The Call

I picked up a book two weeks ago by Stephen Witmer which is a devotional book from the poems of George Herbert. I read the following poem on Monday morning and I’ll leave it with you this morning to read and hopefully meditate upon!

The Call

Come, my Way, my Truth, my Life:
Such a Way, as gives us breath:
Such a Truth, as ends all strife:
Such a Life, as killeth death.

Come, my Light, my Feast, my Strength:
Such a Light as shows a feast:
Such a Feast, as mends in length:
Such a Strength, as makes his guest.

Come, my Joy, my Love, my Heart:
Such a Joy, as none can move:
Such a Love, as none can part:
Such a Heart, as joys in love.

I love the poem. The first stanza is a not too subtle reminder of Jesus’ words, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” But look at what he says about each of these…such a Way, as gives us breath…there is no life outside of breath. His way is the Way, the only way to life. Such a Truth, as ends all strife. Strife with whom? It can’t be strife with our fellow man…that strife is here to stay, especially if we are following Jesus as the Way. The strife that is ended is the strife we experienced when were were at enmity with God. Such a Life as killeth death. What a Life! I’m alive, I’m breathing, my heart is beating, but death is promised for me…or is it? Jesus said, “If you believe in me you will never die.” That isn’t to say followers of the Way never physically die, but we never truly die. To die as a follower of Jesus is to take our last breath here and our next breath in Heaven.

I don’t intend to try to explain each line, but the second stanza takes us to Jesus as our Communion. He is our Light, our Feast, and our Strength. Finally, He is our our Everything. Our Joy, our Love, and our Heart…in Him we move and have our being. In Him we find true Love and true Joy…He is everything and without Him we have nothing!