A Psalm

No more difficult battle have I fought a foe,
Then the battle to overcome an embittered soul.
Like twisted in an impenetrable twine,
A true sense of freedom I cannot find.
I struggle and fight, try to get free,
But the anchor of the menace is rooted in me.
The facade of victory lulls my heart,
Then suddenly I find myself back at the start.
A memory, a picture, a word takes me back,
All my effort folds under the attack.
Like a belch from deep inside my soul,
The bitter root just stops me cold.
Where is my justice, Lord, where is what's fair?
Do You see my hurt? Do You even care?
The guilt of that query, for I know that You do,
It's my embittered soul that accuses You.
You alone are my Hope, for the freedom I seek,
Praise You, Your strength perfect when I'm weak.
I must rise again, in this battle press on,
Never give in til the bitterness gone.
Praise You, praise You, You are why I'll forgive,
For in Your forgiveness and grace I do live.
Love You, love You, it's why I long to be free,
For You came to birth Your grace inside me.
Lead me, lead me, You alone are the Way,
To destroy this bitterness on a soon coming day.
Holding, trusting, believing in Your Word,
Confident, certain, that my prayers have been heard.

A Psalm by Diana DePriest
August 21, 2012

Untitled (For Fallout)

If you'll journey to the cross,
Where triumph meets despair,
You'll find that there beneath it,
The ground's badly broken there.

Heaven and hell went to battle,
For not both could have its way,
And the earth was forever changed,
When grace came down that day.

And there it left its mark,
When the foundation was moved;
For despite the fallout of the battle,
God's Word it had been proved.

So bring your burdens there,
Leave them on the broken ground.
Then quiet, still your soul,
Hear the song of hope resound.

The journey isn't easy,
But you won't be turned away,
Then allow the Lord to lead,
He'll lead you not astray.

Diana DePriest
June 12, 2012

Disqualified

I feel disqualified.

I feel so stuck in hurt and in bitterness. I sincerely strive to move away from the past, and then the past moves toward me.

The new life I am trying to forge in a new place feels tainted.

It's like I'm tangled in a spider web and I'm flipping about spasmadically just trying to get unwound.

But people are watching that can't see the web, and I become consumed with what they must think.

About the crazy girl, dancing around and making a fool of herself.

But even the spiders have scattered.

I feel so alone.

Can't seem to get untangled from the past, can't move cleanly into the future.

Makes me want to just hide, cut the ties from the before, and not even aspire to an after.

Rejection is my companion. Rejection is the only consistency I know.

I know, but I don't say, but the ashes of their accusations blow into my life anyway. The ash leaves me filthy. The ash hinders my ability to breathe.

But they stay upwind from the fire they burn. I alone stand down wind.

Even those I traveled away with have moved on. Their new beginnings have all begun, they're moving on, settling in, I alone remain.

Filthy.

Disqualified.

Angry.

Bitter.

Alone.

Begging God to wash me clean.

The ash is a shame, but it's not mine, I didn't build the fire.

But still.

Surely I will not remain here forever but I fear it might be for always.

Until that Day.

No more tears.

Every knee bowed.

I bow mine now, by choice.

I hope a dangerous hope.

Perhaps.

Might I find a way?

May I bow low enough for the ash to finally blow by.

And not on me.

In Jesus' name.

By the power of the Holy Spirit alone.

Alone.

But today I am still covered.

Still filthy.

Still wondering if they think I'm crazy.

Just because they can't see the web.

By Diana DePriest
© February 16, 2012

Alone

In the latest night hours, I feel so alone,
And into Your presence, I cannot seem to go.

So many questions and struggles in me,
I long for a place to simply be free.

Heaven it beckons, and pulls at my heart,
I feel stuck in a world where I have no part.

No heavenly direction or wisdom to guide,
I just want to run, just want to hide.

What can my witness to this world even be,
When I constantly struggle with just being me?

Not of this world, I know that that's true,
The desire of my heart is just more of You.

But Your presence is sometimes more than I can bear,
I feel so alone and can't sense that You're there.

The eternal's unseen, has no tangible touch,
My heart aches for something, I need You so much.

Show me my sin, have I pushed You away?
Is it me that has wandered, have I gone astray?

I've no sense of purpose, don't know what to do,
How do I help direct the world's eyes toward You?

I don't think I can, so consumed with myself,
Is that the reason I feel stuck on this shelf?

Dreams that once were are just burdens to bear,
I don't want to hope, I don't want to care.

My voice is growing weaker, no one wants to hear,
Nothing left to say, it's my growing fear.

My heart it hurts, I feel so alone,
And into Your presence, I cannot seem to go.


By Diana DePriest
© February 12, 2012

Emotions

Like riding a wave, they bring you high and low,
Sometimes they pull you under, or toss you to and fro.

Neither holy, nor sinful, they simply just are,
But when we can't contain them, we don't get very far.

Mercurial, ethereal, they move and they sway,
From the lowest of lows to the highest high in just a day.

Spontaneous from nowhere, they seem to arise,
No teller of truth, no liar of lies.

