Peace, Be Still
Written and published by Jean-Louis
Written and published by Jean-Louis
For he spoke and stirred up a tempest
that lifted high the waves.
They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths;
in their peril their courage melted away.
They reeled and staggered like drunkards;
they were at their wits’ end.
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
and he brought them out of their distress.
He stilled the storm to a whisper;
the waves of the sea were hushed.
They were glad when it grew calm,
and he guided them to their desired haven.
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people
and praise him in the council of the elders. Psalm 107: 25-32.
that lifted high the waves.
They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths;
in their peril their courage melted away.
They reeled and staggered like drunkards;
they were at their wits’ end.
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
and he brought them out of their distress.
He stilled the storm to a whisper;
the waves of the sea were hushed.
They were glad when it grew calm,
and he guided them to their desired haven.
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people
and praise him in the council of the elders. Psalm 107: 25-32.
Land, land, a chorus of sea-gulls heralded
Childlike, dolphins merrily pirouetted
Celebrating with the rhythm of whimsical waves
This propitious journey with delighted voyagers.
-----
Suddenly, a venomous storm
Escaping from an Aeolian windbag,
Stinking and green with envy
Unfurled its fury on the peaceful seascape.
-----
The cloudy canvas thickens,
The undulating liquid walls
Rise, with threats of wrath.
Are we in this deadly dance moving
Toward an unavoidable shipwreck?
-----
The increasing tempest suspends
The harmony of the Mediterranean abyss
Feeding the human fear
At the thought that our last hour
Had chimed without any recourse.
-----
The heart in this reflex instant
When the compass swings wildly
Remembers that God exists
And humbly kneels
Asking for pardon and mercy.
-----
Past is the time for good deeds
-----
Past is the time for good deeds
No more “Our Father”, “Hail Mary”
Nor "Aum Shanti" to recite on beads
The re-winded video unfolds as lightning
On the screen of the impotent memory.
-----
The refuge of conscience is no use.
No more hypocrisy, no more subterfuge
Everything is in the scales
No more karma, no more bribes
Here comes the angel executioner
Executing the sentence
Executing the sentence
Or eternal life and its recompense.
-------
-------
As I was quietly contemplating my lot
A soft voice, above the furious wind
A soft voice, above the furious wind
Asked me the following:
“Tell me, “can you with one word, calm the waves?
Perhaps, are you the captain of your own ship?
Can your eyes pierce the dark clouds
And predict your own future?”
------
------
Recognizing the divine presence
and the still small voice
and the still small voice
That saved my life many times before,
From war, from human violence,
From unchained elements,
I left my appeased heart
In the hands of my Savior
Who invites all sinners to come and rest
In the secure love that emanates
from the mercy seat surrounded
by the wings of the worshiping cherubim.
------
At last, my struggle calmed by his Word
The ship arrived safe at port
Where, from the beginning
It was following its intended course.
Is that how God's sovereignty works? We find Him, we grieve over our past, when no matter what our past, it was His plan all along? I am struggling in my perspective these days. Not in a crisis of faith, or doubts about God, but personally, about my life. The battering storms seem to have gone on so relentlessly for so long, that I can't figure out if I'm such a hopeless case before the Lord that I require unrelenting chastisement, or whether all the things that seem to restrict me, are a matter of my own lack, when like in your Joshua tree parable, where there seems to be no way, there is then no will.
ReplyDeleteOr am I just so tired of this old weary world and so ready for Home that I can't see anything else?
I feel as you indicated in your "Thank you to anonymous in California" that often my efforts, which seem so meager as it is, are for naught. So many people are only interested in sensationalism. Depth-dwellers are anathema to this world. I get tired of hurting. I often have to ask God to send me some tangible indicator that I'm even close to where I ought to be and if I'm not, then some clue to get me there.
I will send you a reply by email.
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