Salvation's Hymn

Praise my soul, the King of Heav'n above;
Praise Him, Lord of all the Earth,
Mighty Potentate and God of Love,
Author of thy second birth.
From this heart shall praise flow endless days,
blessing God, the Holy One:
Clothed in righteousness I stand amazed
at Mercy and Grace begun.

Look upon His cross and dying shame,
oh, my soul, it was for thee!
Look, He took thy guilt, thy sin, thy blame,
as He died on Calvary.
That day turned to night and from that fight
sprang salvation's Genesis;
And above the Cross in shining light,
His Mercy and Justice kissed.

See, He carries thee upon His arms,
Lo! He draws thee to His breast;
and there is no danger nor a harm
that may take thee from His rest!
Thou needst no more fear; He bidst thee cheer,
trav'ling through this world of strife;
and then on that Day, thy vision clear,
thou shalt pass from here to Life!

 

Praise the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
Blessed Lord and God on High,
Worship Him, O Earth and Heav'nly host;
come, ye seraphs and angels, nigh;
Then with upward wing and voice now sing,
Blessing God the Three in One.
Saints around His feet all triune bring,
worship Him for vict'ries won.

- D. Benning

Click here to hear the hymn

W(temporality)e

In college I was introduced to ee cummings' poetry.  Yes, I did not capitalize his name for that is how he always placed his name on his poems.  In his poetry, I learned that there was another side to poetry beyond mere rhyming.  There was the juxtaposition of words, the shaping of the lines and the play of word on words and even in words.  He used parentheses within his lines to flesh out deeper meaning and to pair things together.

I took some of his ideas and techniques in the writing of this poem, perhaps to an extreme.  Even the poem's title uses parentheses to marry the idea that "we" are "temporal"—creatures of time—so much so that it is integral and fundamental to our nature so as to be within us.  Thus the word "temporality" is embedded in parentheses in "We."



W(temporality)e

Futility—
Like fighting rust
                   or rot:
All of today's pleasures
                and play toys
Are tomorrow's haul for the trash
           —bounty for the rats.

The most
W(yes, my dear, I speak to you)e do is
     Prolong The
            Day
—Slipping down
                           ward on an icy mountain—
            When Entropy shall finally conquer all
—Sweet release of Enthalpy
                                              to useless nothingness—

Mortality
    binds our hands from doing,
    blinds our eyes from seeing be-
        yond
    into vastness—into God!
Encompassed about by a hundred and thirty thousand fronts,
   w(and all those, too, who see without seeing)e celebrate
                  (as if victory)
   the momentary lull in the advance of a single front
        (as if w(without non-human help)e did it!).

Futility—
Like empty meaning
             or definition;
Fe(deeply)eling that today's pleasures
                        and fantasies
Are shoveled under
                               with the coffin
      when ends every(is there NOTHING else?!)thing.

But temporality
Was not meant as an end unto
         —ITSELF—
It was rather to give definition to life,
                                   shape to spirits
                                         and
                                life to definitions.
But we ignore this side of us—
    treating the gnawing questions of be-
yond
    as indigestion:
        W(unwittingly)e bu("what is TRUTH?")rp
                      but then
        make an exc("nothing's really absolute, is it?")use for being so rude.
W(oh, philosophical unreasoners)e have lost control—
    hijacked by the spirit of
             —ME—
                                                   and no one else.

W(like blind followers of the blind)e are led about
                in a cor(ours!)pse
               by a dead man.
W(are so separate)e are strangers
    Created in the Image of
                  ONE
    So that w(who are now alienated)e
              may become
                  O(we)NE
                  with
                  O(Three)NE.
Na(space and time)ture being just a framework
      in which Love could Love us into Him.
Yet IDENTITY is not lost in becoming
                 O(not clones)NE
Because Love requires an Individual to love
             and Love that Loves only itself is
                  Gre(not Love)ed.

Futility—
Like holding onto self,
                          to ME:
All that then will remain is emptiness,
        a mere s(full of blackness)hell;
All of the tomorrows will be filled with
              present remorse,
              with disdain for yesterdays.

Becoming ONE with others involves
             DE(dying)ATH;
But it mean so much more
             liv(LIFE)ing.
Like the EXAMPLE who died
                               but lives,
We (now united and unstrangers) live with H(in and through)im
      Separate but ONE,
      ONE yet Individual—
Products of a Father's LOVE;
    Expressions of His Creativity and Diversity;
        Monuments to His Faith(committed forever unto us)fulness!

       Pra(G(Father, Son and Spirit)OD)ise!

 

-D. Benning

19-Jan-1984

The Hollow of His Hand

The storm clouds gather around my soul
And buffet me within.
The ocean churns, the waters foam
And drown me in my sin.
I see far off almost out of view
A peaceful happy land
Where all are safe within His care:
In the Hollow of His Hand.

My Savior Lord—O Sovereign King—
Forgive me for I've sinned:
I've looked away from Thy gracious face
And now my sight is dimmed.
Restored to me the joy, dear Lord—
Thy Mercy is so Grand.
Please keep me there within Thy care:
In the Hollow of Thy Hand.

The raging storm around me blows
But sheltered I am here.
The waters rush and floods may rise
But still there is no fear.
For God Above in Gentle Love
Has all things in His Plan.
Thus safe am I within His Care:
In the Hollow of His Hand!

- D. Benning

09-May-1983

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

Autumn's Coming Winds

"The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved."
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

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

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

Wings of Flight

The inspiration for this poem came from my appreciation of George Herbert's poem of a similar title: "Easter Wings." (Click the title to view his poem.)

