O Lord, it is the first of the year
And this, my earnest request, I pray thee hear
That with you, ‘I have Constant Communion
For fruitless will I be, without that union.’

‘Behold, I come quickly’, came your word
And in me, your Holy Spirit stirred
And on this impending Truth, I gird
So please show me each moment, my prayer you heard.

In my family that loves you, I see
That your favor is life for life, and not momentary
And in all of the issues that life deals
We can hold fast, for with your stripes we are healed.

No weapon formed against thee shall prosper, you promise.
And on this, help me have the faith of the centurion, not Thomas.
And in the coming year, anticipating your return, our lively hope
Help me to lean on you at all times, when atop mountains, in valley depth or any slope.

Fixing my eyes on Jesus, let me march into battle
Bridle my tongue, lest I dishonor you by my prattle
In your presence, let my words be few
So I may experience your faithfulness and mercy, each day anew.

O Lord, it is the first of the year
And this my earnest request, I pray thee hear
This one thing, I desire and seek
To love you and be loved by you, I plead.

From the Author’s/Poet’s Desk:
As we arrived at the beginning of a new year, reminiscing on the year gone past and looking forward to the year ahead, this poem is requisition of our hearts, that in the coming year, my family (Sangeetha, Reuben and the one, soon to be born), and I are in CONSTANT COMMUNION with God.

During the watchnight service on December 31st, at the Austin Christian Fellowship of India (ACFI), my wife and I picked promise cards for each one in the family and the cards we picked were as follows:
For Mano: … in his favor is life (Psalm 30:5)
For Sangeetha: … with his stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:5)
For Reuben: No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper … (Isaiah 54:17)
For our son (to be born): Blessed be God, … for he has begotten us into a lively hope … (1 Peter 1:3)
This poem references those promises so that it can remind us of God’s promise to each one of us personally. Additionally, by way of voting (poll), the theme that was picked for the ACFI church was “Be Ye Ready for Jesus Christ” taken from Revelation 22:12, which is also referenced in the poem as a reminder.

It is written with pronouns such as ‘I’, ‘me’, ‘we’ to make it personal to the reader. I reckon you substitute your name or your family’s wherever appropriate to personalize this poem for yourself and be edified.

An explanation of the poem in square brackets has been given below. There are some sections of the poem that may need further explanation, and if you need any clarifications or have comments, please do not hesitate to contact me. Your comments and thoughts are most welcome. God bless.

O Lord, it is the first of the year
[January 1, 2012]
And this, my earnest request, I pray thee hear
[Incline thy ear unto me; Psalm 102:2]
That with me, ‘I have Constant Communion
[My new year’s request to Abide in Christ; John 15:5-8]
For fruitless will I be, without that union.’
[For without Christ, I can do nothing; John 15:5]

‘Behold, I come quickly’, came your word
[Revelation 22:12]
And in me, your Holy Spirit stirred
And on this impending Truth, I gird
[The return of the Lord to reign is not only impending but inevitable; 2 Peter 3:9]
So please show me each moment, my prayer you heard.

In my family that loves you, I see
[In Sangeetha, my wife (a favor from the Lord), I see God’s love and forgiveness and my Son, Reuben, reminds me of God’s unconditional presence, provision and protection as a father to me; Proverbs 18:22]
That your favor is life for life, and not momentary
[My promise card – Psalm 30:5]
And in all of the issues that life deals
We can hold fast, for with your stripes we are healed.
[Sangeetha’s promise card – Isaiah 53:5]

‘No weapon formed against thee shall prosper’, you promise
[Reuben’s promise card – Isaiah 54:17]
And on this, help me have the faith of the centurion, not Thomas.
[Prayer for a faith that marvels Christ and not be one who doubts his word; Hebrews 11:1, Luke 7:9, John 20:29]
And in the coming year, anticipating your return, our lively hope
[Reference back to Revelation 22:12 and the promise card that was picked for our son, who is to be born; 1 Peter 1:3]
Help me to lean on you at all times, when atop mountains, in valley depth or any slope.
[Trust in the Lord at all times and lean not on your own understanding; Proverbs 3:5]

Fixing my eyes on Jesus, let me march into battle
[Hebrews 12:2, Ephesians 6:10-18]
Bridle my tongue, lest I dishonor you by my prattle
[James 3:1-10]
In your presence, let my words be few
[Ecclesiastes 5:2]
So I may experience your faithfulness and mercy, each day anew.
[Great is his faithfulness and his mercies are new every morning; Lamentations 3:22-23]

O Lord, it is the first of the year
And this my earnest request, I pray thee hear
This one thing, I desire and seek
[Beholding God’s beauty, until we see him face to face upon his return; Psalm 27:4]
To love you and be loved by you, I plead.
[To love God and to be loved by Him is what makes CONSTANT COMMUNION with him possible, for if we love him with all of our heart, all our of soul, all of our mind, all of our strength; we will obey him and keep his commandments and we will abide in him and be fruitful as he expects us to be; John 14:15, John 15:7-8]