Lenten Devotional, Day 29: Song/Lyric, Seeking Beauty in a Time of War
Dear Saints,
Wednesday's Verses are Psalm 146, Isiah 60:17–22, Matthew 9:27–34.
PSALM 146 MEDITATION (lyric)
Man prince you are bound by time—
Not is your salvation.
Dust to dust you shall return—
Void your aspirations.
Lord, I worship Thee and praise—
Now on a staff leaning!
And someday when straightened whole—
Still same 'll be my singing!
Bless-ed the one helped of God—
Who by Word created.
Called things not and lo they were—
Rested and elated.
Lord, I worship Thee and praise—
And will rest Thy Sabbath.
Choosing Mary's better part—
No time for Goliath.
Once an orphan and oppressed—
God now is my Father.
His Son, my Lord—yea my friend;
His Spirit—Holy Helper.
Lord, I worship Thee and praise—
God peerless yet three-fold.
Though adopted t'was by blood—
Thus in Two-Adam's mold.
You too pris'ner will set free;
Ye blind your eyes open.
Watches o'er the sojourner
And is Zion's fountain.
Lord, we worship Thee and praise—
With eyes and heart wide open.
Sound last trumpet, call us home—
Ne're again asunder.
There we'll worship and bow down—
Living! will live to Thee.
Too the louder we'll resound—
Elan vital esprit!
Notes:
• "Aspiration" is a double entendre or double meaning; that is to take "aspiration" in both of its senses: breath and dreams.
• Using "Two" in that way was inspired by a boy who calls his great grandpa: Two-Papa. Jesus is called the second Adam and I needed one syllable, so "Two-Adam."
• "Elan vital esprit" is French. A foreign-language line can be used in poetry as a sorta italics or emphasis. The rough translation is "eternal life more abundantly." I used it to play on "life more abundantly" (John 10:10). How much more in heaven as "eternal life more abundantly."
• Alludes in order: Psalm 90:10, 144:4; Psalm 103:14–16; Ecclesiastes 3:20; Genesis 3:19; Psalm 90:3; Job 34:15; Psalm 104:29; Psalm 37:35–36; Job 20:5; Proverbs 24:19–20; Psalm 73:3–19; Hebrews 11:21; Ecclesiastes 7:13; John 1:1–3; Matthew 8:8; 1 Peter 1:23; Romans 4:17, Genesis 2:2–3, Genesis 1:31, Hebrews 4:1, 11; Luke 10:39, 42; Psalm 27:10; John 14:18; Psalm 68:5; John 20:17; Matthew 6:9; John 20:28; John 15:15, John 14:26, Isaiah 45:5, 2 Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 1:5; 1 Corinthians 15:47–49; Isiah 61:1; Luke 4:18; Isiah 42:7; John 9:25; 1 Peter 2:11; Philippians 3:20; Psalm 87:7; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; 1 Corinthians 15:52–53; Matthew 24:31; 1 Thessalonians 4:17; John 14:3; Romans 14:8; 2 Corinthians 5:15; John 10:10.
SEEK BEAUTY IN A TIME OF WAR:
Actually seek beauty always and everywhere: "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things!" (Philippians 4:8).
I read all of Isaiah 60. It is a dozen sermons. But I resisted and thought only devotionally. And O I saw and heard its beauty! The glory in it has the "living & active"/"quick & powerful" — grace to make beautiful. (O I'd like to do a series sometime on the evidential and transformational power of beauty).
Any way that this may be interpreted — doesn't matter — it is our destiny as those grafted into the olive tree. But our story in His-story — this journey to a new Jerusalem — passes through a birth canal of "wars & rumors of war." And we live in a strong contraction. But let us never acquire a taste for war, and yea blood. It is a paradox of Biblical proportion, but a willing warrior is always a reluctant warrior. I think of Psalm 120:7: "I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war!" Romans 12:18 also lives as a frontlet.
O ya, the splendor of Isaiah 60.... Fairy tales are enduring not because they are a fantastical break from reality, but because they echo the one true epic tale we call the Bible. And our Kingdom has a motto we call: And They Lived Happily Ever After. Isaiah 60 is a so good glimpse.
That is why I "pray for the peace of Jerusalem," which is a parallelism to: "Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done." I won't defend that comment here and now; defending has a way of killing devotional joy. But I assure I pray not of a political spirit, but rather a prophetic one.
Study it out: When Jerusalem has peace, her neighbors have peace, also glad accord with her, and peace will be to the ends of the earth, for a thousand-year/millenial reign, under a beneficent monarchy, with Jesus as King of kings and Lord of lords, with faithful, resurrected saints as vice regents (or keeper of the King's forest — please, please). Well it really and truly is something like that. Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus!
The Only Best in/is Christ,
tIM