No Longer Shall the Rose

No longer shall the rose grow thorns,
No longer shall the serpent bite,
No longer shall a child be born,
With blood, and vinegar, and night.

No longer shall the leopard prowl,
No longer shall the tyrant reign,
No longer shall the sweating brow,
In furrowed effort, toil in pain.

No longer shall the desert drought,
No longer shall the blight abound,
No longer shall the blade come out,
'Gainst anything except the ground.

No longer shall the sinner die,
No longer shall the woman weep,
No longer shall grave's victory,
Stand over all the earth complete.

For Jesus took the pain and thorn,
The blood, the effort, sweat, and care.
He dragged down ever curse to hell,
And He forever left them there.

The Sin of Revenge

In God, my righteous judge and king, I trust.
Who always legislates good laws for us.
It is Your place to bring about what's right,
For good and evil dwell within Your sight.
You are impartial, perfect in Your ways,
You execute Your will without delays.
I leave revenge within Your hands, O Lord,
For You alone are right to wield the sword.
But teach me how to love like You, with grace,
Leave punishments for You to put in place.
For me to seek revenge usurps Your right,
When I pursue the justice I define.
Lord, You will right the wrong that's done to us.
And You will make this broken planet just.

Seeking Proper Counsel (II Chronicles 10)

My heart is deceitful above anything,
My mind's seldom bound to an impartial thought,
Thus I can not trust to obey what I think,
I delude myself and do not do as I ought.

And counsel confuses the actions I do,
When counselors only confirm what I see.
Or when I am judging advice to be true,
By whether it is sympathetic to me.

O Lord, help me look to Your word for advice,
Let Your Holy Spirit enlighten my path.
Renew, Lord, my heart, unify it to Christ's,
And baptize my brain with Your mercy and wrath.

I thank You, Lord, knowing Your burden is light,
I give You my soul since Your counsels are just.
I drink of Your pleasures -- they're all my delight,
I seek out Your guidance, In You I can trust.