A Psalm of Adoration

O my Lord and my God,
   Thou who inhabitest the Heavens,
   Thou who spoke and the earth became
         Thy footstool,
   Thou who wast from Time Eternal Past,
         and Is, and shall Be Forever,
In humble awe I approach Thy overwhelming Might,
         and Power and Grace and Love.

For Thou at the Power of Thy Word giveth unto us:
   Breath and Life;
   Mercy and Forgiveness;
   Help and Strength.
Who is there like the Lord God Almighty?
   Even the Heavens above cannot contain Him;
   There is no searching out all His wonders;
   Yet He is a pardoning God!

All that exists, exists because He spoke—
   And the stars sang in unsung paths;
   The Heavens resounded with the Chords of Praise;
   And the Lord said unto the Lord: "It is Good!"

All that have new life, have new life because He worked salvation—
   He saw that there wast no one who could save, so He acted;
   He saw the sons of Adam were lost and undone, so He became man;
   He saw their sin was infinite against infinite God, so He took their punishment
         and died in their place
              —but rose for their justification!

Rejoice, all ye dwellers of earth!
   Sing praises in psalms of Thanksgiving.
For the Lord Sabaoth reigneth sure
         upon His Throne—
   Laud and Honor to the King of Kings
         who cometh for His own!

- D. Benning

I Sat Alone and Cried

I sat alone and cried the night away
   In bitter tears.  But still it stayed.  The night
   Gave way to endless night where morning light
Could not shine in.  The searing ache dismayed
My soul while doubts exploded in my brain.
   I couldn't move—my body, dead, just rot-
   ted in its filth.  The glaring darkness fought
For my attention yet only gave it pain.
  


    When suddenly, night fled aside and left
      A hole of Light where colors streamed from re-
   splendent sky.  Then saw I in night's cleft
      A shining figure who said, "Follow Me!"


His rainbow of Love rushed in to purge me of sin,
And with spirit made new I rose to follow Him.

- D. Benning

 

Salvation is of the Lord!

Salvation is of the Lord in glory!
We His saints on earth may loudly proclaim.

The Most Great and Almighty God on High
Does His chosen sheep draw near unto Him
By His Spirit He sends unto lost sheep,
Making them aware of their wretched sin;
They then through His grace are
                      thirsting for Him,
Like the woman of Samaria who came
To the well, where Jesus sat, to draw some
Water for her physical existence.
The Spirit of God caused her thirstiness
To grow unquenchable through worldly means—
Her soul was parched, unquenchably dry.
But Jesus in His mercy gave to her
A fountain of Living Water which would
Never allow her to thirst anymore.

The true repentance is shown through good works,
For faith without works of virtue is dead.
Each and every true believer in Christ
Will, through the manifest grace of our Lord,
Show by his works the Fruit of the Spirit:
Love joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness,
Goodness, faith, meekness and temperance; which
Have no law in this world or that 'gainst them.
Each sinner, after God graciously works
In their heart, body soul and mind, becomes
Like the Samaritan Leper after
Jesus had cleansed him from his leprosy:
He, beholding his now healed skin, turned back
and with a loud voice did glorify God.
Thus running back to Jesus his Savior,
He at the Son of Man's feet, worshiped Him.
Repentance then is the first work of grace,
Then followed closely by confessing, praise
And humble worship of this loving Lord.

After thus giving glory unto God
Almighty, All-powerful and Righteous,
A rightful heir to his Father's kingdom
Will go out with a burden for lost souls
To hear the wonderful Good News of God.
He will, like the good Samaritan go
And have compassion on all he sees;
He will witness and testify so that they hear
More of God's matchless grace
             for wretched men.
Thus each member of the Church's Body,
Through everyone's own Spirit-given gift,
Hastens the Coming of the Son of Man
To earth to set up His Holy Kingdom—
Not a sheep of His shall ever be lost.
They are His—He shall help them overcome!

- D. Benning

Theo-Thanatopsis

I was young and had just been exposed to William Cullen Bryant's Thanatopsis.  (Thanatopsis meaning, "a view of death.") My teacher waxed on excitedly about the lines being iambic pentameter.  I didn't care much for the poem then, nor was I duly impressed with his iambic pentameter.  It just bugged me that the poem sounded so happy-slappy and everybody should be okay with death 'cause you're going to a better place sort of thing.  That may be true for those who die in Christ, I reasoned, but what about the other side of the equation?  I felt that a Theo-Thanatopsis (or "God's view of death") was needed.  I even invented a nine syllable line where (most of the time) the accent falls off at the end, indicating a loss of hope.  I only showed my parents once and then buried this.  Originally it was written in faux King James-style English.  I've changed that.  I've also adjust small word choices here and there; but beyond that, this is as I wrote it sometime around February 1978.

