Plead Her Cause

The hallway closet holds the shoes she outgrew last July I watch the childhood soften in the corners of her eyes She’s stepping toward a threshold where my hands can't reach to hold Into a winter sharper than the ones we used to know Oh, Father, plead her cause when the currents start to pull Stand between the shadow and this fragile, growing soul Take up the shield and buckler where my wooden armor breaks And fight the silent battles in the steps she has to take She’s learning how to quiet down the laughter in her chest To navigate the heavy winds that put her grace to test I cannot build a fortress high enough to block the cold Or shield her from the heavy truths she's waiting to unfold Oh, Father, plead her cause when the currents start to pull Stand between the shadow and this fragile, growing soul Take up the shield and buckler where my wooden armor breaks And fight the silent battles in the steps she has to take When the whispers gather in the corners of the room And the doubts she carries start to crowd out how she blooms Be the advocate who rises when she cannot find her tongue A canopy of mercy for the daughter of my youth So I surrender custody of every midnight fear And place her in the hollow of the hands that held her here She is Yours before she’s mine, though my heart is aching slow As I watch her take the open road and let the safety go Oh, Father, plead her cause when the currents start to pull Stand between the shadow and this fragile, growing soul Take up the shield and buckler where my wooden armor breaks And fight the silent battles in the steps she has to take Plead her cause... Take up the shield, Lord Stand up for her help My little girl In the palm of Your hand