All That's Left to Say

All That's Left to Say

Stephen M. Larson

Sometimes words of praise are the hardest words to find;

They disappear before they can be spoken.

And all my good intentions to glorify my God

Come to nothing, and the silence is unbroken.

I ache to speak my joy in words of elegance and beauty,

That my gift might be worthy of my King,

But my lips begin to stammer with my clumsy, vain attempts,

And I find at last I can't say anything.

And all that's left to say is, "I praise You, Lord",

And all that's left to say is, "I love You",

So I bring my simple words to You and lay them on Your altar

With a prayer that You'll accept them, though they're few.

And You take my humble gift and You make it shine,

And You take my captive tongue and set it free,

And You say, "My child, the fragrance of your words is more than incense,

Just because you have given them to Me!"

Sometimes words of praise are the hardest words to speak

When love lies cold and life seems without beauty;

When hands are chained to earthly cares and can't be lifted up,

And the joy of worship has become a duty.

I want to turn away and hide the stain of sin and failure,

My tongue seems made of stone and I can't pray,

My soul is full of bitterness; my heart is full of anger,

But You tell me I should worship anyway!

Yet all You ask of me is, "I praise You, Lord",

And all You ask of me is, "I love You",

So even though these simple words lie heavy in my stomach,

I bring them to Your altar as Your due.

And You gather up this gift of my reluctance,

And You cradle it and treat it tenderly,

And you say, "My child, your sacrifice means more than you imagine

Just because you have given it to Me!"

And You take my humble gift and You make it shine,

And You take my captive tongue and set it free,

And You say, "My child, the fragrance of Your words is more than incense,"

Just because You have given them to Me!"