HONOR BEFORE DEATH

You gave me desert wind when I begged for still,
So I recognized the shepherd behind every hill.
The thorn I prayed you'd remove became my compass, true,
Pointing me back to the love that bled for me too.
When walls stood unmoving as my prayers hit stone,
Your glory was writing redemption in code.
The giants didn't fall when my soul was raised high,
But when my knees hit the earth, then my why became thine.
Because before the rope comes the rending of pride,
Before the scepter's weight comes the cross carried inside.
Before the well-done sounds clear and sweet comes the secret hush where my will retreats.
You're not after my trophies or states,