Nothing Held Outside

Father, how do I rejoice when I can barely sing? My mouth can form the words; my heart can feel the sting. I don't want borrowed joy that tells the hurt to leave; I need the kind that stays when I can hardly breathe. Keep prayer beneath my breath when sentences fall through; When all I have is silence, let it reach to You. I'll thank You in the pain, not for the wrong I see; Your mercy meets me here without demanding lies from me. I don't have to call this easy. I don't have to bless the wound. You are still my reason When my voice can barely move. Jesus, hear the breath between The words I cannot find. Let rejoicing start with this: I am Yours tonight. When anger offers payback, help me turn away; Don't let the good I seek become a debt they have to pay. Keep me from doing evil just to make the balance right; Let love reach even there, without disguising wrong as light. And when a prophecy is offered, don't let scorn take hold; Nor let a burning voice make every word like gold. Help me test what I am hearing; help me keep what's true; Let me leave what's evil, hold the good that comes from You. Don't let me quench Your Spirit just to keep my heart secure; Or make my fear of being fooled a reason to hear no more. I need discernment tender enough to still receive; A heart that tests the words without forgetting to believe. God of peace, I'm here. All of me. Spirit, soul, and body— Nothing out of reach. You are faithful. You will surely do it. When I cannot hold myself, Let me rest my weight on You. There it is— The fear beneath my prayer: That holiness means holding Every broken part in place. I reach for one; another falls. I turn Your calling into strain. But You are not just waiting For me to make myself unstained. Jesus, You died that I might live with You. You know the weight I cannot lift. I bring my whole existence, Not the pieces I can fix. Take the breath, the flesh, the longing; Nothing hidden from Your light. I don't have to be my savior. YOU ARE FAITHFUL! God of peace, I'm here. All of me. Spirit, soul, and body— Nothing out of reach. You are faithful. You will surely do it. When I cannot hold myself, Let me rest my weight on You. Keep me blameless till You come; Make me holy, make me whole. Let thanksgiving rise through tears; Keep Your joy within my soul. I can bring You all this trembling. I can wait without pretending. Jesus, all of me is Yours— Even here, before the ending. Keep my prayer alive tomorrow. Let the good become my deed. Faithful God, my whole life rests In the One who calls to me.