Your Baby Bird

By Joey Tripoli

Stand where I’ve placed you.

You stand your ground.

For all you have lost

Is soon to be found.

I gave you a promise,

I gave you My Word,

And I have in My hand,

Your baby bird.

Your Baby Bird. We’ve all got one. I’ve got mine and you’ve got yours. It’s that most precious prayer in your heart. The one that keeps you up at night and gets you out of bed each morning. It’s everything to you…your whole world, your baby bird.

And you need to know, God’s got it. It’s in His hands. Trust Him. Stand firm in your faith—because it’s your faith that’ll give this precious prayer its wings. “According to your faith be it unto you” (Matthew 9:29 KJV).

Your Baby Bird is a collection of poetry, prayers, and Biblically inspired reflections to encourage you in your dance of faith.

“I’m living my dance and writing it down. I’m putting it on paper. My dance is my story, and He’s given me a good one. Even when I don’t understand it or like it…even when I don’t want to do it anymore, it’s still good…’cause it’s from Him. And someday, it’ll be beautiful.”

—Paperback Ballerina LLC

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 17, 2023
• ISBN: 9781685264277

Book preview

Table of Contents

Title

Copyright

Mustard Seeds

Stand

Baby Bird

Take Your Position

On My Heart

Swingin' Doors

Favorite Pair of Jeans

Ballare

…5, 6, 7, 8!

Prima Example

Pink Skies

More Than Worth It

When Eternity's on the Line

Let Your Fire Fall

Think Smaller

Ouch!

Straight Outta Love

No Ifs, Ands, or Buts

When You Know He Loves You

The Lake

Big Man on Campus

For Cryin' Out Loud!

Erase the Board

From One Father to Another

Seeds Grow

Pray for Rain

Coffee, Anyone?

La Révérence

About the Author

cover.jpg

Your Baby Bird

Joey Tripoli

ISBN 978-1-68526-426-0 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-68526-427-7 (Digital)

Copyright © 2022 Joey Tripoli

All rights reserved

First Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Covenant Books

11661 Hwy 707

Murrells Inlet, SC 29576

www.covenantbooks.com

My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me with your word.

—Psalm 119:28 NIV

Mustard Seeds

As a child, the only vacations we ever took were to Missouri to visit my dad's best friend, Leo. My dad, a self-employed tile-guy, was pretty much tied to his work all the time. If times were good, he was too busy working to go anywhere. If times were bad, that meant no work. No work meant no money. No money meant no vacations. But if we headed to Missouri to visit Leo, who happened to be a tile-guy, himself, then the two of them could still work. And so we would make a little vacation out of it. My mom, sister, and I would enjoy the time visiting with friends, some extra sunshine, and of course, a little shopping.

I remember getting to visit the St. Louis Gateway Arch and the Ozark Mountains—such a beautiful part of our country! On one of those vacations, we traveled to Oklahoma to visit Oral Roberts University. I was too young to really understand where we were or appreciate what was so special about it; I couldn't have been more than five or six years old, but at the end of our day, we got to go to the gift shop! That I understood and appreciated.

My mom said we could each pick out a souvenir. I was so excited; I've always been a shopper (it's in my genes). My sister and I looked around the gift shop, and it didn't take long till we both found ourselves in the jewelry section. We managed to find some inexpensive charm necklaces. She found one that dangled a little glass pendant holding a single mustard seed, and my mom explained to us how Jesus said that if you have faith, even as big as a mustard seed (which is pretty tiny), then you could move mountains! She said all it took was the faith of a single mustard seed.

Sold! I wanted a mustard seed! Actually… I wanted lots of them!

And I found just what I wanted—a necklace even better than my sister's. This one had a pendant that held a bunch of mustard seeds! I figured that meant I'd get a bunch of faith!

And that's what I wanted more than anything. A bunch of faith. Oh, I had no idea what I was asking for—or how much it would cost.

Stand

When you want to fall

Flat on your face

'Cause the whole world's laughing…

At your disgrace.

When you stagger beneath

The weight of your tears

'Cause this journey's been lasting…

Lastin' for years…

When you barely can hold

Up even your head,

And although you're

Still breathin'

You'd swear that you're dead.

When it feels like your purpose,

Your reason to live,

Has left you

Like a pauper,

With no penny to give…

And you just wanna fall,

Fall to your knees,

You cry out,

"God, if you hear me,

If you hear me…

Please…"

You feel your knees buckle,

Go down in despair,

But you're caught by one word,

Right then and right there.

Yes, with one word He answers,

And you understand.

He speaks to your heart,

And He says,

Stand.

"Stand where I've placed you.

You stand your ground.

For all you have lost

Is soon to be found.

I gave you a promise,

I gave you My Word,

And I have in My hand,

Your baby bird.

Never will I forsake you

Or anything I said.

If I said it,

I meant it,

And I'll put it to bed.

Now, you stand right there,

And don't you move.

Your answer's comin'

And is yours to prove.

I've already decided,

I've already spoken.

And not a word from My lips

Shall ever be broken.

Stand where you are.

You just stand there and wait.

'Cause I promise you,

Darling,

I've already set

The date.

No…

Do not grow weary.

You just stand there—

And wait."

That's it. That's really all you need to know—God's got it. It's in His hands. You wait. Stand strong. In fact, if you don't want to read any further, you really don't have to. Just promise me you'll remember that one word: Stand.

