Influence: Nehemiah 1: 5-11 Poem by James McLain

O Lord of heaven, great and high,
Who holds the stars in velvet skies,
Your steadfast love no bounds can hold,
You bind us close in mercy's grace.

Before Your throne I humbly kneel,
With fervent prayers my lips unseal;
Day and night I call Your name,
Confessing fault, my heart aflame.

Our sins, our shadows, long have grown,
Yet still we claim Your love our own.
In the ruins of gates and crumbled walls,
Your voice, eternal, softly calls.

Remember, Lord, Your covenant true,
That promises life where life is due.
By mighty hand, You gathered near
A people precious, held close, I am.

O let Your ear incline to hear,
Let steadfast mercy draw us near.
Grant favor to Your servant's plight,
Who labors on through day and night.

Let influence spread, in deed and word,
Reflect the truths my soul has heard.
For though we falter, though we stray,
Your guiding light will show the way.

The walls may break, the gates may burn,
Yet hope, like dawn, will still return;
And in our weakness, You restore,
Faith that lasts forevermore.