The Hem of Your Garment

At the hem of Your garment, when I kneel down and pray;

You show me Your mercy, as I live day by day.

I’ll cling to Your heal so I don’t jump ahead;

And wait for Your promises, just as You said.

Life is a journey, as I have concluded.

Yet, Your “Perfect Will” at times I’ve eluded.

At the hem of Your garment, if I stumble and fall;

You’ll be there to hold me throughout it all.

Keep one step ahead as You push through the gravel.

And keep clear the road You are having me travel.

Please speak to my heart; let Your Spirit fill my soul.

Then I’ll know Thou art with me, wherever I go.

Your grace lasts a lifetime; Your love I receive;

And by Your great mercy, You’ll help me believe.

Please show me Your path as I go on my way.

Then, guide me and teach me to “Trust and Obey”!!!

At the hem of Your garment when I kneel down to pray;

As Your love filters in and You show me “Your” way,

I’ll cling to Your heal so I don’t jump ahead;

And wait for Your promises, just as You said.

Cynthia E. Bagaglia-Wood ©February 2000

 

Based on the time I wrote this poem, I was going thru a difficult time in my life; trying to hold on to promises God had given me. But to be quite honest, I can’t remember exactly which promise I was expecting at the time. The good news is I had Jesus to cling too. And I knew if only I would hold on to Him, He would give me the strength to endure until His promise came to pass. 

Throughout the bible we hear of so many that waited & received promises from the Lord. Yet the one that sticks heavy in my mind is the one we read in Genesis about Abram (Abraham)& Sarai (Sarah); two people unable to have children of their own and way beyond childbearing years; yet God promised Abraham offspring; as many as the number of stars. And although it seemed impossible, Abraham held tightly to God’s promise. Oh it’s true; he & Sarah grew impatient and jumped ahead of God; tried to make His promise come to pass quicker, in their own way which only created a mess that would last for many years afterward. But that didn’t change God’s promise. It did however; throw obstacles in Abraham & Sarah’s path. Hurdles they just couldn’t jump over easily or quickly enough to move on with their own life. Remember the story? Sarah convinced her husband to have sexual relationship with her maidservant, Hagar. What on earth was Sarah thinking? Although the thought of this blows me away, I can’t help but wonder how desperate she must have felt to want a child she could call her own. None the less, there are always consequences when we jump ahead of God; and as a result that would prove to be very detrimental to everyone involved; including Hagar and Ishmael; Abraham’s son with Hagar. Abraham & Sarah’s decision to jump ahead of God cost them greatly. Yet, even this bad decision did not change their promise from God. The Lord was faithful and still counted Abraham as a righteous man.

About 13 years later, God appeared to Abraham and made a covenant with him. Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her.” Genesis 17:15-16 (NKJV) 

And in God’s timing, Sarah gave birth to Isaac.

Have you been anticipating a promise from God; one from long ago? Did doubt & fear creep into your heart; tantalizing you to turn & run in the opposite direction? Or maybe you grew tired waiting on God to move and you’ve taken the promise into your own hands; trying to make it come to pass in your own way and a lot sooner. Whatever the case may be, don’t lose heart. Admit to the Lord that you jumped ahead of Him and seek forgiveness with a true repentant heart. God hasn’t forgotten what He promised you. Be open to accept His promise in His way & His timing. Only then will it be made complete and come to pass.

For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.”And so, after he had patiently endured, he (Abraham) obtained the promise.” Hebrews 6:13-15 (NKJV)

Wait patiently on God; patiently endure!

And no, it’s not always that simple folks; but it is possible.

Remember; with God ALL things are possible! Matthew 19:26 (NKJV)

Be blessed my family & friends & walk in the Lord’s total favor!

Love you all,
Cyndy

(Picture from a blog posted by Susan Cushman)