He Was There

The future looms ahead of me
I wonder what I'll find
Until I hear a still, small voice
That prompts me, "Look behind."

I look and see the valley low
From which I shortly came.
Its grasses and its rivers say,
"He was always the same."

Behind the valley lies the sand
The desert, hot and dry.
Upon its cactus written:
"I hear before you cry."

The little hills beyond them lie
Mounts of joyous song.
Their gentle slopes so sweetly call,
"In weakness, He is strong."

The murky swamp, the forests dim,
With quicksand, paths unsure.
The frogs and snakes now chirp and croak
"With Christ, you were secure!"

The open grassy flatland
Where lions stalked their prey.
Those lions now roar peacefully;
God shut their mouths that day.

The lake of hope, love's waterfall,
The stream of grace, so free.
All gently tell me of His Words:
"I'll always walk with Thee."

The mountains on horizon's past
Against a sky of blue
Remind me of His faithfulness
For He was ever true.

I turn again to look ahead
To empty, steep inclines.
Dark thunderclouds may loom above,
But I will start to climb.

I'll keep my eyes upon the peaks
And cast on Him my care.
For one day soon as I look back
They'll whisper, "He was there."