The warmth of the sun
Permeates my flesh.
I bask in the true beauty
Of your created world
On this glorious summer morning,
And wonder at the depths
To which your majesty goes.
A gentle breeze caresses the boughs
And whispers your promises.
Even the birds praise you,
Joyous in their song,
Crying out in their worship.
I am overawed, Father.
I am humbled by your glory.
The detail in every living thing,
Michaelangelo’s craftwork
Exhibited in the frailest of leaves,
The most delicate of petals.
In front of where I sit, I see an ant. He scurries about on the paving slab, aimless, apparently searching for something important, but not finding it on the barren stone. Between the slabs, there are deep, moist cracks. They are dark places, but every so often he disappears into one, then rises again to restart his fruitless search. Yet, there is not just darkness in the crevices- small, green shoots emerge- a promise of new life in unexpected places.
Here I am Lord
Sharing the quiet moments
Of a troubled night
With you.
My body aching,
Tossing, turning,
Relentlessly seeking the peace
Of slumber,
My mind pouring
Over the day before
When bereft of serenity
I bemoaned my weary state.
Here I am Lord
Sharing the quiet moments
Of a restless night
With you.
Adrift upon an ocean
That rises and falls
With each anxious thought.
Beneath the surface
Of white crested waves,
The whirlpools of anxiety churn and roar
The following story from the book, ‘Miracle on the River Kwai, is an example of God at work, and reminds us of how Christ reached out to His enemies, even at Calvary. It reveals how people can forgive and even love their enemies. At the time of writing, the author (Ernest Gordon), was a prisoner who, along with many others, had suffered greatly at the hands of the Japanese.