Jer. 8:20
All was dark and cold;
The biting chill whipped 'round my soul
Freezing it — killing it;
Desperately I tried to keep control.
But there was no control in my life
Only restless tossing to-and-fro
Hopelessly — continually;
Then suddenly You rescued me, and O!
The Peace, The Calm
~how could I have given thought at all to Autumn's Coming Winds?
All was alive and growing;
Everywhere I looked I saw Your Love
Nurturing — cherishing;
I saw Your Rainbow color from Above.
The sound of Your voice was music:
Each word a chord of a symphony
Enveloping me — filling me
With Hope and Life—O Mystery:
Your Death gives me Life!
~like a fairy-tale was the thought of Autumn's Coming Winds.
Days grew longer and warmer,
The rising Sun now hidden in a haze:
Morning fog — summer smog;
Yet the diffused glare escaped my gaze.
My gaze was inward—in pleasures of the world.
I didn't miss at all the bright, clear Sun,
Getting dimmer — getting duller
But still I found its warmth so fun.
I used Your Liberty as license!
~I seldom spoke to You and never thought of Autumn's Coming Winds.
Days are growing short and chilled;
I see the field of harvest grain,
Labors many — workers few;
But Autumn's Winds now come in like a hurricane.
The Sun that through the Spring was near
Now seems so cold—so far away—much higher,
Distant.... distant....
At last I start to labor, but everything is
swept
away
in Fire!
I kneel before Your Throne in shame.
~how can I face eternity with this vision etched in my mind—
of Autumn's Winds of Fire!?
- D. Benning