Emotions don't define us, they are not who we are,
But the process of circumstance from within our hearts.

Decisions should not be made, on what it is we feel,
Emotions are reaction, not determiners of what's real.

They are to be taken captive, not to be captors of you,
Can't control their existence, you must filter through what's true.

Anger is not a sin, to be sad is not to fail,
Happy isn't fruit, fear doesn't make you frail.

It's about where our feelings lead and what we decide to do,
Will we bed led astray? Or bow them down to You?

Faith is not emotion, it's the decisions that we make,
Feelings can be phony, but faith cannot be faked.

Don't feel guilty if you're angry, it's a feeling we all have,
But don't express it in harshness, or let it turn to wrath.

Sadness isn't failure, but don't let depression grow,
Take it to the cross, remind yourself of the God you know.

Happy isn't sufficient, God wants to grow in you joy,
We can lose a little happy, but joy nothing can destroy.

Because you feel fear, that doesn't make you weak,
It's not the antonym of faith, it just needs a little tweak.

If you declare Christ "Lord of All," you ought to mean emotions too,
Because letting Him be Lord of emotions, makes Him Lord of you.

So when you feel the wave, whether it overwhelm or overfill,
Take it to Jesus, hear as He whispers, "Peace be still."

Thank God for your feelings, let them draw you close to Him above,
He loves you with more than an emotion, because Jesus is true Love.

By Diana DePriest
© February 9, 2012

I Am Bitter

This taste overwhelms not my mouth, but my soul.
This bitter root that I cannot control.

"Put off," says Your Word, so it should be easy to do,
But it isn't simple, rather so hard to be obedient to You.

The root runs down deep as it strangles my heart,
It distorts my perspective, we seem far apart.

I tug and I pull trying to pull my heart free,
But I need the kind of strength that I don't have in me.

Sometimes I think progress is moving me past,
Then something arises and revelation is fast.

I am bitter.

Hurtful words resonate, and the pains of the silence remains,
The memory of the harms, this bitter root it sustains.

"Forgive," You command, and sincerely I try,
Then I hear another rumor, I hear another lie.

This chain that connects us, I can't seem to break free,
But they walk unhindered, the only prisoner is me.

In silence, so many, look away from their shame,
And nothing ever changes, the tyranny is the same.

My mind risks consumption, the bitter root seems to rise,
Constricting the life from me, distorting my eyes!

I am bitter.

I cannot fight free, I don't have the power,
Will this bitter root haunt me till my final hour?

I do understand there's no right to the grudge that I hold,
My mind assents to Your Truth, but my heart won't be told.

Take this Lord, I'm pleading, remove this root from me!
I long to walk in Your will, desperately I want to be free!

I stand not on justification, I relinquish every right,
I'm so weary from the ache, I do not want to fight.

My flesh holds a tight grip, disobeying what I know,
I have to give it up, I have to let it go!!

And yet I am bitter!

I have no hope of better, this thing I cannot do,
Please God, I surrender, I need more of You.

I confess it, Lord, as sin, this bitterness I hold,
Please rescue me from me, don't let my heart grow cold.

I do not have the power, in my strength I can't be freed,
But I know Your promise, whom You set free is free indeed.

At your altar I lay, and I pray that You would heal,
My heart, my mind and soul, of this bitterness I feel.

My heart knows it is bitter, of its truth I am aware,
But greater Truth is this, You love me and You care.

I am bitter, but I am Yours, You'll leave me not this way,
I'm longing for my wholeness, in a soon and coming day.

By Diana DePriest
© February 7, 2012

The heart knows its own bitterness,
And a stranger does not share its joy.
Proverbs 14:10

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor,
and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.
And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another,
even as God in Christ forgave you.
Ephesians 4:31-32

Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.
John 8:36

Emotional

This gift that you've given, it feels like a weight,
I want to cherish it, sometimes it fills me with hate.

I hate that I'm not doing what I feel like I should,
I hate that I'm feeling like I'm misunderstood.

My heart aches with longing to fulfill a call,
And sometimes I wonder if one even exists at all.

I feel out of sorts, like I have nowhere to belong,
Am I a mistake, the one thing You got wrong?

"You're talented," they say, "You have such a gift,"
And it's the one thing that sends me adrift.

I hate these emotions that swirl through my mind,
Egged on by the answers I can't seem to find.

Perhaps my aspirations aren't holy at all,
Am I dreaming too big or dreaming too small?

The battle is constant inside my head,
Some days just waking up overwhelms me with dread.

I just don't know what it is You want me to do,
Is this all there is? Can that really be true?

I wish that You'd take dreams and talents away,
I don't think I can bear them even one more day.

I pray, You seem silent, it has to be me,
What is my sin, or my failure, what can it be?

Where is the fruit? I strive to abide,
To walk in Your ways, I've constantly tried.

Human "being," I know, but I still long to do,
I desperately want to serve some purpose for You.

Some days I just wish my dreams and wants would be gone,
But I'm pretty sure, that too would be wrong.

