ONE LITTLE CANDLE

One little candle, 
Burned through the night,
Cheerfully chasing, 
The gloom with its light.
Routing the shadows,
With luminous skill
To shine on all softly
In joyous goodwill.

One little candle,

With ardor intense, 

Gave without measure, 

Expending its strength. 

In total oblation, 

Not heeding the cost,

For in dying to self, 

Nothing precious is lost.

-Myra D'Souza / 02 June 2020

THY WILL BE DONE

 Here I am Beloved,
I come to do Your will,
I have wrestled long but now,
My pliant heart is still.

You've collected all my tears,
You heard each trembling sigh,
You rent my soul asunder,
Acquiescent now I lie.

The fight within has taken wings,
Submissively I cede,
Before Your will I am prostrate,
At last O Lord, I yield.

Myra D'Souza - 6th September 2015

YOUR WILL IS MY DELIGHT

Echoing the psalmist,
I have often prayed this prayer,
“Here I am O Lord!
To do your will is my delight.
Send me! I will go
Wherever You command.”

Yet, when the moment,
Finally arrived to prove,
My prayer naught but hollow words,
I cried aloud and said,
“Not this I beg you Lord.
I do not want to go.”

But go I must. His will is clear,
Although it rends my soul,
To part with those who form,
The warp and weft, the threads that run
Across the fabric of my life.
For duty calls.

Harsh mistress she won't prove to be,
If sweetened with the leaven,
Of the love of Christ Himself,
And the prayer I long  have prayed,
Will finally ring true,

“Here I am O Lord!
To do your will is my delight.” 

Myra D'Souza - 6th August 2015

ABIDE IN MY LOVE

When the storm is at its fiercest,
When the winter clouds lie low,
When summer’s but a memory,
The sun has lost its glow.

When prayer seems but a burden,
When God seems out of sight,
When every fear looms eerily,
Doubt grimly stalks the night.

When hope has lost conviction,
When old memories stir grief,
When prayer becomes a struggle,
Faith grants but scant relief.

The Word leaps down from heaven,
To calm the raging sea,
“Abide in Me” He whispers,
“My love will set you free.”

Myra D’Souza – November 27, 2014

QUIET PLEASE!

Zechariah 7:11 But they refused to listen, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.
 

Quiet, please! I do not wish,

To hear a word you say,

The challenge is too daunting,

Too hard the narrow way.

Tell me not of your beliefs,

Reserve your platitudes,

Do not harangue me about,

Christ’s beatitudes.

Speak not about the privilege,

Of calling God your Friend,

To me, faith’s an illusion,

I will not play pretend.

Draw me not into the web,

Of lies and plain deceit,

I know too many Christians,

Who are liars, thieves, and cheats.

The scars of my betrayal,

Run deep, too oft’ deceived,

By those in whom I’ve trusted,

Spare me I won’t believe.

I do not care to be co-heir,

To Christ’s legacy,

It’s much too hard to dwell upon

The Cross and Calvary.

Go away, I want no part,

Of grace that’s given free,

It comes at much too high a price,

Just go and let me be.

Zechariah 7:11 But they refused to listen, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.

Myra D’Souza – 1^st November 2012

AWAKENING TO TRUTH

A little glimpse of heaven,
A sudden burst of light,
It lasted but an instant,
But with it came insight.
A greater understanding,
Of what He wished to say,
To me this glorious morning,
At the dawning of the day.

A spark of holy wisdom,
Shot silver through the gray,
My bent toward desire for,
Self-glory stripped away.
Censured by the Spirit,
I was dismayed to see,
How often I have courted praise,
In blatant vanity.

I the wick while He the Fire,

He provides the oil,

His the seed I’m called to scatter,

He prepares the soil.

Nothing mine, all He has given,

His the light I shine,

As I labor in His vineyard,

Forming hearts in His design.

MYRA D’SOUZA / 26TH APRIL 2012

DO NOT PASS ME BY

Come O Lord,
Do not pass me by,
You heard and stopped
When Bartimaeus cried,
Hear me too and ask me,
What I wish of You.

But You are God
And You know everything,
You know just what I need,
What is Your will for me?
Must I be crushed,
Tormented in the winepress
Of this suffering?

Grant that I may see,
And if this be Your will,
Then also grant the grace ,
That I will surely need,
To bow and say,
“I will accept Your will for me.”
 Amen.

Myra D'Souza / 5th April 2012

Lamentations 1:20a

“Look, O Lord, for I am in distress;
     my stomach churns;
my heart is wrung within me.”

