This Is My Song

Every Sunday when I was growing up, my parents took my sisters and brother and me to church. My love affair with poetry started there. During the sermons, I read the hymns in the hymnal. I noticed patterns with rhythm and rhyme. I saw how ordinary words, put together in a thoughtful way, became lines that made my heart sing. And I promised God that one day, I’d write something for Him.

This poem is from my “Borrowed Lines” collection—poems I created by devising a theme, then choosing lines from other poets to support that theme. This one is composed entirely of lines from my favorite hymns.

This Is My Song
– collated by Renee Adele Phillips

Shadows around me, shadows above me—
fightings and fears within, without.
Wounded and weary, help me, I pray:
Spirit of God, fall fresh on me.

Wide open are His arms of grace,
to the world so freely given.
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope:
lead me to the Rock that is higher than I.

I give up myself and whatever I know—
I surrender all.
Here’s my heart: oh, take and seal it,
hold to my hand, dear Lord, I pray.
Safe and secure from all alarms—
this is the promise of love.

O the deep, deep love of Jesus—
greater far than all my sin and shame.
Love so amazing, so divine—
it satisfies my longings as nothing else could do.

Click here for author credits.

Comments 10

Harold C. Butt

June 3, 2021 at 4:13 pm

Another beautifully written blog, Sparrow…. One of my favorite hymns, sung by Our Men’s Ensemble. “I’m standing on the solid rock of ages. Safe from all the storm that rages”. Makes me want to stand up, in the Choir loft, and using my voice to Praise my God….. Thank you, Sparrow, for another beautifully written blog….. Keep on Blogging….TexGen😇❤️