I know You're still Sovereign, even when I don't undertand,
So I need to find comfort and peace that my life's in Your hand.

This hurt in my heart, will someday be through,
I don't know the answers, but I know that You do.

I come back to Your altar, and lay down again,
You are Lord and Savior, but also my Friend.

Your thoughts are so many, and all for me good,
Of that there's no question, it's completely understood.

So I know all this hurt, and even feeling so lost,
It does not compare when I'm counting the cost.

All to know You, I will lay all aside,
Please help me Lord, help me abide.

In Your presence, but more, in confident trust,
For me to press on, I know this is a must.

My emotions are not what I count on as real,
My walk of faith isn't based on how I feel.

Feelings are hard, they're a burden to bear,
Too hard to carry, to scary to share.

Are they sin? They're not holy, what can they be?
They're the really hard part of just being me.

Me, I'm the problem, I need to die at the Cross,
I lay down at the altar but I keep crawling off.

Crucify Me! Put "ME" and this flesh to death!
Help me take in a fresh holy breath.

Breathe in eternity, take my focus off me,
Only when You are the center, can I ever be free.

It doesn't undo that these feelings are hard,
But my heart is Yours, that means its Yours to guard.

So I confess them and ask that You help me move past,
Because I know this emotional ride won't always last.

But You will be here, You'll always remain,
Yesterday, today, forever- the same.

Your Word is what's real, Your promises true,
So on this crazy ride, I'll hold on to You.

By Diana DePriest
© January 29, 2012

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Hebrews 13:8

Then the Lord answered me and said:
“Write the vision
And make it plain on tablets,
That he may run who reads it.
For the vision is yet for an appointed time;
But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.
Though it tarries, wait for it;
Because it will surely come,
It will not tarry."
Habakkuk 2:2-3


I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
Romans 12:1

How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them!
Psalm 139:17

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11

Be Still

Be still my heart, find peace in the chaos,
But even in silence, I can't find the payoff.

The voices in my head create angst and unrest,
No matter how still I am, my mind is distressed.

I reach out to capture and force them to obey,
But they fight and they struggle, go their own way.

"The Word," I demand "says do not go that direction,"
But sin exists there like a chronic infection.

"Be still my heart," I cry out in despair,
"Worship the Lord, reach out to Him in prayer!"

My focus, I try, to rest on Him alone,
With my heart and my soul, to bow at His throne.

But the flesh it arises, it pulls me away,
Double-minded with doubts, my faith seems to fray.

"Fight the good fight!" my soul, I demand,
"Only by His strength, am I able to stand."

Focus, focus! On a God I can't see?
Yes, focus on the God who's revealed Himself to me.

Can you fight for quiet, strive to be still?
Can rest be worked for or created at will?

I long for silence that I might hear Your gentle voice,
I can choose to listen, but hearing's not a choice.

Lord, Your servant listens, I pray that You speak,
I long for quiet and rest, so Your presence I seek.

Lord call this mind that wanders, to come hither to You,
To quiet and rest and to peace that is true.

Be still and quiet before a Holy and Heavenly God,
In the peace of His presence, it is no facade.

Still, at rest, in Your presence, I pray,
I cannot find it, but You've made a way.

You've promised, You, if I seek, I will find,
Help me to focus, my heart soul and mind.

A Savior You gave, to draw us near to You in love,
A Spirit You give to love us here not just from above.

So why is this struggle to be still going on?
It's this flesh of my own that makes it all wrong.

But the flesh has been conquered, though it's death may seem slow,
Though it's sometimes hard to feel it, there's victory, I know.

I will be still, my heart and mind they will bow,
For through the power of Your Spirit, they will find how.

Draw, I will draw, near to You my Lord,
You draw near also, hope of peace be restored.

You are God, this I know, so therefore I'll be still,
And Your promise of peace, I know You'll fulfill.

By Diana DePriest
© January 22, 2012

Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!
Psalm 46:10

Heartache

There's a heartache that lives inside of me,
Ache deep inside born of a desire to be free.

Free from the temporary and things that fall short,
For all of the good things that sins mar and distort.

My heart hurts for being so much less than You meant,
For all the days longing, waiting, failing, I've spent.

My heart aches for questions that go unanswered each day,
I ache for the fear that it may always be this way.

I ache for the pain I see all about,
I ache for the fear, confusion and doubt.

The whole of me aches because this world is not home,
And sometimes while here, I feel lost and alone.

Heartache so great like a wave it pulls me deep down,
At times I can't breathe, overwhelmed by the darkness around.

My heart aches for You, I long to breathe You in deep,
Rest under Your wing where there safely I'll sleep.

I need You Lord, take my aching heart in Your hand,
Bring healing and hope, give me strength so I'll stand.

Always the heartache will linger, I know,
Because where I am now isn't my home.

I'm not who You created me to be,
I'm bound by this world, not living free.

My heart aches for the day when we'll stand face to face,
And my heartache will heal in Your warm embrace.

I love You Lord, my heart aches for You,
For Your love, and hope, and Your promises true.

By Diana DePriest
©January 22, 2012