Yeah, I could wrap it up, right here. But instead, I'll begin…

Because from right here, anything is possible! Right here is where you take hold of God's promises—and stand your ground. Right here, you take Him at His Word—and believe. Right here, your faith grows like never before. Right here, new realms of possibility open up, and impossibilities fall to the ground. Right here. Stand.

That's it, that's all you gotta do. Now, I'm not saying it's easy—but it is simple. I mean, it's not complicated, not your part anyway. Sure, God's got a lot of details to work out, but not you. And so when He tells you to stand, do it. Because when He says, Stand, He's on the move! You just stay right where you are and behold the glory of the Lord!

It's ironic, isn't it? That sometimes, we get the furthest by just being still. This is faith. It's holding on. It's being stubborn—not in your own ways, but in God's. And He can change everything!

When you stand in faith and wait on God, you can expect the unexpected. The impossible. Miracles. Be still before the Lord, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling (Zechariah 2:13 NIV). God's about to do something Big!

So I'll start right here. Seems like a good place to me. After all, there's no better place to be than standing in faith. And that's exactly where I am. I'm right here with you, standing. I'm not gonna sit down, back down, or lie down. I'm standing in faith, and I'm not budging!

I'm believing for the impossible. In fact, God spoke that poem to me one morning while I was crying out to Him for what the world would call impossible. I was feeling so tired beneath the weight of it all, like I was about to collapse. So I started to go down on my knees, in prayer, when He stopped me right there and said, Stand.

Let me back up. Earlier that morning, I had been reading my Bible and praying, having my coffee time with Jesus. And afterwards, I was walking around the house, still praying and claiming God's Word aloud over the situation on my heart. There was no one else home, so I had the freedom to pray and cry and just stretch my arms up to God in worship. Desperate worship. So desperate that I felt my body buckle, and I thought, I should be on my knees for this. After all, I was begging God and seeking his mercy like never before. But just as I started to go down on the floor, I heard His voice from within my heart, Stand.

It was a strong word, clear as anything. He didn't want me to bow down in this moment. He knows I'm broken. He knows I'm exhausted and how humbly I am pleading for His intervention—His mercy. He knows how desperate I am. And yet, He told me to stand.

Why? I knew in an instant. I've done all I can, and now it's time to stand, and after you have done everything, to stand (Ephesians 6:13 NIV). Stand on His promises. Stand on His Word. Just stand there and wait.

No, waiting isn't easy. It's just about the hardest thing I can think of, and yet, it's the very thing God's Word tells us to do. Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord (Psalm 27:14 KJV). It's what we need to do if we want to be filled with His strength.

Actually, earlier, while I was reading my Bible, the Lord had directed me to Isaiah 40 (one of my favorite chapters) and told me to read it again. So I did. And He illuminated the following scripture to me. Here it is, the perfect preface to the poem He knew He was about to give me.

Have you not known? Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God,

the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He does not faint or grow weary;

his understanding is unsearchable.

He gives power to the faint,

and to him who has no might he increases strength.

Even youths shall faint and be weary,

and young men shall fall exhausted;

but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;

they shall mount up with wings like eagles;

they shall run and not be weary;

they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:28–31 ESV)

God promises to renew our strength if we will first wait: they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength. And He says we shall mount up with wings like eagles. We shall run and not be weary. We shall walk and not faint. But what's the prerequisite to all those promises?

Waiting.

And before you can walk and not faint, before you can run and not be weary, before you can mount up with wings like eagles, you must stand. No child learns to walk, run, or do anything else on his own two feet until he learns to stand.

Learn to stand. Learn to wait. Wait on the Lord. I like how the New American Standard Bible puts it: Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength (Isaiah 40:31). And that's exactly what happened: God directed me toward this scripture that promises new strength and then, moments later, provided it. He strengthened me with His Word (Psalm 119:28) and gave me the encouragement I so desperately needed. He told me to stand and gave me the strength to do so.

Then he touched me and raised me to my feet. (Daniel 8:18 NIV)

I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. (Psalm 130:5 KJV)

Now shalt thou see what I will do. (Exodus 6:1 KJV)

Moses answered the people, Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still. (Exodus 14:13–14 NIV)

My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose… I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it. (Isaiah 46:10–11 ESV)

I bring near my righteousness; it is not far off, and my salvation will not delay. (Isaiah 46:13 ESV)

God gives us many promises to stand on, in His Word and in His whispers. Let Him touch your heart today and raise you to your feet. Let Him strengthen and encourage you like only He can. And then hold onto His every word—and wait—because if He said it, He meant it.

Not a word from My lips shall ever be broken. Oh, I know my miracle's coming! And until then, I know He's got my baby bird in the palm of His hand.

No one can deliver out of my hand. When I act, who can reverse it? (Isaiah 43:13 NIV)

Baby Bird

Baby Bird. We've all got one.

It's that most precious prayer in your heart. The one that means the world to you. The one that keeps you up at night. You know its worth—its value. It's everything to you. Your baby bird.

When God told me, And I have in My hand, your baby bird, I knew what He meant. He was talking about that prayer. The prayer of my heart. The longing of my soul. It's what matters most to me; it's that for which I'd give all that I have and never stop giving. Yeah, I'd live and die for my baby bird… Indeed I do, every day.

But my baby bird is different from yours. What is the prayer of your heart? Who is that person, situation, or thing you so desperately need to know is in God's hands? What do you need to trust Him for today just to make it to tomorrow? What drops you to your knees? What fills and breaks your heart at the same time? What do you live and die for every day?

I know there's something—we've all got something. And I know this poem, although given to me, isn't mine alone. It's yours too. It's all