Oh What a Day It Will Be

I wrote this poem for an assignment in literature class--we were told to write a poem in imitation of one of the poets we've learned about. I chose Emily Dickinson--this poem is styled after her poem 271. (The fact that I'm imitating another poet's style explains all the dashes or other stylistic things you may be curious about :)


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No words—how to describe that day—
In His presence to be—
To stand before my very God—
Oh what a sight to see—

A hollowed thing—to Be before
The one my shape who formed—
Created all the earth—beyond—
With Majesty adorned—

I picture when my day does come—
And would I feel so small—
To cow'r in awe—or dance with praise—
Just can't see through—the wall—

And then—whate'r that day does hold
What I will feel—to see—
That which we none can know for sure—
But oh—with Him—to be!

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Found It!

So here's the quote by C.S. Lewis about christianity that I was referring to in my earlier post:

"If christianity was something we were making up, of course we could make it easier. But it is not. We cannot compete, in simplicity, with people who are inventing religions. How could we? We are dealing with Fact. Of course anyone can be simple, if he has no facts to bother about."

So, if you're ever exasperated by how complex christianity seems, be encouraged :) The very fact that it can be so hard to comprehend is actually an encouragement that it could not have been created by human minds!

The quote is from Lewis's book Mere Christianity, which I would totally recommend. Although the doctrine occasionally deviates a little from Covenant Life's, his insights into the basics of Christianity will blow your mind and strengthen your faith.

Interesting Thought on Kneeling for Prayer

Ok, hear me out on this one. You know how in all the old books and movies, at the end of the day the main character would diligently kneel down next to the bed and say his or her prayers? Not just the fictional ones either...it was a common practice even in the earliest days of the bible:

Daniel 6:10 Three times a day [Daniel] got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.

Psalm 95:6 Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker

Acts 9:40 Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, "Tabitha, get up." She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up.

Ephesians 3:14 [A Prayer for the Ephesians ] For this reason I kneel before the Father,

So obviously, kneeling was just something that you did if you were going to pray. Now I don't know about you, but I never kneel when I pray. I don't even think about it. But the other night, I did think about it. I was sitting in my bed praying silently as usual, trying to concentrate on God while my mind kept wandering just as it normally does when I try to devote myself to prayer. In exasperation, I decided to try praying the old fashioned way--out loud, kneeling on the floor next to my bed. It felt a little funny ("I hope no one walks into my room right now..."), but you know what? I was able to really concentrate on what I was praying for and think of more things that I wanted to pray for than I ever have been able to while lying on my bed.

Now why would kneeling help you to pray?

I don't have an expert opinion, but I have an idea. When I got off my bed, and took the time to say my prayers out loud, suddenly my mind-block was gone. You're taking yourself out of a distracting situation (ever fallen asleep praying? I thought so) and fully formulating your thoughts (speech takes more effort than thinking, so you'll concentrate harder on it). And the likely result is longer, more intense prayer.

Oh and I just thought of this as I was writing my post: kneeling has always been a position of humility and respect. When I was looking up the scriptures above with the keyword "kneeling", most of the references were to people kneeling to those in authority, either in thanks or petition. So when we consciously put ourselves in a position of humility and submission before God, God rewards the behavior.

But don't just let me tell you. These are just ideas of mine...you all could prove if they are actually true. I'd love it if you'd try kneeling down for prayer one of these nights and see if it makes a difference. Let me know how it goes... it can't hurt, but it just might help.