Poetry

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It amazes me:

that You know each one of us individually,
though there are so many of us,
(Your creation)
rather than looking down at us like a bunch of ants,

that You so easily forget, and yet,
You have the key to all knowledge,
tossing every sin we repent of into the sea of forgetfulness,
never to remember them again,

that You practice hard love,
only to return double portions of Your Spirit to the same ones
who’ve had to feel the strength of Your hand,
raising up the lowly of heart,

that You love even those who deny You
enough to keep scales over their eyes,
knowing that, could they see what they are dealing with,
it would horrify them to instant death,

that You tore the veil,
welcoming both the saint and the sinner to come behind,
doing so with all wisdom,
knowing we’d be changed in Your presence,

that You loved us so much so
that You would give us Your Only Begotten,
turning Your eyes away to withstand the pain of His cry;
"Father, why hast thou forsaken me?"

that You never tire of hearing me,
whether I cry or praise,
whether I rejoice or complain,
and that You manifest Yourself in my worship.

A lot of things about You amaze me.
You amaze me... not just by the things You do,
but, Lord, You amaze me even more
by who You are.

You’ve shown me so many ways that You love me.
Teach me to love the way You love.
I know I was made in Your image,
but I’m sure a long way from being just like You,

And for that, I truly am amazed --

that I am so, so far from home,
with so long a row to hoe,
and You just keep pouring Your love out on me anyway,
giving me the strength to continue

while You keep breaking this fallow ground.

Note from author:
While studying the Bible one day, I was suddenly curious about the word "fallow." Seems we always had a garden when I was growing up... and I've had a few since I've been grown. But I couldn't remember my parents ever using the term "fallow ground." So, of course, I looked up the word.

Fallow ground is soil that has already been broken. However, if you plant seeds in that soil, you must go back after the seeds begin to sprout and break up the clumps so that the seedlings can make their way through.

Seems I remember going out days after planting only to find seedlings trapped beneath the clumps left after breaking the soil. I'd take those clumps in my hand and break them into tiny pieces so that they'd be soft around the seedlings.

If any of those seedlings got caught under those clumps and the soil wasn't soon broken up for them, they'd wind up dying.

And that's how it is with God: No matter how broken we are, there is always a little fallow ground that He must attend to in our lives so that we can grow healthily in Him.

Jeremiah 4:3 For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.

Hosea 10:12 Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for [it is] time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.

© Joyce Pool

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