Death and the Damned

To all, no matter of race or creed;
To all, heeding not to one's prestige;
To everyone, be he young or old;
It comes with sudden, rapid quickness,
Gathering all, gleaning everyone—
It comes with sadness, horror and fear.

What happen when this body isn't?
Do we, past death, to the ground become
An infinitesimal lump of it?
The Great Equalizer benignly
Accommodates all who were and are
And will be on this earth—they soon aren't!

Is it merely a ceasing of life?
Separation from earthly pleasures?
Yes, is it this?—or something more?

Nevermore shall you walk on this earth;
Nevermore shall you do one thing more
Against or for God and fellow man.
The Books are opening—in Judgment.
The Balance is lacking—in Judgment.
The Almighty God banishes you
From Heaven's peaceful and timeless age.
To the Lake of Fire you are now heaved:
To eternal doom and damnation.
Amidst your torment your thoughts arise:
"Was there nothing that I could have done
While on earth while I still had being?
Why could I not to the Only God
Been reconciled—and thus saved from Hell?"

Yet across the vast gulf between you
And God, there comes an answer so plain;
Which in your troubled spirit raises
Anguish, torment and sorrow again.

"You deserve all that you have in Hell.
You did defy Me while yet on earth,
Thus I give now what belongs to you.
Think not of My chose, Blood-bought ones,
Who through My great mercy I have saved.
Think not that it is unfair to you
That some are saved yet not everyone.
Think rather, O wretched soul in Hell,
Of your plight had I not come to die
For the sake of my chosen elect:
Then you—and all—would have been here still.

"I, in My righteousness and My grace,
Have reached down through time and endless space
To save My chosen, who were and are,
Chosen from the foundations of time.

"And yet you have I not left alone:
I have given you time to repent,
To turn from your sin and rebellion;
But I foreknew that you would not.
'Why would I not?' you ask from deep woe.
It is because all are born sinners;
And if they were but allowed a chance,
They would try to kill Me—wretched souls.
And you in your deplorable sin
Are no exception in any way.

"Mine elect are saved through perfect grace,
But through grace which is not of their own.
I drew and wooed them by My Spirit
And not a single one shall be lost.
Since you have never had My Spirit
Draw you, etern'ly damned you remain!

"And now your troubled essence in Hell
Would cry out, 'Unfair, O God, unfair!'?
Remember you have what you have reaped
From your life and from what you have sown.
Mine elect yet would have been like this
Had it not been for My precious blood.

"Thus you shall weep and shall gnash your teeth
And chew your tongue merely for its pain;
For you on earth were a sinner born
And a damned sinner you did remain!"

- D. Benning

Lament for Demas

"...for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica..."  II Tim. 4:10

You were so good—the life you lived—
Strengthened from our fellowship.
You used to pray—you were so brave—
But now you chose to let it slip.
God had called you (or so it seemed),
And you responded on that day:
Serving Him and loving Him;
But now you've thrown it all away.
    Demas has forsaken us!
    He loves this present world far more
    Than the calling of our Lord Jesus:
    He tramples down the blood God poured.

Your loves are now your own pleasure—
Seeking to satisfy your desires;
But don't forget God sees and judges us,
And He has prepared Eternal Fires!
Your logic's run amuck with pride;
You've pulled down God—but now who reigns?
Your actions show that you aren't in control;
You've sold out to the Devil and his games.
    Demas has forsaken us!
    He turned to serve the world he loved;
    Trampling down our Lord Jesus,
    He missed the grace poured from Above.

When will you see the Gift God offered you
Was something more than simple words?
It is the very Son of God Himself
Who offered you the holy life you spurned.
My heart is heavy now for you, my friend:
You heard the news but turned away.
You look at me and say my logic's "wrong";
But unless you change you'll never find the Way.
    Demas has forsaken us!
    He loves this present world the best.
    He has missed the ancient path;
    He will never enter into Rest.

- D. Benning