About Mark Waldrop

I hope you enjoy reading these poems as much as I enjoyed writing them. Thank you for visiting the site. Poems that send darts🎯to touch our hearts❤️

December 4

Daily Devotional: Our Father Knows Best
By Mark Waldrop

Verse of the Day
Matthew 6:18
"so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

Reflection
In our spiritual journey, the acts of devotion and worship we perform in private hold a special significance. This verse from Matthew highlights the importance of sincerity and humility in our relationshiwith God. When we engage in practices like fasting, praying, or giving, it is not for the recognition or praise of others but to deepen our connection with our Heavenly Father, who sees and values our heart's true intentions.

Devotional Thought
True devotion is characterized by actions done in secrecy, known only to God. Our Father, who sees everything, including the hidden corners of our hearts, values these private acts of faith. When we fast or pray in secret, we are expressing our dependence on Him and our desire to draw closer to Him without seeking the approval of others. This genuine devotion is what God rewards, for He knows and appreciates our sincere efforts.

Prayer
Dear Lord,
Grant us the grace to seek You in the quiet moments, away from the eyes of the world. Help us to practice our faith with sincerity and humility, knowing that You see our hearts and our secret devotions. May our actions be a true reflection of our love and reverence for You. Reward us with Your presence and blessings as we seek to honor You in all that we do.
Amen.

Application
Today, find a moment to engage in a private act of devotion, such as prayer, fasting, or giving. Do it with a heart fully focused on God, without seeking recognition from others. Trust that your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you in ways that are far beyond human praise.

Thought for the Day
Our Father knows best and values the sincerity of our hearts. When we practice our faith in secret, we honor God and open ourselves to His divine rewards. Let our acts of devotion be for His eyes alone, reflecting our true love and commitment to Him.

When the Page Spoke

  When the Page Spoke

I was reading my Bible
just another quiet day,
turning thin and holy pages
in a simple, steady way.

But then a verse caught hold of me,
soft as breath, yet strong as flame,
and something deep within my heart
would never read the same.

It wasn’t thunder, wasn’t lightning,
no trembling earth beneath my feet
just truth written long ago
whispering, “Stop. Listen. Seek.”

The words were simple, but they pierced
right through excuses I’d made,
right through fear, right through pride,
right into the space where prayers are prayed.

And suddenly the world felt clearer
gentler, slower, realigned.
I saw grace where I saw failure,
saw His mercy redefine.

I closed the Book, but not the lesson
His voice lingered in my soul,
reminding me that one verse, one moment
can shift everything
and make a broken heart feel whole.

So now I turn the pages differently
not rushing, but ready to see
the next quiet miracle waiting
where God’s Word
meets
me.

Psa 119:105  Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

For God’s Honor and Glory

MarkWaldrop

The Voyage of Life

The Voyage of Life

This Voyage of Life has storms and gales,
yet God guides my ship and never fails.
He charts the course through darkest night,
and keeps my bow toward morning light.

My anchor is faith, my compass His Word,
His Spirit the whisper of hope that’s heard.
His breath is the wind that fills up my sails,
and His strength alone stills violent gales.

When storm clouds break and waters calm,
I rest in His harbor, safe and warm.
There He restores what trials have worn,
and repairs my vessel where it’s torn.

With patched-up timbers and sails brand new,
I stand prepared for what He’ll ask me to do.
For every voyage has purpose and call
to trust His hand and surrender all.

So onward I sail with courage today
His love my map, His truth my way.
For with Christ as Captain in peace or strife,
I will weather the seas of this beautiful life.

God is My Captain

MarkWaldrop

 Passing The Word

       Passing The Word

Grandpa passing the Word.
Nothing better I must say.
Something that will outlast the day

Grandpa full of wisdom
Grandson soaking it in

Something to be remembered
Through eternity my friend
The grandson will pass it on
The Word will never end.

Psa 145:4  One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.

