1. WITHER

Blessed is the man who does not walk
In the counsel of the wicked
Nor stand in the way of sinners
In company with scoffers
Rather, the law of the Lord is his joy
And on his law he meditates day and night

He is like a tree
Planted near the streams of water
That yields its fruit in season
Its leaves never wither

Whatever he does prospers

But not so are the wicked, not so!
They are like chaff driven by the wind
Therefore the wicked will not arise at the judgment
Nor will sinners in the assembly of the just
Because the Lord knows the way of the just
But the way of the wicked leads to ruin


2. THE VAST WILDERNESS

The wind howled...

I ventured out into the storm
And was immediately thrown into turbulence
My armor was weak, my heart deceived
Thus nothing built upon withstood

But the ghost was there
To guide me through the woods
The spirit that never left me
Is why I survived

The days were wicked, the nights so cold
The heavy snow was beating the Earth once more
But I was born of water
The most sacred of gifts
And so the light within lit the road ahead

When all I saw
Was desolate
And within
Was darkened and bleak
There shone a light
Within the heart
A consoler...

Holiest one!
Your glory vaster than the cosmic seas!


3. SWEATING BLOOD

I'm sweating blood
As I see the trial before me
Knowing the suffering to be endured
And sorrows to be seen

The cliffs are narrow
The depths of the pit unseen
I'm stricken with sores
On every side
But beasts pursue from behind
Seeking to devour flesh and soul

I tread into unknown trails
My eyes can't see the road ahead
I barely have an once of strength
I'm almost out of breath
I'm almost out of blood

Jesus sweated blood
As he saw the trial before him
Yet the cup did not pass, nor for me
And so I solider on


4. BANISHED TO WINTER'S MAZE

Is this the end?
Are these the last days of tribulation?
For darkness clouds everything
The Earth has become so perverse
The hearts of men gone far astray

Shall I flee to the mountains?
For this age has been so cold
Foreboding winds, bring ye the season
Of persecution, death, and war?

I long for your return...

My heart craves the rapture
The bonds of sin hold so tight
Yet Lord I trust your divine timing
For all will bow before you Christ


5. I WILL WAKE THE DAWN

Have mercy on me, God
Have mercy on me
In you I seek refuge
In the shadow of your wings
I seek refuge
Till harm pass by
I call to God Most High
To God who provides for me

My heart is steadfast, God
My heart is steadfast
I will sing and chant praise
Awake, my soul
Awake, lyre and harp!
I will wake the dawn
I will praise you among the peoples, Lord!

May God send help from heaven to save me
Shame those who trample upon me
May God send fidelity and mercy
I must lie down in the midst of lions
Hungry for human prey

Be exalted over the heavens, God
May your glory appear above all the earth

They have set a trap for my feet
My soul is bowed down
They have dug a pit before me
May they fall into it themselves!

For your mercy towers to the heavens
Your faithfulness reaches to the skies
Exalt yourself over the heavens, God
may your glory appear above all the earth


6. STRANGLED BY THORNS OF DESPAIR

The seed fell on fertile ground
But the thorns arose and choked the roots
The strangling thorns of despair
The pitfalls of this wretched world

I long for this Earth
To pass away
A burning hate for the wicked
The vain, the degeneracy

I've always despised this broken world
And was right to hate its ways
I've seen so many strangled by the thorns
The despair that is modernity

The world hates me because he is my Lord
Thus it remain my enemy


7. MAN OF SORROW

He was a man of sorrows
His eyes bore the horrors of this world
His gaze pierced through the wicked, disgusting hearts of men
He felt the vileness of the sins that he'd be crushed for

Through the poor I gazed into his eyes
I was shocked by the incomprehensible sadness

(Is 53:4)
Yet it was our pain that he bore
Our Sufferings he endured
Struck Down by God and afflicted
He was pierced for our sins
Cursed for our iniquity

He knew all of my sufferings
At that moment I knew that I would live

He knew my torment
And still pursued me


8. MARTYRDOM

While there is an altar at hand
Grant me no more than to be a sacrifice for God
Let me be fodder for wild beasts
Ground by their teeth to make a pure loaf for Christ

My Desire has been crucified
And there burns no passion for this material world
Nothing you can see has real value
I don't want to live anymore on a human plane

Do not stand in the way
Of my coming to life
Let me imitate the passion of my God
I would rather die and get to Jesus Christ

If I suffer I shall be
Emancipated by Jesus Christ
And united to him
I shall rise to freedom

Freedom