Surrounded by the Dark

O Lord, I am surrounded by the dark;
   The cold and vicious claws of angst and dread
   Suck life from me and every vital spark,
   Till in defeat my faith is but a shred—
   My strength is gone, I barely lift my head.
   But then I hear Your gentle voice so clear:
   "I Am the light; I go where you now tread."
   The God, who speaks and light breaks bright and clear,
Has sworn to be with you, O soul, now bids you cheer!

- D. Benning

Darkness, Darkness—All Around!

Arise, shine;
For your light has come!
And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.
                  Isaiah 60:1

Darkness, darkness—all around;
  Leering, glaring, jeering, staring;
Weighing down upon my soul with noise and fear.
  Nothing hopeful found that cheered
       my wayward soul from dust adhered.
      
Then crashing in my endless night;
   shouting, crying, routing, vying;
Awakening up my startled soul with hope and Light.
   Something bright untied the blight
       that chained my soul to endless night.

"Awake, awake; rise up and shine!"
   beckoning, shooing, reckoning, wooing;
Pulling up upon my soul with Light and Life.
   Nothing could resist the knife
       that cut my yearning soul from strife!
      
"How can I shine?  I have no light!"
   Pushing, prodding, bushing, rodding,
Surrounding all my soul with His eternal blaze.
   All evil fled before His gaze
       that opened up my heart to Heaven's rays!

I can then do all things for my ALL does strengthen me;
   No more groping, tumbling , no mere coping, bumbling,
But running in His Light to do His perfect will.
   And now all things work to fulfill
       His glory and my salvation—my soul does thrill!

- 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

 

Out of My Darkness

Dark the night that chilled my heart;
Deep the weltschmerz* of my life;
     Running blind—
     Running lost—
Helpless in deformities rife.

Cast upon a barren Mother,
I faced the glaring Blackness alone;
     Straining eyes—
     Blinded eyes—
Cold upon my face a lone fly droned.

 Sharp were the Tongues of Truth that spoke,
Prying on my nail-shut coffin:
     Awesome Truth—
     Awesome Light—
Stark lay I in my hordes of Sin.

Loving was the One who raised me up,
Breathing into my dust His Righteousness:
     Gracious Face—
     Loving Face—
Object am I of unbounded Love expressed.

Thanks be to God for His priceless Gift—
The redeeming Blood of His own Son:
     Thank you, Lord—
     Praise to Your Name—
Give Glory to God for all that He's done!




* Weltschmerz—"a term coined by the German author Jean Paul and denotes the kind of feeling experienced by someone who understands that physical reality can never satisfy the demands of the mind."  See link.

Riddles

Riddles paradoxical,
Answers quite ironical,
Life just being mystical;
And death appearing horrible—
       to the unsaved man.
      
Philosophers, getting more confused;
Reason, becoming more unused;
Knowledge seekers, more profuse;
And God becoming less amused—
       with man in general.

But praise be to God,
Who is in the quad,
And though we deserve the Rod,
Has saved us from the Fall—
       whom He did elect.

- D. Benning

Rage, Rage Against the Light

It has been far too long that I have ignored, forgotten and neglected this blog space. No more. God is not silent nor should His children be either for they have much of which to talk and sing and praise and thank!

This poem is in answer to Dylan Thomas' famous poem, "Do not go gentle into that good night."  I was contemplating this and it struck me all wrong.  For a Christian, death is not an encroaching Night with darkness and void and despair and cessation of Light.  No, for a Christian, it is Dawn.  It is the beginning of an Eternal Morn.  It is being with GOD who is Light and in whom there is no shadow of turning.  

But for someone who does not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Coming of His great and glorious Day will be one of fear and dread because His Light will expose their deeds. "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil." John 3:19

written: 07 Dec 2011

 

 

They go not quiet at end of night,

   Their old age burns and churns at certain day;

Rage, rage against the coming gleam of Light.

Earth's sages speak and claim unconquered might

   And wax poetic at their fate,

   Their heads unbowed at Horrors great,

Yet rage, rage against the coming end of Night.

Good folks, though that be subjective blight,

   Arrange their deeds by shades of gray,

   Yet curse what gods there be at Day

   And slip like quarry-slaves away,

And rage, rage against the coming Light.

The wild men then and unschooled sprites

   Who laughed and sang at endless dark,

   Reviled the talk of coming Spark,

   Now shudder at the Light so stark,

And rage, rage against the end of Night.

While solemn men and healthy youth alike

All quake and writhe and curse and strike

   And call to rocks and rills,

   To mountains, stones and hills,

   “O! Blind our eyes and hide our night

   From Him who comes in endless Light.”

Then rage, rage against His coming Might.

But come He must and all that's just

   Will thrill and trill at ending Night,

Then on that day, bid tears away,

   Step gently in His Light!

 

- David Benning ©2011