Streams in the Desert

Poems From the Devotional book Streams in the Desert.

January 1

He leads us on by paths we did not know; Upward He leads us, though our steps be slow, Though oft we faint and falter on the way, Though storms and darkness oft obscure the day;
Yet when the clouds are gone, We know He leads us on.
He leads us on through all the unquiet years;
Past all our dreamland hopes, and doubts and fears, He guides our steps, through all the tangled maze Of losses, sorrows, and o’er clouded days;
We know His will is done; And still He leads us on.

Nicholaus Ludwig Zinzendorf

January 2

Still upward be your onward course: For this I pray today;
Still upward as the years go by, And seasons pass away.
Still upward in this coming year, Your path is all untried;
Still upward may you journey on, Close by your Savior’s side.
Still upward although sorrow come, And trials crush your heart;
Still upward may they draw your soul, With Christ to walk apart.
Still upward till the day shall break, And shadows all have flown;
Still upward till in Heaven you wake, And stand before the throne.

January 3
In “pastures green”? Not always; sometimes He Who knowest best, in kindness leadeth me
In weary ways, where heavy shadows be.
So, whether on the hilltops high and fair
I dwell, or in the sunless valleys, where The shadows lie, what matter? He is there.

January 4
Believe and trust; through stars and suns, Through life and death, through soul and sense, His wise, paternal purpose runs;
The darkness of His Providence
Is starlit with Divine intents.

Jan 5
When nothing on which to lean remains, When strongholds crumble to dust;
When nothing is sure but that God still reigns, That is just the time to trust.
It’s better to walk by faith than sight, In this path of yours and mine;
And the darkest night, when there’s no outer light Is the time for faith to shine.

Jan 6
“When you pass through the waters” Deep the waves may be and cold,
But Jehovah is our refuge,
And His promise is our hold; For the Lord Himself has said it,
He, the faithful God and true: “When you come to the waters
You will not go down, BUT THROUGH.”
Seas of sorrow, seas of trial, Bitter anguish, fiercest pain,
Rolling surges of temptation Sweeping over heart and brain—
They will never overflow us
For we know His word is true; All His waves and all His billows.
He will lead us safely THROUGH.
Threatening breakers of destruction, Doubt’s insidious undertow,
Will not sink us, will not drag us Out to ocean depths of woe; For His promise will sustain us,
Praise the Lord, whose Word is true! We will not go down, or under,
For He says,“You will pass THROUGH.”

Annie Johnson Flint

Jan 7
Others may do a greater work, But you have your part to do;
And no one in all God’s family Can do it as well as you.

Jan 8
The landscape, brown and dry beneath the sun, Needs but the cloud to lift it into life;
The dews may dampen the tree and flower, But it requires the cloud-distilled shower
To bring rich greenness to the lifeless life.
Ah, how like this, the landscape of a life:
Dews of trial fall like incense, rich and sweet;
But meaning little in the crystal tray—
Like moths of night, dews lift at break of day And fleeting impressions leave, like lips that meet.
But clouds of trials, bearing burdens rare, Leave in the soul, a moisture settled deep: Life stirs by the powerful law of God;
And where before the thirsty camel trod, There richest beauties to life’s landscape leap.
Then read you in each cloud that comes to you The words of Paul, in letters large and clear:
So will those clouds your soul with blessing feed, And with a constant trust as you do read,
All things together work for good. Fret not, nor fear!

Jan 10

Is there some problem in your life to solve, Some passage seeming full of mystery?
God knows, who brings the hidden things to light. He keeps the key.

Is there some door closed by the Father’s hand Which widely opened you had hoped to see?
Trust God and wait—for when He shuts the door He keeps the key.

Is there some earnest prayer unanswered yet,
Or answered NOT as you had thought ’twould be?
God will make clear His purpose by and by. He keeps the key.

Have patience with your God, your patient God, All wise, all knowing, no long lingerer He,
And of the door of all your future life He keeps the key.

Unfailing comfort, sweet and blessed rest,
To know of EVERY door He keeps the key.
That He at last when just HE sees is best, Will give it THEE.

