The Walk

You blazed across the sky,
And I called out to you.
I had not seen you
But I knew you.

I spoke strange words in a strange language,
I swore to serve without knowing how to serve.
I was a child; this was a dream,
And this was a dream that would not go away.

I longed to see your face that day,
How I burned to see my Lord that day!
I looked up at the sky waiting for you,
But you did not come.

You seized me, and then left me.
You set Lucifer on me;
He carried me away to another world,
And I did not resist.

The serpent and I were locked in embrace
When you came back to me.
You called out to me,
And I stirred from my sleep.

You led me out of my hell,
And exposed my darkness.
You tore down my house,
And laid bare my shame.

You struck me in anger,
And embraced me in love.
You filled my foolish head
With wisdom from your mouth.

You took my stammer
And turned it into speech.
You touched my dead nerves
And set them ablaze with zeal.

You filled me with thirst,
And let me drink from your well.
Your living water
Was all that I craved.

In strange haste I turned to your Word,
I could not wait to read all of it.
Everything had to wait
Until I knew the whole of it.

After that I waited in silence,
Inert I sat without purpose.
In my heart was a dream,
And in my soul was a longing.

I was afraid to move
Until you ordered me out.
You took my hand,
And led me out of my hiding.

With you I have gone to strange places,
Said strange words to strange people.
You filled my head with strange ideas,
And made them come alive.

I am not alone,
I will not be abandoned.
Yet my heart fails every time
My boat is rocked.

Yet I will walk on,
You my Lord are exceedingly kind;
Your whisper is my comfort,
Your love washes away my fear.

All that I have is you,
All that I love is you.
Soon a time will come for a sterner test,
Prepare me O Lord.

Prepare your servant
For the times to come.
Never let go of my hand
Until the end.

-Samuel Godfrey George

The Affirmation

Real is the One who came down for me,
True is the Love that laid down its life for me,
My eyes are fixed on my Father, who cares for me,
My heart will be led by my Master, who has paid a price for me,
I will bleed for the Lord who bled for me,
I will remember His Truth in the face of many a lie,
I will listen to His Voice even when it grows faint,
And I shall call Him God though many call Him man.

-Samuel Godfrey George

Koel Dreams

Black Prince of Summer,
Lover of tropical heat,
Warbler of a two-note song,
Delivered in the shrillest voice
Kissed by the Divine Lover,
When He quickened the instinct to sing.
Scorner of earthly cares,
A soul encamped in a feathery body
That will not wilt in the heat
That consumes my human strength.
Determined to sing,
Determined to use the God-given voice,
Determined to send forth a rising praise
To the Author of all music, voice and breath,
May the plodder in faith aspire to be you,
May he never let go of his Koel dreams.

-Samuel Godfrey George

The Voice

You breathed life into my death,
Turned my voicelessness into voice,
And my wordlessness into words.

My voice came to life when I first spoke to you.
My words came to life when I swore to serve you.
I came to life when I came to know you.

You took my voice and filled it with your breath,
You took my words and filled them with your wisdom,
You took me and filled me with your love.

Now I walk with borrowed strength,
Speak borrowed words in a borrowed voice,
So that the One whom I borrowed from may be glorified.

Bless the one whom you have made alive,
Bless the voice that speaks words of life,
Bless those who listen to the voice and receive life.

-Samuel Godfrey George