Poetry and Ponderings

Poetry of James Montgomery. (1771 - 1854)

The first selection tells us, as the Bible does, to live in the moment. We are instructed to redeem the time, and to not waste our time worrying about tomorrow. "Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."

Tomorrow, oh, 'twill never be.
If we should live a thousand years!
Our time is all to-day, to-day,
The same, though changed; and while it flies
With still small voice the moments say:
"To-day, to-day, be wise, be wise."
~James Montgomery

At the end of life's journey, all that will matter will be hearing those words, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of the Lord!"

Servant of God! well done;
Rest from thy loved employ;
The battle fought, the victory won,
Enter thy Master's joy.
~ The Christian Soldier, by James Montgomery

Beyond this vale of tears
There is a life above,
Unmeasured by the flight of years;
And all that life is love.

Heaven will be glorious. No eye hath seen, nor ear heard, the things God has prepared for those who love Him.

Here in the body pent,
Absent from Him I roam
Yet nightly pitch my moving tent
A day's march nearer home.

Meanwhile, we journey on, knowing that this world is not our home, but that we are just passing through. On the way, we fellowship with one another, but best of all, with our God and Saviour, through the reading of the Word, and prayer.

Prayer is the soul's sincere desire,
Uttered or unexpressed;
The motion of a hidden fire
That trembles int he breast.

Prayer is the burden of a sigh,
The falling of a tear;
The upward glancing of an eye,
When none but God is near.

He promised never to leave His children, nor forsake us. He is a breath away. Even if family members or friends let us down, God is near. The Lord is at hand!

I take great comfort in knowing that my God is near. I can read poetry written more than 100 years before I was born, and I know that the poet experienced a similar walk with God. There is joy in resting in the fact that others have trod this path before me, and have reached the end of their journey successfully. Some day, I will join them in the Celestial City, where there will be no more tears. Until then, I soldier on, living one day at a time, trusting my God to order my steps as He sees fit.