Sue

Sue Caley is a Christian, married, and has had a painful spinal condition for over 40 years. She is housebound for the majority of her time. She loves growing orchids and calls herself an orchoholic!

Promised Land

Under this white hot flame of pain

Lord help me to stand.

I need to keep my eyes on your face Jesus, and not on the sand.

I’m sunk if I look down, that way is despair, and I won’t find you there.

Lord help me to look up

and not want my own way,

I want a quick fix, but you’re not into tricks,

today or any day.

This flame wants to cleanse me,

and purify my heart,

I submit Lord Jesus,

I want to be ready,

I want to be ready

to enter The Promised Land.

The Promise

I wrote this poem about my healing

I’m hanging on to Your promise

I believe it, You said it

I know it’s true,

but do others believe it too?

I’m gifting it to one or two,

Just one or two.

I’m hanging on,

Reminding you, "how long, O Lord!

How long? "

This road is stony, hard

And unyielding,

And I’m so weary, and ravenously

hungry,to LIVE,

just to live … to burst out of this room,

this confined womb in which

You feed me and breed me

for this life, and eternity.

How long O Lord,

How long?

I’m still waiting, I’m still trusting,

I’m still hanging on.

Healing

I sometimes think of what it will be like when God heals me and how I will feel, all sorts of things, as it will be huge, I wrote a poem about it

Will I find the endless years of pain and frustration

are all a part of your perfect plan?

Will I find that painful oh so stressful

time of waiting

Is all for the glory of The Son Of Man?

And how will it happen

when at last you will free me?

Will it be dramatic with lots of spectators

or through the love filled prayers of

a faith filled friend,

In the quiet of this room, this womb of

mourning that seems to never end?

And how will it feel not to be in pain bound chains

in this prison,

Will I feel afraid, overwhelmed and

scared of such bountiful freedom

when you come with the impossible

improbable, unthinkable?

For with you all things are possible

in my life.

Run With Me

I have been feeling really weary of the pain I am in, and thinking of the Song of Songs, when Jesus asks His beloved to arise and come with Him. “Arise My darling, come away My beautiful one.” In really hard and stressful times, when we feel like giving up and we are struggling in our walk with the Lord, we don’t feel like we are running with Jesus, and we can be very hard on ourselves. The Lord showed me that I’m still running with Him and He with me, even when I am hobbling!

Run with Me,

Over the hills and valleys,

The hard rocky places

And dry desert spaces

Run With Me.

Even when you’re plodding,

Panting, weak and weary,

Battle-scarred and teary

You’re still running with Me

I’m still running with you.

Keep your eye on the horizon,

We’re heading for a verdant pasture,

Water flows like crystal,

You will drink of Me

And I will drink of you.

Only run with Me

Run with Me,

Still.

We are Sleeping Beauty

I wrote this after listening to a song, "Bride Arise." The song reminded me of how Jesus called me forth from slumber, and how He wants to do it again for His church. When it happened, He said that I was a forerunner. I did not at the time understand what that meant, but now I realise He meant a forerunner of being called forth as His passionate brides.

Do it again Lord

Do it again

Like You did before

Or even differently this time

Only do it again.

Call me forth

Ravenous for You,

Lovesick and abandoned,

Seeking Your face for all I’m worth,

Praying with a passion,

Intent on my mission

To know You more,

To touch Your heart,

New wine in my veins

Discarding the reins,

Going for it unashamed

Giving You my time

Feeling like a bride

Captivated, captured

By love, daring to believe

That I am so much Yours

And You are so much mine.

Do it again,

Do it again.

Revelation

One morning, a few years ago I was alone in my living room when suddenly I felt the Lord's presence very powerfully and weightily. I can’t explain how but I knew it was God the Father. He shared His heart with me, how He felt about a broken and hurting world. Not in words but by His Spirit. I tried to put what He’d shared into my own words. The Father was so humble! I was left feeling amazed and greatly moved by His loving, tender heart and humility.

Child, be My heart

And minister My love to those who have no love,

No hope, no heart to beat with love for them.

Child... be My heart.

Child, be My eyes

To look upon the world and see the need I see,

Child, look upon the world and weep with Me.

Child... be My eyes.

Child, be My arms, My hands

To touch those no-one touches, no-one tenderly embraces

And who long to be embraced by one who cares.