For God’s Honor and Glory

MarkWaldrop

A Silent Key

            A Silent Key

A Silent Key is only silent
here upon this earthly land
for though the mic grows quiet now,
their call is still in God’s own hand.

When they cross that Great Divide,
no signal ever fades away;
the clicking carries onward still,
in skies that never end their day.

Their voice is in the whispering wind,
their laughter in the summer rain
their call sign lives in memory’s log,
engraved in love, not marked by pain.

So though we say SK today,
we do not say goodbye
for every faithful operator
still calls out in the by and by.

A Silent Key is only silent
in the time our eyes can see;
but in the realms beyond our reach,
their signal sings eternally.

73’s My Friend

MarkWaldrop KE4WA

UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS                 

                     250 YEARS

UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS                 
250 YEARS

Two hundred fifty years have passed
and still the Eagle stands,
its talons wrapped in courage,
its gaze set on distant lands.

From Tun Tavern’s blazing birthplace
to the halls where legends soar,
from Belleau Wood to Fallujah’s streets
Marines remain forever more.

They rise where others falter,
they advance where others break;
when the world cries out for courage,
it is the Marines who undertake.

They’ve carried freedom on their shoulders,
through fire, storm, and sand
with discipline that does not waver,
and honor carved by hand.

They have guarded every ocean,
they have crossed each foreign shore;
where the flag has needed defenders,
the Corps has answered—and more.

The drumbeat still is thunder,
the cadence never fades;
the lineage of warriors echoes
in every Marine Brigade.

No fragility of daylight,
no darkness thick or deep,
can break the vow they swore to keep
nor silence what they speak:

“In every clime and place
we stand.
With steadfast heart
we fight.
For God, for Corps, for Country
we carry freedom’s light.”

So raise the colors high today,
let them snap against the sky;
for the blood that built this legacy
did not fear to bleed or die.

United States Marines
past, present, and still to be
your oath has shaped a nation,
your courage keeps it free.

Semper Fidelis.
Now and forever
the watch is yours to keep.

Mark C. Waldrop

YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE

YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE
by Mark C. Waldrop

A little girl sat quietly
Beside her fading friend
A tiny heartbeat slowing now,
A journey near its end.

She stroked his fur so softly,
As tears began to fall…
For he had been her sunshine
Since she was very small.

She whispered words of comfort,
Her voice a trembling song
The same one he had heard from her
When days were bright and long.

“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine…”
She sang with tender care,
Her tears became a lullaby
A love beyond compare.

He lifted up his weary eyes,
To look at her once more
A silent thank-you in his gaze
For all the years before.

The room grew still and quiet,
The moment soft and slow…
She held him as the light went out
She couldn’t let him go.

But love does not leave empty,
Love does not fade or stray
For sunshine never truly dies,
It simply finds its way.

And somewhere past the rainbow,
Where gentle spirits roam
A little cat is resting now
In fields that feel like home.

And every time she sings that song,
So soft it melts the air
He comes back as her sunshine
To warm her everywhere.

Love Never Dies
MarkWaldrop

Love Doesn’t Die — It Changes Shape

Love Doesn’t Die — It Changes Shape

Love doesn’t die, it just changes shape
from warm embrace to memory’s gate.
From spoken words to whispered prayer,
from holding hands to knowing they’re there.

It softens into morning light,
a quiet strength through darkest night.
It lingers sweet in songs once sung,
in stories told, in hearts still young.

It lives in laughter after tears,
in small reminders through the years.
Though time may pass and seasons break,
love doesn’t die—it just changes shape.

It moves from touch to something more,
a presence felt, a closeness sure.
And though we ache, and though we weep,
love roots itself in places deep.

So when you feel that tender ache,
when silence stretches long and great,
know this is love—still warm, still true
changing shape, but never leaving you.

1Co 13:8  Love never fails.

For God’s Honor and Glory
MarkWaldrop