Jan 11
They tell me I must bruise The rose’s leaf,
Ere I can keep and use Its fragrance brief.
They tell me I must break The skylark’s heart,
Ere her cage song will make
The silence start.
They tell me love must bleed, And friendship weep,
Ere in my deepest need I touch that deep.
Must it be always so With precious things?
Must they be bruised and go With beaten wings?
Ah, yes! by crushing days, By caging nights, by scar
Of thorn and stony ways, These blessings are!

Jan 9th
and
12th!?!

No poems on the 9th...
Hard to log in everyday Lol... will try to keep up 👍🏼

Jan 12
The hawthorn hedge that keeps us from intruding, Looks very fierce and bare
When stripped by winter, every branch protruding Its thorns that would wound and tear.
But springtime comes; and like the rod that budded, Each twig breaks out in green;
And cushions soft of tender leaves are studded, Where spines alone were seen.
The sorrows, that to us seem so perplexing, Are mercies kindly sent
To guard our wayward souls from sadder vexing, And greater ills prevent.
To save us from the pit, no screen of roses Would serve for our defense,
The hindrance that completely interposes Stings back like thorny fence.
At first when smarting from the shock, complaining Of wounds that freely bleed,
God’s hedges of severity us paining, May seem severe indeed.
But afterwards, God’s blessed springtime cometh, And bitter murmurs cease;
The sharp severity that pierced us bloometh, And yields the fruits of peace.
Then let us sing, our guarded way thus wending Life’s hidden snares among,
Of mercy and of judgment sweetly blending; Earth’s sad, but lovely song.

Jan 13 - none

Jan 14
Dark is the sky! and veiled the unknown morrow! Dark is life’s way, for night is not yet o’er;
The longed-for glimpse I may not meanwhile borrow; But, this I know and trust, HE GOES BEFORE.
Dangers are near! and fears my mind are shaking; Heart seems to dread what life may hold in store;
But I am His—He knows the way I’m taking, More blessed even still—HE GOES BEFORE.
Doubts cast their weird, unwelcome shadows o’er me, Doubts that life’s best—life’s choicest things are o’er;
What but His Word can strengthen, can restore me, And this blest fact; that still HE GOES BEFORE.
HE GOES BEFORE! Be this my consolation!
He goes before! On this my heart would dwell!
He goes before! This guarantees salvation!
HE GOES BEFORE! And therefore all is well.
J. Danson Smith


This was nice from day 14 too.

The oriental shepherd always walked ahead of his sheep. He was always out in front. Any attack upon the sheep had to take him into account first. Now God is out in front. He is in our tomorrows, and it is tomorrow that fills people with fear. Yet God is already there. All the tomorrows of our life have to pass through Him before they can get to us. F. B. Meyer

God is in every tomorrow, Therefore I live for today, Certain of finding at sunrise,
Guidance and strength for my way; Power for each moment of weakness,
Hope for each moment of pain, Comfort for every sorrow,
Sunshine and joy after rain.

Jan15

Tread in solitude your pathway, Quiet heart and undismayed.
You will know things strange, mysterious, Which to you no voice has said.
While the crowd of petty hustlers Grasps at vain and meager things,
You will see a great world rising Where soft sacred music rings.
Leave the dusty road to others, Spotless keep your soul and bright,
As the radiant ocean’s surface When the sun is taking flight.
from the German of V. Schoffel

ah, very nice!
you are to kind, thank you and for your time for posting
... cool in my book🙂

You're welcome, enjoy!

i just may add something in here, if you don't mind ...
so,
asking permission 🙂

👍🏼 Please do... thanks

Jan16
The wind that blows can never kill The tree God plants;
It blows toward east, and then toward west, The tender leaves have little rest,
But any wind that blows is best.
The tree that God plants Strikes deeper root, grows higher still,
Spreads greater limbs, for God’s good will Meets all its wants.
There is no storm has power to blast The tree God knows;
No thunderbolt, nor beating rain, Nor lightning flash, nor hurricane; When they are spent, it does remain,
The tree God knows,
Through every storm it still stands fast, And from its first day to its last
Still fairer grows.