Child... minister My touch to such as these.

Child, be My lips

To speak My truth, to speak of Me, to set the captives free.

The broken life to mend, My rest to give, My life to live.

Child... speak of Me.

Your Name is a Strong Tower

I have many times when I feel that I can’t cope with this pain I’m in. It’s great that we can be honest with the Lord, we don’t have to pretend. Like the psalmists, we can cry out to the Lord and tell Him exactly how we feel – what a relief! (Psalm 121)

Your name is a strong tower,

Let me run to it and be safe.

You are the rock Lord,

Don’t let me stand on sinking sand,

You lift up my head

Oh, lift it now Lord.

I feel so weak and undone.

I know you have hold of me

And my guess is that You don’t see this situation as I see it

For You tell me Your thoughts aren’t my thoughts,

Your ways aren’t My ways.

Show me how you see this situation, Lord

Because I need to see it the same as You

And be lifted out of this pit I’m in.

Heal me Lord, as in days of old

And in days of now,

Oh, heal me Lord.

But if You choose to let me go on in this place

Please give me grace,

Rivers of grace.

I lift my eyes up to the hills,

Where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord

The Maker of Heaven and Earth.

What Mystery is This?

For many years, the Holy Spirit has been drawing me into a more intimate relationship with Jesus. He directed me to the Song of Song, and related to me that I am the Lord's beloved and He is mine. The Lord's view of me as His beloved amazes me. (Song of Songs 6:3)

I lay before my King

And look into His face,

The Almighty One who gives me grace.

I sing to Him with joy

And I behold the Glorious One,

Think of the works that He has done

And all His hands have made.

What mystery is this?

That He is mine and I am His.

Such a mystery.

Creator, King,

Mighty risen Lamb

Who once was slain

Has told me that I am His bride?

What mystery is this?

Let the Beloved of the Lord rest, secure in Him (Deut 33 v.1)

Let the beloved of the Lord
rest secure in Him,
For He is near, around you and within
Only a thought, a breath away
Ready to hear your cry.
Understanding your weakness
Offering grace,
Loving you with passion
as you run this race,
till you see His face.
Let the beloved of the Lord
rest, secure in Him.

The Ocean of Your Love

Romans 8:38-39 speaks of how absolutely nothing can separate us from God's love. For in Him, we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). I feel I am swimming in God's love, and thankfully I can never escape from it.

I live in the endless ocean of your love.
Pain, distress,
The endless horrors of sin and the fall cannot destroy it.
Man’s folly cannot overcome it
And all the wars and atrocities that ever have been
Or ever will be cannot negate it.
Hate is no match for this love,
Nothing can be it’s master,
Nor it’s equal.
Unbelief cannot quench it
Nor can the pain of all these years
Take one iota of love
From the love that you extend to me.
And all my days
And ever after
I shall live in the ocean of your love.

I want you to be like you

I wrote this after listening to a Maria Gilpin song and praying God would make me like her. Then God said ‘I want you to be like you.’

I want you to be who you are,

I know how many times you

Have wished you were others

But you are unique.

Created to be like you are,

Not another like you, a work of art,

I want you to be who you are

So special to Me.

So very special

Oh, so very precious

To Me.

Precious

I wrote this after a period of illness that was really bad, and I knew I had to trust in Jesus alone, as He was the only one who could help me. I was praying and talking to Him one night, and He revealed Himself to me in the most beautiful way; and I realised how very precious Jesus is.

I realised tonight Lord, just how precious You are ;

I wanted to scatter rose petals for You to walk upon,

Only the best seemed good enough for You.

Jesus you showed Yourself to me as supremely beautiful and precious,

Your being and Your nature

So tenderly exquisite.

Precious, is Your name,

Oh so very precious

Is Your visit to me.

You are not fragile Jesus

But I felt I was on holy ground.

I wanted to hold my breath

And not make a sound.

Just gazing upon You

Felt like I was ministering to You.

Appreciating your beauty,

beholding the loveliness of You;

I didn’t want to disturb these moments,

This breathtaking time

When You revealed Your worth

So unexpectedly to me

Upon this earth.

I long to see You just like this again my Lord,

And know how very precious

You really are.

The beauty of Your cross,

The wonder of Your loss

That found me in You,

That found me in You