TIME AND I

There was a time when sin and I,
Walked hand in hand together,
I let the world possess me
And it did with deadly sway.
It was a time in youth when I,
Was frequently quite foolish,
I never sought to find the time,
Nor did I will to  pray.

There was a time I walked alone,
In darkness, gloom and peril,
My innocence was threatened,
Through my ignorance of guile,
A time when frailty of spirit,
Often would beset me,
A time when evil sneered and sought,
To lure me with beguile.

There was a time of fierce distress,
And overwhelming sorrow,
Anguish scoured and seared my soul,
With stupefying grief.
A time for letting go to  God,
The baby I'd been given, 
Gone with no goodbye she left ,
Memories too brief.

Time and I have walked awhile,
Astutely she has taught me,
How sin corrodes the souls of those
Whose lives are shorn of grace.
I’ve learned the paradox that love,
Spends not itself in giving,
Suffering enabled me,
Meet Jesus face to face.

Myra D'Souza / 7 February 2012

ALWAYS WITH YOU

May Your Word dwell richly in me,

May Your perfect will rule mine,

May the presence of Your Spirit,

Make my soul a holy shrine.

May I be a cheerful giver,

May I love wholeheartedly,

Never keeping count of any,

Wrongs that have been done to me.

Take my hand lest I should wander,

Promise You’ll stay by my side,

I can face the storms that gather,

With our fingers intertwined.

When my journey here is over,

When the hour for me has come,

When You call my name Beloved,

I’ll fly home when day is done.

Myra D’Souza / 8 March 2011

LETTING GO

The time has come I must let go,
Your fingers grip my hand,
As one by one I set them free,
Pain locks in iron bands.

The day long seen in coming,
In course of time arrives,
I prayed I may have courage,
When the time came for goodbyes.

Go forth my precious darling,
Its time to let you go,
Make us proud as you begin,
To flourish, bloom and grow.

As you go into the future,
And make your place on earth,
Know that you have been our joy
From the moment of your birth.

We watched and we protected,
With tender loving care,
We now give you our blessing,
As we send you with our prayers.

Be not intimidated,
Refuse to compromise,
Let faith and perseverance,
Be your ever present guides.

Our every thought a blessing,
Our every prayer a plea,
That you stay firmly rooted,
In the Holy Trinity.



Myra D’Souza / 10/09/09

NEW LIFE

Breathe on me O Breath of Life,
Rid my soul of sin and strife,
Over dying embers blow,
So peace and joy anew may flow.

Make my heart Your dwelling place,
Imbue my spirit with Your grace,
Animate my soul to sing,
Songs of praise to God my King.

In You alone my honored Guest,
My soul can find its perfect rest,
Let me stay at Calvary,
Share Your anguish Lord with me.
May the water from Your side,
Bathe me in its cleansing tide,
With Your help I pledge each day,
To walk the straight and narrow way.
Then at last at journey’s end,
Come take me home my dearest Friend.

Myra D’Souza / 11 August 2009

THE POWER OF LOVE

With God in our midst,
We have nothing to fear,
For Jesus has promised,
To stay ever near.
When Father and Son,
Of our life has control,
The breath of the Spirit,
Empowers our soul.

The seas may be stormy,
And storm-tossed the boat,
But Jesus has promised,
He’ll keep us afloat.
Through buffeting winds,
And harrowing gales,
Our Savior has triumphed,
God always prevails.

Too often in life we find,
Hope has grown dim,
Doubts loom in the darkness,
The future looks grim.
And when loss seems certain
With no help in sight
The Light of His Spirit,
Illumines the night.

Faith once again blossoms,
While hope in the heart,
Revives as Love conquers,
And all fears depart.
He makes us His temple,
And fills us with grace,
A place where the Word,
And the Spirit embrace.


Myra D’Souza – 26.05.09

A LOVING HEART

Misery surrounds us,
The world is racked with pain,
To those with wealth and power,
God’s poorest have no name.

We look at God’s dear children
As they in hunger groan,
Our hearts are moved with pity,
As we their fate bemoan.

But feelings do not matter,
To act should be our goal,
To bear a brother’s burden,
Comfort a sister’s soul.

Although there is not very much,
That you or I can do,
We can walk the extra mile,
Or maybe even two.

To ease another’s heartache,
To listen to their fears,
To hold a hand in comfort,
To wipe away the tears.

Loving is quite simple,
For those with Christ-like hearts,
If we walk with Jesus daily,
We’ll be expert in this art.


Myra D'Souza 29/9/1998