In Christ Alone - Hymn

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, and my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
‘Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt of life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
‘til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand

Drought

It's been such a long time since I've felt the presence of God. A couple years ago a friend of mine spoke of going through times of spiritual drought. Having had a time of spiritual ecstasy, I didn't believe this could happen to me. I firmly believed that as long as one went to church, sang the songs, spoke the prayers, and used the correct language, this could not happen. I had grown so accustom to feeling Him near that I began to take it for granted.

After coming back from Rwanda, and going through a couple difficult situations I woke up to I realized He was no longer there, at least not in the way I had known Him. Gone was the feeling of perpetual comfort. Gone was the feeling of unfathomable bliss. Gone was the feeling that He was there, all there was... emptiness.

Instead of chasing after Him I decided to sink deeper into my depression. Instead of fighting for Him, I gave in. I attended church, but was not all there. My bible lay neglected for months. His praises began to leave my tongue. Times of prayer became sparse and mundane.

Then God granted me friends who drew me back to Him. People who taught me to fight for joy, to fight for love, to fight for that which can only be found in Him. I now fight to stand in the community of believers. I am once again picking up my bible. I am learning how to sing again, and go Him in prayer at even the most random of times.

He has yet to show up as He once did. But a friend of mine once said, "When we feel He has gone, it is then that our faith makes us understand He is still there."

He is my Siren's song. Calling me to death. A death of the sweetest kind. A marriage that was ignited in passion, only embers remain. And, where rivers once flowed so abundant and free, only drought stays. So as a faithful wife I will await His return. As we sit side by side, bounded in love, shrouded in silence.

peace,
eva

Entwined

There I walked the lonely road
Where the briar, asp, and thornbush grow
Wind carressed me, held me near
Until my lover did appear
Bathed in moonlight, bodies aglow
Seeds of fire, embers did grow
Caught in a passion none could tame
Souls entwined, one and the same