for You.

Seep, seep deeply into my every marrow and bone,
Fill me with Your eternal gladness and joy...
And make me whole.

[She touches Jesus' robe. Jesus turns around and says,  
“Take heart, daughter, your faith has healed you.”]

Mastercraftsman

[A free sonnet. A response to the Mastermind behind the trials and pains of life]

Who made You? Who knew You before the world began?
You are, You were and You will be
Forever God; my beloved Maker.
Such knowledge is too precious for me.
Far reaching, most glorious source of all life.
Thou hast known me, searched me, loved me.
And Thou hast poured Your grace
Overwhelmingly, fiercely towards me.

Who else could have planned
For me to uncover the furious love of God,
During the darkest hours of life?
Masterpieces of thoughts, excellent co-ordination of events,
Answered prayers, softened and thankful hearts,
Manifested in the intrinsic eternal (in)visible reality of our love.

[i stand in awe and deep surrender.]

Jesus, great is Your faithfulness

This song was inspired by Psalms 36. I drew the words from this Psalm since I experienced The Lord's faithfulness this year. In my weakness, I tasted His grace. In my wandering, He sought after me. The melody is rather "praise-tune-esque" à la Keith Green. But uplifting and inspiring nonetheless. If you are lucky enough you will see me sing it in public one day haha.

Jesus, You are worthy
Great is Your faithfulness.

As high as the mountains,
As deep as the soundless sea.
Oh Lord...Oh Lord...
Great is Your faithfulness.

In Your love

This song was inspired by my days in South Africa. We used to go on a circle and sing our hearts to God. The melody of this song is influenced by Xhosa native tunes.

In Your love,
I can rest.
Cast away,
All my fears.
Spread my arms,
Embrace You.
Cry to You...
Close to You...

Close to You
(We sing the Song of Songs)
Love You
(We open up our hearts and praise)
Thank You
(We give You honour and praise)

The Beloved City

[On a mountain, we gaze at the Beloved City]

"We have come a long way, my Lord."
"You are finally home, My dear."
"The journey was rough, but beautiful nonetheless."
"You have been faithful."
"I wouldn't have made it without You."
"It was worth the pain."
"No pain, no gain."

[He takes me by the hand and we enter the Pearly Gates
The saints and angels gladly rejoice at our entrance.]

A New Name

Will Thou give me a new name?
For my old self hath passed away.
Thou hast broken me, destroyed me and renewed me.
Thou hast loved me, healed me and lifteth me.
I am a new creation -transformed by beholding Thy truth and beauty.
I am the most lovely bride; a reflection of Thy love and glory.
Bright Star - thou shinest hope to all lands.

The 10 Virgins

"Quick! He cometh!"
"Where's the oil?"
"Wake up!"
"Hurry up, adorn yourselves."

"Look, He is opening the door."

Light enters and penetrates every dark corner of the room. The Bridegroom joyfully comes to receive His bride.

He shuts the door. Some are left behind.

There is no time to lose. 

I was asleep, but my heart was awake

[Inspired by Song of Solomon...."I was asleep, but my heart was awake."]

Logré verla...
Reposada sobre la roca
Serena y estrellada
Como la luna que no duerme,
Con una hermosura que no muere.

Logré soñarla...
Cantando a la luz del alba
Anhelando ver la faz de su Amado,
Llorando por el tiempo perdido,

Añorando para vivir de nuevo a Su lado. 

Despierta Sulamita, y ven. 

Logré alcanzarla...

Con mís reproches de celos, 

Corrí hasta conquistarla, 

y la consolé entre mis brazos.
"Alientate Sulamita, y vive."

Lo, a rose e'er blooming

[A free-flowing sonnet dedicated to the Bride]

Lo, a rose e'er blooming,
nested among the thorns.
Your Beloved came and sought thee
pricked His hands and feet,
stained thee
and infused
life unto thee
through redemption, death, and salvation.

O perfect rose e'er blooming,
O bright star e'er shinning,
O vast field e'er growing,
Thy captivating beauty
has made Thy Beloved
Rejoice over thee.

Slow dancing with my Lover

Slow dancing with my Lover,
Swirling under the stars,
Singing sweetly along with Him,
Our love song under the moonlight.

His left arm is under my head
and His right arm embraces me.

The flames of His love consume me.
I am engulfed by His everlasting desire.
I am irrevocably, madly and helplessly,
In love with my True Beloved.

Lord, I cannot live without You.

Behind the Veil

Behind the veil,
the Father yearns with a heavy heart,
for His child to come home.
He has waited for so long,

He has prepared a feast;
delicacies of every kind,
Composed symphonies of love and joy.
Oh how He longs to hold his hand again,
Oh how He longs to hear his voice
after a tired day of work
"Father, I'm home again!"

So deep is His craving for His son's love.
Who could possibly understand His heart?
Who could count His numerous love thoughts?

Oh how He yearns for His son.

"Come home, my son!"

"I need you more than you need me!"

Yet from a distance, He sees a wretched figure.
Covered in mud and digrace...
The Father is moved by compassion,
dashes out to embrace His child.
He passionately tears the veil.
And embraces the son back to the Holy of Holies!!

