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A poem based on Psalm 147

How so we do this? This is a question we’ve all asked and probably spent a good portion of our lives thinking about. It’s a nagging feeling we know far too well if we’re honest with ourselves. Discontent, unimportance, meaninglessness, boredom, disenchantment, isolation, frustration, despair – there must be more to life than this.

I woke up a little earlier than usual this morning to spend a little extra time in prayer and journaling. You can read along in my silent conversation with my Father – my ugliness and all. I’m facing some enemies. I’m not talking about a metaphor, but real people who, for reasons that are beyond me, want a fight. I am not sure what they even want, but I can see the organizing and maneuvering, and I know what is coming. I don’t really want the fight. I don’t want the inevitable destruction. I want to love them. But . . . I’ll do what I must.

I’ve had an image bouncing around in my mind the last few weeks that has been helpful and fills me with joy when I think about it. I’m going to share it but let me first say that while the image is drawn from Biblical concepts, it is not an image or metaphor that is itself found in the Bible.

In John 6, the teachings of Jesus are nothing short of a conundrum. The Bible is full of these weird miraculous events and teachings…the virgin birth, the triune God, the resurrection of Jesus, the bread and wine. Things we believe in faith. Things we can talk about and attempt to explain in a sense, but if we’re really honest, things like these are surrounded with a great cloud of mystery.