I
have been enjoying the beauty of the changing seasons, the gorgeous fall colors,
and crisp air. The beauty of nature is captivating and beckons us to look to
our Creator in awe. “The
heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.”
Psalm 19:1
On
a long drive, while enjoying my Creator’s handiwork, a poem draft formed in my
thoughts. Writing has been a struggle for me lately and I am so thankful for
this answer to prayer.
Before
I share my poem, I would like to share a poem from the Bible. In Psalm 148 God calls
all of his handiwork to praise him.
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights!
Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his hosts!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights!
Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his hosts!
Praise
him, sun and moon,
praise him, all you shining stars!
Praise him, you highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens!
praise him, all you shining stars!
Praise him, you highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens!
Let them praise the name of the Lord!
For he commanded and they were created.
And he established them forever and ever;
he gave a decree, and it shall not pass away.
For he commanded and they were created.
And he established them forever and ever;
he gave a decree, and it shall not pass away.
Praise
the Lord from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all deeps,
fire and hail, snow and mist,
stormy wind fulfilling his word!
you great sea creatures and all deeps,
fire and hail, snow and mist,
stormy wind fulfilling his word!
Mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars!
Beasts and all livestock,
creeping things and flying birds!
fruit trees and all cedars!
Beasts and all livestock,
creeping things and flying birds!
Kings of
the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth!
Young men and maidens together,
old men and children!
princes and all rulers of the earth!
Young men and maidens together,
old men and children!
Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his majesty is above earth and heaven.
He has raised up a horn for his people,
praise for all his saints,
for the people of Israel who are near to him.
Praise the Lord!
for his name alone is exalted;
his majesty is above earth and heaven.
He has raised up a horn for his people,
praise for all his saints,
for the people of Israel who are near to him.
Praise the Lord!
In
his commentary of Psalm 148:3, John Calvin writes:
Praise him, ye sun
and moon. This passage gives no countenance to the dream of Plato, that the
stars excel in sense and intelligence. Nor does the Psalmist give them the same
place as he had just assigned to angels, but merely intimates that the glory of
God is everywhere to be seen, as if they sang his praises with an audible
voice. And here he tacitly reproves the ingratitude of man; for all would hear
this symphony, were they at all attent upon considering the works of God.
It is true, our ears
are often dull to the symphony of praise Calvin refers to. Yet what a blessing
it is to hear the symphony, even if is muffled and weak in our ears. It is by
God’s grace, that our hearts and voices join the symphony of praise. May God
improve our hearing and strengthen us to comprehend the breadth and length and height and depth
of God’s ineffable love for us in Christ (Ephesians 3:18-19.)
In
closing, I would like to share my poem and some Scripture for reflection.
One
line of the poem is borrowed from
Horatio Spafford, a brother
in Christ who wrote the hymn “It Is Well With My Soul.” His work is public
domain, (not copyrighted,) and I couldn’t say it any better than he did.
Colorful
embers of light dance
As
she makes her grand entrance
Once
again
Breaking
the midnight sky
She
humbly shines
Pointing
to redemption’s story
Commanded
by the Light
Magnificent
thunder
Shouts
Holy, Holy, Holy
All
creation sings
Of
his wondrous glory
The
rainbow smiles
Delicate
watercolors grace the sky
It
is well with my soul
Intricate
icy flakes
Carpet
the frozen ground
Gleaming
in the light
They
sparkle pure and white
Yet
whiter still am I
My
crimson stains are washed away
Washed
by the blood of the lamb
Praise
God above
The
Maker of all things
His
own dear Son he spared not
For
sinful flesh
Righteousness
drank fiery wrath
He
rose again
In
Christ is life. Amen.
Come now, let us reason toge
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Psalm 51:7
He who did not spare
his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him
graciously give us all things? Romans 8:32