So one evening, I was contemplating his poem and wondering if it could be set to music.  I couldn't do it.  I couldn't accommodate the various syllabifications and varying accents within the two verses.  So I toyed with writing my own poem based on his structure.

That worked.  It worked very well.

But there it sat.  For fifteen years.  Until I had the opportunity to arrange it four four female voices and record it.  You can find a recording of this song here.
Direct link to the mp3 here.

Wings of Flight

Sov'reign Creator of the rolling spheres,

Foolishly we have gone astray:

Decaying more till fears

Are all our days

And years.

With Thee

I long to rest

From sin's dread tyranny

And lean my soul upon Thy breast.

Vanquishing fear Thy rest is flight to me.

O Lord, from birth my life hast always been

Filled with affliction, grief and care;

Looking for life in sin

But nothing there

Again.

But see!

Thy love hast borne

For me a guarantee

Of Life in Thine eternal morn.

Thy Love for me hast put the flight in me.

Thy Love and Grace hast risen in my soul,

Risen with healing in Thy wings.

Father of Lights, control

So from me springs

Thy goal.

From Thee

How could I haste?

Where could I go or be?

Thy Words alone my life have graced.

Capture my heart and set Thy flight in me.

How soon shall time dissolve and fly away,

Carrying Thy sons away to Thee?

Risen then shall this clay

No longer be

Astray.

To Thee

I then shall fly

And taste Thy victory

And all my longings satisfy.

Then shall Thy Cross be wings of flight to me.

 

- D. Benning

early fell i

early fell i from the Estate,
   fallen into a state:
      dead, yet breathing;
      void, yet trying to fill that
      emptiness with Something.



                             late came i to the Truth
                                and from it unto Life:
                                   Thrice redeemed;
                                   Thrice forgiven; and
                                   Thrice blessed of Him.




because of Love, Living i am,
   and that Life from One:
      Worthy of everything made;
      Worthy of all Praise unto Him;
      Worthy -- yet He calls me His!

- D. Benning

Christmas

Part of my work time is spent in the Lab.  In the Lab they play the Radio.  The only station that the Radio receives is a Pop-music station and from Thanksgiving to Christmas it ONLY plays "Christmas" music.

I have a lot of time to think about the lyrics.

All I can say is that modern Christmas songs are so devoid of deep content, focusing solely on emotions and feelings and warm, fuzzy "feel-goods" without anything to substantiate those feelings.

It reminded me of this poem that I wrote a long while back.

I see the twinkle in the sky, the spark-

    ling diamonds in a tree—‘tis shining bright

    against the dark: vivid colors of light.

I hear the sounds of people’s voices—Hark!

The glad carols peal across the cold night sky,

    proclaiming loud the News, the Gospel fair.

    I feel the crisp-fresh air, the crunching where

The shoes meet frozen turf—I know God is nigh!

‘Tis Christmas time and no silver bells could

    ever tell the gratitude of mine:

   My Jesus—my Lord God—though still divine

did take the form of man and for me stood

       to bear my punishment. My Lord, my King,

       of You my soul and Christmas shout and sing!

David Benning, 24 Dec 1981

God's Perfect Peace

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ... Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ... And the God of peace will be with you.

In this passage we are introduced to the Peace of God as well as to the God of Peace. And this is amazing! – a miracle. For if there is peace now, there must have been war. You see, peace only comes after a war is over and a victory is declared.

Let’s look at this Peace of God in the past, in the present and in the future:

In the past—there was war.

We were God’s enemies.

Our sin was a declaration of war against God. We rebelled and did not obey Him. In fact, we didn’t like anything He likes. We all like sheep went astray.

So how can this be fixed? How could we be made at peace with God? How can all this hate and war be smoothed over and put aside?

It didn’t start with us.

No, it started with God. Jesus, who is our Peace, destroyed the wall of hostility.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

He came to love us and Jesus the Son of God, the Prince of Peace, came to be punished in our place. This is why cane now have Peace.

In the present—we are promised peace

Notice that it says: “the peace of God” and then it also says “the God of peace will be with you.”

—O blessed thought, O happy and great comfort! God with us, not to condemn us, not to harm us, but to help us and to give us peace! Elsewhere it is written that “we have peace with God.” This is a certainty. This is settled. If we are truly His children and if we truly love Him and make Him our Lord, we have peace!

But we also have a job to do in the present:

We are told not to be anxious

but to pray and to give thanks.

We are also told to think about whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, lovely and excellent, whatever is praiseworthy.

And what is more noble than God’s love for us?

Who is more excellent than Jesus?

Who is more pure, more lovely, more worthy of praise than Jesus Christ?

You see, we are to fill our minds with Christ

Then we have peace, sweet peace, blessed peace of God.

Then we are given a promise for the future:

A promise for the future—

This peace of God will guard our hearts and our minds.

He will protect us with His peace.

His peace will not suddenly go away.

No! The God of Peace Himself is here with us.

God will not change His mind

God cannot be moved

Therefore I know that His Peace will and will continue to guard my heart and my mind in Christ Jesus.

And I know that His Peace will guard your hearts and minds

if you have trusted Him

if Jesus is your Lord and Savior

Think on these things and His Peace will be with you; and the God of Peace Himself will be with you.

"The LORD bless you
and keep you;

the LORD make his face shine upon you
and be gracious to you;

the LORD turn his face toward you
and give you peace."