LET’S RISE

The final storm is approaching;
Hellish stressors, diseases, and lies.
The dreams we held as human rights,
Torn from us, pulverized.

So we contemplate escape routes,
Dull our souls with lullabies
Overwhelmed and under-nourished,
Fatigued and near-compromised.

Do we think that we know better?
Are we second-guesting God?
Clutching early treasures tighter,
Seeking those who will applaud.

But underneath the rubble,
Underneath the tired cries
His Spirit stirs our promise:
Still we’ll rise.

He will heal what has been broken,
If we stay and stand and fight,
If we keep the fire burning
And surrender our rights.

They may ban His Holy Word,
They may hate and stigmatize
And all the powers of hell unite
But still, in Him, we’ll rise.

What of value can they ransack?
Even if they take our lives
We will dance on streets of gold
Freed love that death defies.

Out of the Cross of history’s shame
We rise
Up from a past that’s rooted in pain
We rise.
In His red ocean where martyrs died
His life birthed life; we now bear in the tide
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
We rise
Into a Daybreak that’s wondrously near
We rise
One call, one people, one proclamation
We are His hope for this last generation
Let’s rise
Let’s rise
Let’s rise

(Homage to Maya Angelou]

“​Arise, shine; For your light has come!
And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.
For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
And deep darkness the people;
But the Lord will arise over you,
And His glory will be seen upon you.”
(Isaiah 60:1-2)