Poetry

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© Bob Barra, 3-2-06

A few days ago, I was so bold,
Declaring devotion unto death;
Now I sit at the fire, yet cold,
I can barely catch my own breath;

Then I am asked a question from Him,
“Do you love Me more than these?;”
It is a question revealing my sin,
As if on wounds, comes a cold breeze;

In the natural, I spoke so brash;
I sought to herald a true feeling;
Now the best of me is all but ash;
Unworthy, before Him, I am kneeling;
All I had was emotional love;
Shallow it was; quickly revealed;
What I needed comes from above;
Unless with action, this is concealed;

True love never simply declares itself;
It is seen in the things we do;
Emotional love is from prideful self;
And will be seen as far from true;

What I confessed fell far short of truth,
For I denied my Christ and Master;
My denial of Him was the proof;
Yet now He seeks what He is after;

Thus my pain reveals to me,
The blight that has my soul’s hold;
And His question’s to set me free;
Releasing me from my heart’s cold;

From His words, I start to squirm,
The pain of truth is so intense;
I desire the home of a worm,
Where I can hide; I have no defense;

His question heightens my sensitivity;
It is a pain most exquisite,
For it seeks to set me rightly free,
Down to my uttermost spirit;
His word indeed, is living and powerful,
Piercing, dividing both bone and soul;
What He works in with truth is awe-full,
Removing deception to make me whole;

“Lord, You know that I feel for You,”
To my regret, it comes so easy;
I said again, as if on cue;
Before my brothers, I feel so queasy.



Author's Note: Inspired by the devotion for today from "My Utmost for His Highest", for March 1st ( http://www.rbc.org/utmost/ ),using the account in John 21, where Jesus is restoring Peter. It must have been a difficult, albeit necessary, time for him.


Applicable verses:
“…do you love Me?”—John 27:17


“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”—Heb. 4:12

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