“That according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love.” Ephesians 3:16-17 ESV
“For you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” James 1:3 ESV
I wrote the poem below as I was recovering from an upper respiratory infection that hit me rather suddenly. Sometimes, God works in such a way as to sideline us for a bit. It’s all good, though. During the first two days that I was confined to bed, I used my time to be silent before God. Psalm 46:10 tells us to “be still and know that I am God.” With the noises and distractions of my normal routine silenced, there was time to focus on things of a spiritual nature. I do have a quiet time each morning as I read and study God’s Word, but on these particular days, I had lots of forced “thinking” time. As I prayed for many who are facing hard seasons, I thought about how all around us, we see sadness, sorrow, sickness, pain, and uncertainty. That doesn’t sound very uplifting, but this is what was on my heart and the poem came as a result. I love it when God does that!
I dedicate this poem to my family members and friends who are going through tough times. Please remember that our Heavenly Father has a good way of helping us through hard seasons. He will give us deep faith—deeper than before if only we trust Him. This I know for sure, for without God’s help, now and in the past, I could not be writing this.
Deep Faith
Carolyn McDaniel Canizales
April 15, 2024
Deep faith in Christ is quite often borne
From trials that leave us sad, sick, and worn.
Things come along we can’t understand,
But through it all, we hold onto God’s hand.
His power and grace are there with us, too;
As He gently guides us to sweet life anew.
Our deep faith in Him on all of those days
Will only convince us to trust in His ways.
The more that we trust Him, the more He can move,
Deep into our hearts to comfort and soothe.
He’ll give us the strength and courage to stand;
To find others like us, to take hold of their hand.
To help someone else along life’s weary way;
To give them new hope for a much brighter day.
Our God is always on Heaven’s throne,
Waiting for us to hear His sweet song.
It’s a song of deep love that He has created,
For each of His children, as the Bible has stated.
He’ll not forget us, no never will He
Abandon His children, for friends don’t you see,
God sent His Son into this world full of care,
To give us deep faith and His message to share.
That we may take hold of His marvelous plan;
To save us from sin, and give us that land
Where we’ll never grow old or have sickness or pain
And have blessed assurance that Heaven we’ll gain.
What peace and contentment this knowledge does bring,
For in Heaven above, His praises we’ll sing.
Yes, deep faith will come from a heart full of woe,
Still, God has a plan that we can’t fully know.
We’ll continue to trust for we love Him so much,
Til’ that day we meet Jesus and feel His sweet touch.
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, You are the reason we can experience peace during the troubling times that we face. Thank You for loving us and helping us to maneuver this thing called “life” with joy and peace. Without You, we would not be able to live in confidence and joy, even amidst our hard times. Please help us to remember it is You who is in control of all our days. We love You and thank You for bringing us to deeper faith through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. I pray this in His name. Amen.
