Strangers

“I am a poor, wayfaring stranger, wandering o'er this world of woe.
 And there’s no
Sickness, toil or danger in that bright land to which I go.”

And when he brings me to that celestial home
All the pain and the grief and the tears I used to know
Will dissipate like smoke
And I will finally be whole:
No sickness within, praise the Lord. No danger without, praise the Lord. No death and
No fear and no doubt, praise the Lord!
And someday, someday. This will all be over. And my flesh will never stand between
Me and my Savior. And my heart will never scheme to wound a beloved brother. And my
Hands will only ever be lifted in praise to God my Lover

But what about now?!
I know this world is passing
But if there is no hope for the temporal
I'd rather just die
For my eyes are tired of watching the
Wicked rejoice
Wearing violence as a coat
And pride as a necklace
Their mouths lash out against heaven
But you seem to ignore their blasphemies
As you do my prayers
My bowels have been bleeding for years!
The aroma of death rises from my waste
And there is no stench like decaying faith

What about now?
Seeking a homeland I am
But the homeland I have
Keeps chewing me up
And spitting me out
And leaving me as good as dead
Broken heart and broken plans
God, I'm not trying to be an idolater
I want to be a like the righteous man
Who fears the Lord and loves his commands
But it seems like no matter how patient I am
My cries go unanswered
Do you even hear me?

"If you have raced with men on
Foot and they have worn you out
How can you compete with horses?
If you stumble in safe country
How will you manage in the thickets
By the Jordan?"

That was the Lord's response to
Jeremiah when he
He found himself too tired to endure
But he did
Leaving stallions in the dust
And when our calling seems
Too much to bear may we remember
Those who ran before us
Countless servants accomplished
Feats well beyond their
Capability. For when they were weak
They believed

What more can I say?
If I had the faith of Joshua
I'd pause the sun in the sky
Only then would I have
The time it takes to tell
Of all the prophets
Those who by faith
Conquered kingdoms
Administered justice
Gained what was promised
They shut the mouths of lions
And walked through fire unscorched
Others were tortured, beat, imprisoned
Stoned, sawed in two, destitute and
Persecuted for truth
Those of whom the world was not worthy!

And in the company of those great saints
That went before me
Here…I…stand
Broken dreams and filthy hands
Counting sins like grains of sand
And sinking further down
Than I've ever been
Losing faith
Cause it feels like all I ever do is go astray

But He took my sin to the grave, praise the Lord
He died so I could be saved, praise the Lord
He took my sadness, my sickness, my pain, praise the Lord!
And someday, someday. This will all be over. And my flesh will never stop me from
Praising Him evermore. And my heart will swell only to the sound of the voice of my
Lord. And my hands will take His quietly as He leads me through the door. And the
Victory is won and I see what He suffered for

What we suffered for
The servant who overcomes shall
Receive his reward
One day we will eat from the tree
Of life in the paradise of God
Untouched by the sting of second
Death
One day we will consume the hidden manna
And holdfast to a stone bearing
Our new name
One day we will be given authority
Over the nations. Robed in white
Our names will remain in the
Book of life for all ages
And Christ himself will
Acknowledge our faithfulness
Before the Father and his angels
One day we will be made a
Pillar, in the temple of God
Never to be removed
One day
One glorious day
One day coming soon
The Lord will grant
Us the right to sit
With him, on the throne

But today
I'm just a poor...