110. HEARTFELT AND HEARTCRAFTED POETRY

(The Faith Forum Series – Batch 2)

I don’t know what it is but although I haven’t written poetry in over ten years or so, today, I’ve been feeling emotional and poetic and as a result, I have been writing one poem after another. These are as follows:

POEM 1

I wrote this poem this morning, after randomly reading about the children of Israel crossing over the waters of Jordan through God’s supernatural power. Tears began to flow and I reflected on his goodness in my life and on the fact that without him I am nothing.

• Every good thing I acquired in this life, it wasn’t me. HE did it.
• Every milestone that I arrived at, it wasn’t me. HE did it.
• Every battle that I won, it wasn’t me. HE did it.
• Every success that I achieved, it wasn’t me. HE did it.
• Every height that I attained, it wasn’t me. HE did it.
• Every thing beautiful that was created from the ashes of my life, it wasn’t me. HE did it.
• Every obstacle that I overcame, it wasn’t me. HE did it.
• Every breath that I continue to breath, it wasn’t me. HE did it.
• Every great thing you see come to pass in my life, it wasn’t me. HE did it.
• Every shout of victory after the storm, it wasn’t me. HE did it.
• Every blessing that I obtain, it is important that you remember, it wasn’t me. HE did it.

POEM 2

I wrote this today after speaking to a relative who didn’t understand and therefore did not sympathize with some of what I had gone through in 2015 to early 2016. This caused me to shed some tears, especially when I remembered the depth of the pain I had endured during that period. Then these words came:

• The person you’re birthing in me Lord
• Not everyone may understand
• At times I admit, even I am confused
• But yet you still have a plan.
• Your strength for my weakness
• Your beauty for my ashes
• Your forgiveness for my failures
• Your grace for my griefs
• Your songs for my sadness
• Your peace for my pain,
• Oh, what a beautiful exchange.
• And when you are done with this dear life
• She will never, ever, be the same.

POEM 3

I was thinking this afternoon about how I’ve been praising God on Facebook and in life in general for years and years and how people maybe, keep looking to see if God will reward me in some big way but they never seem to see it. It dawned on me that they may therefore think I’m foolish, to be praising a God that doesn’t seem to bless me, at least not in a big way where they can see it and they may think that I am stupid, for serving a God that doesn’t seem to work for me. Then the words for my next poem came:

• People probably thought NOAH was crazy
• Only preaching and preaching and preaching…
• about something called flood, when it had never rained
• But then… the rain began falling!
• People probably thought JOSEPH was silly
• Only dreaming and dreaming and dreaming…
• about sheaves bowing down to him, when he was nothing more than the second to last child of his daddy’s twelve sons
• But then… he became second in command in all of Egypt!
• People probably thought the ISRAELITES were daft
• Only marching and marching and marching…
• around the Jericho wall for seven days, when all human reasoning confirmed that the wall was impenetrable
• But then… that wall began crumbling!
• People probably think I’M foolish
• Only singing and singing and singing…
• about God’s praises and his goodness, when I’m still single, far from financially stable and still experiencing all sorts of crazy turbulence in my life
• Let people think what they want.
• I do it because… I KNOW what comes next!

(Written on 11th February, 2017)

ADDENDUM

There are three (3) additional poems I wrote that I would like to add here. One was written since 2015 or 2016 and the other two in 2019. All three were written while in a dark, deep valley, a horrible pit, at times in my life when storms were raging all around me and my life seemed surrounded by sterility, ridicule, hardship, abandonment, rejection, locked doors, attacks, dangers and trouble. In those periods which lasted for years, I cried plenty but clung to my faith in Jesus and refused to let go. Some of it was chastening, some of it was trials and testings, all calculated to make me spiritually mature and better. Despite the extent of my pain, I was determined, that when it was all over, by the grace of almighty God, I would be coming out with my faith intact and stronger. I would come out with a testimony and God alone would get the glory.

There are other poems somewhere but given that I’ve managed to put my hands on these, I’ve decided they should be added here:

POEM 4

• People wondered how I could be so calm in the midst of such a storm.
• Well, I saw the tempest coming…
• And I felt the waves crashing against me.
• I certainly felt it.
• But I knew that JESUS was in the vessel
• And not just that.
• I had never been much of a sailor to begin with…
• Even in moderate conditions.
• So for this one, I requested of him that he not just be there
• But that he take the wheel.
• I figured, since this was someone that already overcame,
• That went through the worst, yet stayed the course,
• That navigated through life and emerged victorious,
• That hit rock bottom but rose again…
• Then once He took the wheel, my troubles were over.
• The waves could pelt wherever they wanted
• The sea could rage however it felt
• The wind could blow as much as it liked
• And for as long as it liked
• And as loud as it liked.
• No matter how it looked or how long it took
• Or how much of a soaking I was being made to endure
• With my drenched weary self…
• I was making it to shore.

(Written in 2015 or 2016)

POEM 5

JESUS IS LORD

• I’ve been long dismissed
• And left for dead
• But Jesus has POWER and He is the head.
• Above all principality and power and might
• He reached out in mercy and raised me up from my plight.
• He said he is THE resurrection and he is THE life.
• He brought wonderful peace
• Where there was mayhem and strife.
• He gave me a future
• When others thought I had none,
• So that through my praise
• HIS NAME would renown.

(Written on 18th August, 2019)

POEM 6

WHAT IF?

• What if my story…
• Is to show how strength can be made perfect in weakness
• Or what if…
• This instrument is used to demonstrate
• That what seems like a hopeless end
• can really be an endless hope
• And what seems like a definite end
• can really be just the beginning?
• And what if…in my little story
• He brings down the proud looks,
• Defeats expectations
• Reasserts his rightful authority in the minds of the masses…
• Reminds them that He is Lord over all and Lord of all?
• What if?

(Written on 8th November, 2019)