Artis Divina - Where Artists find ways to follow God

The Beauty of Your Face

I am touched by the warmth of a sunbeam.
In it I feel the echo of Your eternal caress.
Lord, I feel You.

I hear a bird singing Your song of hope.
His sweet melody carries promises of Your Glory.
Lord, I hear You.

Yes Lord, you are here with me.
You live in my heart.
You experience my joy when I laugh,
And You cry my tears when I am sad.
But You never leave me Lord,
And I know that.

What darkness then seeks to cover my soul
As the deepest point of my person cries out to be held?
This desire must be for You Lord,
As I crave the sweet succor of Your presence.
You and eternal life,
Living and breathing from my soul outward.
Waiting for the day that we will be united in Glory.
Come quickly Lord!

How could I have questioned Your promises to me?
What arrogance I possess!
To think me above Your love,
And above the sacrifices You have made on my behalf.
Lord, please forgive me in my unbelief.

My urgent cries for your attention are always heard.
Yes, I feel You even while I lament your absence.
Your love has no bounds,
And Your grace is a mystery
That I can comprehend only as You breathe through my prayers.

Help me to focus all of my energy on advancing toward Your kingdom Lord.
Help me to share the beauty that I see.
The beauty that is You.
So that as I look into the eyes of my brother,
I see not a face from this world
But I see the beauty of Your face smiling back at me.

Amen

posted by Albert Romkema at: http://no-man-is-an-island.blogspot.com/

Lord, Teach Me to Pray

I have happened upon a blog of poems by another man whose work is very special, and speaks to me, especially following the Lord's Prayer images from my last post.

You can find his posts, (albeit meager pickings), at:
http://no-man-is-an-island.blogspot.com/

Lord, Teach Me to Pray

Lord,
I am constantly reminded of my own weakness
As I sense the weakness of my brother.
I feel great pains of loneliness
As I try to relate to the solitary lives we all must lead.
There is hope only in finding You Lord.
Only Your comfort can bring us back from despair.
Speak in me Your prayer of love Lord,
And take away my pain.

Lord,
I often feel alone and desperate when I imagine You are absent.
When I consider how my life might be without You reigning within me I shudder.
How could others reject You Lord?
How could any of us reject Your call?
Such love and promise You offer.
For the free gift of grace,
All we need do is consent to Your love and welcome You.
Loud claims of our goodness will not cause You to answer,
But only from our silence in humility will You speak our name and call us beloved.
Speak in me Your prayer of grace Lord,
And share my path.

Lord,
I consent to Your arrival.
I know that when You breathe in me, all people are enriched.
When You share my pain, all of nature is blessed.
Truly we are all one people, searching for and finding You from within our suffering.
Pain and grace coexist,
Lifting our souls toward Your love.
Speak in me Your prayer of community Lord,
And bind us all by Your love.

Lord
Teach me to pray.
Help me learn to live a life where my actions and Your will are the same.
Teach me to hold on to the secrets I hear You whisper even now.
Fill my soul with Your sweetness I pray,
Pull me into the gap that holds eternity.
And bring me home.

Amen

posted by Albert Romkema

The Lord's Prayer, by Max Pechstein, 1921

I have really enjoyed these prints of the Lord's Prayer, by Pechstein, since discovering them a few years ago... And it's so very nice to have such good quality images to enjoy, courtesy of the Robert Gore Rifkind collection at LACMA, ~ THANKS ~ LACMA!!!!

Take some time, and pray these images...