The blade of the sword glistens and shines
in the light that is my God
I turn my ear to hear His voice,
then looking at Him, I nod
The long, gray sword up on the rock
gleams bright, and pulses with life
My attention is rapt in advance to the stone
to find and to wield the large knife
My strong arm withstands the weight
of the weapon I had longed to hold
Finally within my grasp and fist
My courage, a story once told
Remembers a time when all had seemed lost,
when my life was fading away
Yet the light of God’s grace shone bright on me,
and brought me out of harm’s way
I declare once again to the world and myself,
“This is my sword to bear…
never again will I lay it aside
The armor of God I must wear
always and forever, no matter what comes,
my plunder belongs at Your feet
With one knee bowed before Your throne
I will never accept defeat
As steadfast and brace as a man can be,
he’ll fight the war, never to cease
The sword that He wields, as vast as a shield,
Once again brings me down to my knees
For the enemy fights its battle with me
knowing it will never win
Rising to stand, I raise my sword high,
and I declare, “Never again…
Never again will you reign over me,
my home, my spirit and mind
Everyday I remain alive and awake
I seek to cast out and bind
All that lures me to the grave
or away from the light I see
And never again will I find myself
relying on nothing but me
No sheath for my sword, for the war never ends,
but my foe will never succeed
One day, I will rest my sword at my side,
allowing my God to lead
In fatigue, not defeat, I fall to the earth,
awaiting news of the end
And though my patience cannot be found,
I crawl to the feet of my Friend
He sets me up, on his royal knee,
and declares, “How brave you are!
Enduring it all as a soldier for me…
From you, I will never be far!”
***