When all life's rough and qualm

When all life's rough and qualm
Doth seem to embalm
This tattered soul
To its bitter end

May this one hope
Remain through all
The doubt and shame
Thy truth thy love
Tis better still
Than all the rest

To but hide all sorrows
And fears that plague
Throughout the years
Upon thy breast

Thy joy doth beat
Steadily within
No other strength
Can carry

When all reason
Has this mind
Forsaken
May this soul
In thy full
Control
Be taken

Whether in good or ill
May this troubled heart
Seek thee still
Through all storms
And seasons

For no other reason
Than this
Thy grace
Thy love

Canst none
Compare
All other things
Despair

Yet beyond
All yearning
A hope discerning
Seeks thee still
For thy love
Shall carry
Through all
Things

-Joshua Lee Foist

Oh to that day when my faith

Oh to that day when my faith
Shall be sight
When all my wrong
Will be made right

For all such fleeting desires
That ere perspire
In me
May they yet
Seek that which shall
Ever be

Let not my desire be for
A feeling of gratification
But for the one
In whom my soul
Is satisfied

For his gift is complete
And shall never cease
So may my heart
In Him find
Peace

-Joshua Lee Foist

Before such a love could ever be

Before such a love could ever be
I must but first surrender thee
To the great divine
Who knows all things
In time shall be
As planned

For though my heart
In part cannot
Release
The only way
To peace
Is sweet

When at last
The end hath come
To know the truth
For what it is
Doth pierce through
Flesh and bone
Until at last
It calls you
Home

The truth doth breathe
A life of revelation
When thy grand destination
Doth come shall see
Beyond the fog
Of thy facade

For love transcends
And love begins and ends
In those who give it all away
That others may come first
When at last come love
To thee shall be with
All assurity
Hath come
In perfect
Time

- Joshua Lee Foist

If here lies not love

If here lies not love
Then fly from me
Oh gentle dove
For my heart
Tis fleeting

If here lies yet hope
May it rise within
And chase away
My doubt

For all my stormy days
May ever I
Give thee praise

My thoughts
Oft caught
In a mindless
Haze

When shall I see
At last beyond
The fog

The storm that's churning
In my heart concerning
My pride my will
The anger burns
In me still

Depart from me
For all eternity
Thy shroud of
Deceit

Hath near in me
Defeated
Save for one
Beyond thy
Skill

Hath stripped thee
Of thy disguise
And revealed
Thee before
Mine eyes

Oh let mercy
Fall afresh on me

May grace
Restore me
To that place

For evil
Hath long
In me
Remained

And nothing
Have I gain
But bitterness
And pain

Bring me
To my knees
And fill
My lips
With praise

Though for
These short
Remaining days

My evil ways
May a time
Return

Yet may
I forgiveness
Find

When at last
Repent my
Soul

To thee
Have full
Control
Of me

-Joshua Lee Foist

When I am afraid

When I am afraid
And unsure
Open my eyes
To see

When misery
Is creeping in
Come hope
To rest
In thee

When doubts
Near dominate
My soul
So assurance
Come and
Rescue me

My mind's a mush
Of things
And still I know not
Where or when
To begin

Tis but a maze of confusion
So long I for a resolution
To awaken from this
Nightmare untamed

Where can I go
When ere my grip
Is near its last

Where can I hide
When conflicted pride
Has its way with me

How can humility
Fall afresh upon me
So long I to be free

The cords they tighten
Round me
Yet still this faith
Of which I've known
Clings to the bone

So come thou
Sweet salvation
Come and wreak
All desolation
And call thine
Own creation
Home

-Joshua Lee Foist

When conflicted

So rest my soul

So rest my soul
To all which lies
Beyond thy control

So rest my soul
In that which
Truly satisfies

When all the worries
Surround and cover thee
Rest in that assuring grace

Twill lead thee through
All the trials of life
Through joy and strife

Though thy troubles
At times may abound
That love profound
Shall stand its ground

Twill pick thee up
And carry thee on
Thy way

Despite the doubt
And pain a time
Thee may endure

Know this for sure
Such a love devine
Shall always remain

For this only is true
This alone will
Never fail

So lean upon
Thy rock and rest
In the one whom
All thy years
Hath blessed

As to that which is unseen

As to that which is unseen
Yet has transformed me
For there where I was once
In despair

Thy way hath revealed
Day by day
In the still and quiet

While lost am I
In a grand illusion
Safe and secure
Doth remain

As for contentment
Oft resentment
In me doth increase
For I am much impatient

Yet that which is good
A lifelong ambition
Must take the full
Course

For ere the days
Are evil
And innocence
Bewares such
Things

So seek thy
Sure and steady
Heart

My soul
Eternal
Hath Control

Lead me through
The dark of night
Into thy radient
Transforming
Light

-Joshua Lee Foist