"Home is not the same without you"

"Oh I love you so!"

Psalm 23

The Lord is my Beloved;
He satisfies my heart.
He makes me lie down in His vineyard:
He leads me to His Inner Chambers.
He restores my weary-soul: He leadeth me in the Everlasting way for His name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of accusations, I will fear no evil:
For You are with me.
Your word and Your love comfort me.
You prepare a feast in the presence of my enemies.
You fill my life with joy;
My cup overflows.
Surely Your personal love and grace shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the Household of God for ever.

A Nocturne

The Son of God, my true Beloved,
Conquered Sin, Satan and Death for me.
Oh valour act! unfailing love,
That melts my iron heart into
A fountain of golden joy.

Oh Son of man…
My heart is Thine.
Reign in me,
And rejoice exceedingly
In Thy holy dwelling place,
My home with Thee.

I can only imagine

I can only imagine
the day when I see Your face.
Years of friendship and love
unutterable by words,
will be expressed with ineffable joy.

In that day,
My toes will be hovering over the skies
while Your strong arms support me,
And You will whisper to my ear
That all along You were there for me,
I was and will always be in Your heart.

I will soon realize the beauty of this journey
and how my faith has brought me
finally Home.

It will be the day of gladness of our hearts.

His Heart

I desire you
(from the beginning to the end of times)
I always wanted you to exist.
you were conceived from the depths of My heart.
I longed for you. I craved for your love.

And then...
Finally.
You appeared. 1988.
I knew you from your mother's womb.
Your childlike demeanor captured
my heart and soul.
I padded your life with tender love
Your family and friends adored you.
But above all, I loved you to the uttermost.

As the days went by...
you strayed away.
You inclined your heart to idols
You learned bad things: swear words,
hurting those whom I also loved the most.
Sin separated. us.
My heart ached so much. I prayed to the Father.
For you.

1997
When you were eight.
While you were reading your first book...the Big Friendly Giant
Some people knocked on your door.
These were the people I sent you from Hong Kong
They told you that I have died for you.
But you just blinked and smiled.
You were too young to understand
What I did for you in the cross.

I died for you. I gave my life so that you may live.
My wounds I've kept for you as evidence of my love
I wanted to be with you so much
to the point that I sacrificed MY LIFE
so that it would become YOUR LIFE.
If you only knew...what pain and joy I suffered at the same time.
If you could only know my heart.
Oh, I love you so...

I pursued you. I sent people to preach to you:
Maggie, Fanny, your math teacher, Carmel, Caleb
Everyone tried so hard.
But you said no in your heart.
One day, you read a tract
(Everlasting peace)
Your heart paused and
an overwhelming sense of fear
rang to your nerves
when you learned
that you were not saved.

You ran to your room. Shut the door
Kneeled before my presence.
Accepted me into your life.
It was 11:43 am 28 April 2001
My heart was overwhelmed to the brim
with excessive joy,
When I embraced you for the very first time.

You are my love dream come true.
You are my joy, delight, my beloved one.
And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
So am I rejoicing over you.
I am so thankful that you have finally understood
the heart of God towards men.

Out of Egypt

Out of Egypt
Across the great divide
I shake the dirt of my sandals
As I run into the wilderness
In search for the Promised land.

YHWH is my rock. Living waters flow into my heart.
He is the cloud of glory that shields me day and night.
Honey and milk flows from His river of delight.

Although this land is a desert.
I feel like I live in paradise.
I might walk in circles for years...
But YHWH is my Patient Guide.

Alzando manos caidas

Alzando manos caidas,
cuando la situación no da esperanzas
cuando la desesperación entra al alma
e inunde el cuerpo y el pensamiento
y apaga la alabanza.

Pero la fe es un grano de mostaza
que lucha, crece y vence.
Con el amor de Cristo
Sí se puede!
No pierdas aliento.
No temas.
No dejes que el enemigo te robe
el gozo, el amor y la esperanza.
La noche es corta, se acerca el Día.
Alza tus manos caidas y confía nuevamente
En el Autor y Consumador de nuestra fe,
Cristo Jesús.
Amen.

1 Corinthians 13

If I could speak all the languages of the world
and if I had all the money to give to the poor
but have not love...
It would mean nothing.

If I had all the knowledge and faith to move continents
and if I possessed the skills and talents to attract masses
But if I did not love You...
It would all be in vain.

If I was to be the best member in the church
and attended all the meetings
and spoke great things about Your name
But if I did not love my brethren
It would all go to waste.

Love suffers. Love forgives and forgets.
Love is unconditional. Sincere. From the heart.
Love is patient and kind. It does not provoke anger.
Does not envy. Does not think/do evil.
Love rejoices in all things. Bears all things with joy,
Hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails.
And now abide faith, hope, love, these three;
but the greatest of these is love.

Salmos 84

¡Cuán amables son Tus moradas, O Jehová de los ejércitos!
Mi alma y aun ardientemente desea los atrios de Jehová, mi Rey.

¡ Qué dulce el paladar de Tu casa!
Y hermosas son las moradas del rey.
Dulce es el canto de los Santos
Y agradable es la alabanza de ellos.