Loved By The One Who Suffered

This week, I would like to share three poems. The first one is about suffering. I write about suffering a lot. Why? Because it is a theme that touches my life, from which springs forth poetry. 

Suffering touches the lives of all God's children. In the age of the prosperity gospel we are taught that sufferings indicate God’s disfavor. This is not a new doctrine. Such was the doctrine of Job’s friends. Such is the doctrine of my flesh. I wrote more extensively on this in a previous post, Suffering Part 1.

The best writings are inspired by God himself and through the Holy Spirit, bring much comfort to God’s people. The One who suffered more than we can imagine, brings us much comfort through His Holy Word.

Jesus suffered for us. Isaiah calls him a man of sorrows. His whole life on earth was marked by suffering and sorrow. For my sake. For your sake. He was on earth thirty three years until he went to the cross. Since Adam’s fall, the earth has been marked by God’s curse. Holy Jesus came to live here in our cursed world. He never dirtied his hands with sin, but bore the stain of ours. He came to die a sinner’s death. For thirty three years he suffered, leading up to his humiliating, brutal death on the cross (Philippians 2:8, Hebrews 12:2.) By his unspeakable agony, he has given me his unspeakable joy. My heart has only begun to know the depths of his glory.

 The Heidelberg Catechism question below is a good, concise explanation of Christ’s sufferings.

Q&A 37
Q. What do you understand by the word "suffered"?
A. That during his whole life on earth, but especially at the end, Christ sustained in body and soul the wrath of God against the sin of the whole human race.¹

This he did in order that, by his suffering as the only atoning sacrifice,² he might deliver us, body and soul, from eternal condemnation,³ and gain for us God's grace, righteousness, and eternal life.⁴

¹ Isa. 53; 1 Pet. 2:24; 3:18
² Rom. 3:25; Heb. 10:14; 1 John 2:2; 4:10
³ Rom. 8:1-4; Gal. 3:13
⁴ John 3:16; Rom. 3:24-26

I recently attended a class on Romans 8, one of my favorite passages. The class was very encouraging and taught of God’s salvation, a believer’s unity to Christ, and spoke quite a bit about believers’ sufferings. As the Lord taught me through this study, personal devotions, and sermons, a passage that stood out to me was John 15:5: “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”  The following poem is a reflection on these things.

Raindrops fall and darkness surrounds

Your faces shines through the clouds

A reed, bruised and beaten by the wind-

The sweet balm of love soothes my soul

I’m stilled in your calm. I remember.

You first loved me. You died my death upon the tree

O beloved, man of sorrows, you drank God’s wrath

What depths of love! What agony you suffered!

As the Vine, so the branch must suffer

You bore the pangs of death and hell

I, a momentary light affliction

On eagle’s wings, I’m carried through the storm

Father as clay, I’m formed to the image of your Son

I cling to you- grasped in the bonds of love

The midnight of sorrow will break forth to dawn

Where I’ll ever your glory behold

Some of the Scripture referenced in this poem includes:

You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Exodus 19:4

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. Romans 8:17

For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 2 Corinthians 4:17

The next poem also is a reflection on Romans 8. During the study, verses 37-39, really stood out to me.

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Sometimes I fear getting lost on the pilgramage home. I fear the temptations I face and the sin in my life. God reminded me that nothing in life can separate me from him. I know He will faithfully Shepherd me through; my redemption is sealed. Jesus guards our souls and will never let any of his sheep be cut asunder from him. It is by grace we are saved (Ephesians 2:8-9.)

Sin grips my soul

But it does not hold me

The chains of death are broken

I stand a conqueror in Christ
I hide and imagine harshness

Love softly whispers, “In me abide”

The finger of darkness harshly accuses

Shall the branch be cut from the Vine?

The Spirit reminds- I am his; He cannot lie

My dress is Christ’s righteousness

One day I’ll sin no more

Death cannot separate me from him

But can life? Can I fall away?

Never. It is written.

I am bought with a price

He is the Shepherd of my soul

I would like to close with a poem that speaks of God’s faithfulness to his church and the hope we have in Christ.

The church endures from age to age

A beautiful garden of grace

Spring bursts forth babes

With lives of endless days

Seasons change and flowers fade

Graced with much beauty

Like the Vine, they are holy

In his perfect time

Frail but strong, they fly away

Flowers at rest in his glory

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. Jude 1:24-25