Someone said ; ” Man cannot live on bread alone”

I contend that He also cannot live without poetry in his life. I don’t necessarily mean the  rhyming kind with some of their contrivances that are often hard to decipher. I admit those take a special taste, and not a little patience on the part of both the writer and reader.

What I do mean is the poetry we hear every day in the form of music sung or played. A combinations of words and tones that have been thoroughly sifted and measured because they required writing down; then are rewritten in a very considered way. They are not borrowed like greetings in a Hallmark Card ( sorry), but if we cared enough to send the very best, we would preferably allow the Spirit in us to compose it as a uniquely personal message from our hearts.

The following is such an effort. Four of us composed this via E-mail. One would begin with a stanza, then another would follow…. then another. Please consider a like effort yourself. Aside from being so very rewarding collectively, it was sure to honor God in a way that He intends. More especially when two or more come together He is so much further blessed. It begins:

Praise Be To God

Who made the universe, yet is small enough to reside in our hearts

Our God who created the ponderous bulk of the Ocean whole, but also the delicacy of the hummingbird wing

Who breathed life into me, though I cannot see Him, yet I draw breath, hearing His voice which rings bright before all earthly clamor

Your call is inescapable. It brings me to my knees in Joy, Hope, and Love

Praise be to Christ who tenderly holds all that the Father has given Him

Facing the terror of death’s unbroken stone, Crimson flow, humanities bath

He opened the matrix of life with thunderous love. Your Spirit sings a blessing into my parched and eager heart

My life has sprung anew as fresh seeded grass, ’til now knew nothing but mornings dew. Your love is forever painted upon my soul

Praise God for renewal and protection, for faith and courage; for cleansing

Holding fast to every promise made, my hands have learned to reach for all things that speak of love and beauty

As I inhale your wondrous gifts before my eyes, my voice exhales with longing to see your face

Your grace is beyond imagination. Your word is precious to me

Oh that I may be one with you!

Praise be to God whose Word is Life, Truth, and Wisdom

Whose Holy Spirit is Love, Goodness and Mercy.

Amen

To the liturgical point; many of us have not credited a huge portion of God’s Word as poetic.  There are in fact five books there that have been called poetical; Job, the Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiates, and the Song of Solomon. They are also noted as “The Wisdom Books. They contain the spiritual thought of the golden age of Hebrew history. These were not done for our entertainment or amusement as in the case of many works today which are worthy in their own right, but they were to declare the providence of God and His moral plan for us. The book of Psalms is so adapted to devotional themes that it is known as the “National Hymn Book of Israel”, written in Hebrew, and set to 150 musical renditions.

Proverbs may well be considered one of the best guide books for “success” ever printed. The book of Ecclesiastes is a record of mans life “under the sun”. It exposes the delusion that the pursuit of happiness is our first goal. It states the fundamental truth that happiness is only to be found in fearing God and keeping His commandments.

We are called to “Sing a new Song” Let it be of our own invention.