People Need Hope!

Christian poets, writers, and pastors, most people are searching for hope, and that’s something we can give: Hope in the forgiving, loving, healing, saving power of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

So, how do we translate hope into our poems, manuscripts, books, or sermons. First, we pray for the Holy Spirit to guide us. Then, we can consider these suggestions:

 

• Poets can give voice to laments, worries, and other concerns most people have, but, like the Psalms, we can end our poetry on healing words of hope in God.
   
• Nonfiction writers and pastors might research biblical references to hope or write hope-inspiring devotionals or retell Bible stories filled with hope and faith in God.

• Fiction writers can develop main story characters – one with an unshakable faith in God and one whose disappointments have marred his or her hope in God.

 

Regardless of our chosen genre, let’s ask God to show us ways to encourage people to embrace the Lord more fully and place their hopes in Him.

 

For more suggestions, see “Honor God with hope” and “Jeremiah’s prayer of hope.”

 

May our Heavenly Father bless your work and life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Living in the Lord

Lord willing, the following blog posts can lift your spirits and strengthen your faith in God.

"Honor God as you go"

"Why Pray with Bible Promises?"

"Right People, Right Place, Right Time"

"Bible Promise: Isaiah 51:11"

Thanks for reading and responding to each. Please let me know if you'd like to see particular subjects or Bible verses addressed in future posts.

May God bless you and your life in Christ.

Catching up: Spring and Summer 2026

Some of you have visited this blog since it began in 2009 – thank you! Your ongoing encouragement has kept me and the blog going.

 

As you’ve probably noticed, my posts have become less frequent, first because of family priorities and now because the host site seldom offers updates.

 

That caused me to check options on WordPress and other sites, which I’ve since set up, but I don’t want to abandon Blogspot. Call it sentimentality and appreciation for the site if you will, but it’s also the place I list my books, which is the only source of income from my Internet activities.

 

At any rate (pun intended) I hope you’ll bear with me as I occasionally post hotlinks here that might interest you. For example, my new Honoring God online website offers you these posts:

 

Honor God in person

Honor God with a sacrifice of praise

Honor God by doing what’s required

Honor God by meditating

Honor God with greetings

 

My other WordPress site has these blog posts:

 

“What shall we do?”

“Filling empty spaces”

“Resurrection poems of Easter”

“From every angle”

“Accidental trespass”

“King David the despicable!”

“Some doubts about Doubting Thomas”

“The other Judas”

 

In the past few weeks, I’ve also posted on Bible Prayers and the Poetry Editor & Poetry, and, Lord willing, will add new posts to those blogs in the next several days.

 

If there’s a subject or idea you would like to see addressed, please let me know. Thanks and blessings for your prayers and support.

 

 

Mary Harwell Sayler

 

Turning Bible Verses into verse

Some translations of the Bible make almost every verse  sound poetic, such as the King James Version, which can often be scanned into iambic pentameter (basically, five upbeats per line.)

 

Hebrew poetry, however, relies more on patterns of thought, such as a statement further developed to bring spiritual depth and insight. Often, these verses can readily slip into syllabic poems, which use a 5/7/5 count of syllables on three successive lines. 

When this type of poem focuses on God the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit, I call them Highku, after the most High God but with a nod to the haiku form such as shown here:

 

 

Psalm 36:9

For with the Lord is

the fountain of life, and in

His Light we see light.

 

Romans 8:28

For we know all things

will work together for good

for those who love God.

 

Zephaniah 3:17

The Lord our God is

in our midst! He rejoices

over us with song.

 

Or a verse can be paraphrased as shown in this example from Psalm 33.

 

Sing about God’s Word.

Believe in His promises –

each one meant for you!

 

Bible verses can also become free verse or a prayer-song as in this passage from Psalm 143.

 

Let me hear Thy loving kindness

in the morning, LORD,

for I trust –

oh, I trust in You.

 

Teach me The Way

in which I should walk,

for to You I lift up

my soul – my life!

For to You, I lift up my soul.

Nothing replaces Holy Scripture! Sometimes, though, a contemporary-sounding poem can speak to readers who might not ever open a Bible.

May God guide the work we've been given to do in Jesus' Name.

 

 

Mary Harwell Sayler