Hear Ye Him!

 

 

A tumult of voices

My eardrums abuse,

All saying something different

I am so confused.

 

In the morning

When I awake

And also, in the nighttime,

Sometimes very late.

 

A perplexing sound

And increasingly so

Such that I don’t even know

What I think I know.

 

Real is not real

Only just imagined

And what I thought stable

Is become confusing.

 

Every voice I hear

Has a ring of truth

With each of its advocates

Bringing proof.

 

Undeniable proof

And thus, convincing,

But so different in substance

It’s not worth comparing.

 

A tumult of voices

My eardrums abuse,

All saying something different

I am so confused.

 

Alas, I screamed

Tell me what can I do

To nobody in particular,

Not even you.

 

The voices returned

Not one or two

And though in great abundance

Still, I’ve not a clue. 

 

Hands thrown up

I started to despair

When out of the tumult

Something pierced my ear.

 

Clear and distinct

Though not as loud,

Yet it rose above the crescendo

Of the noisy crowd.

 

In a whispered tone

I distinctly heard

What I’ve come to understand

Was God’s Word.

 

“Hear ye him!”

Was what I heard

And I knew God was referring

To His Holy Word.

 

His Son He sent

And His Son that died,

His Son they had abused

And had crucified.

 

His Son they buried

And that rose again,

His Son who on my heart’s throne

Wanted to reign.

 

 

Those voices receded

When I said yes

And with them I must also add,

So too, my distress.

 

If my experience

Is your experience

Then hear ye him, I bid you,

This very instance.

 

Stewart Russell © December 31, 2024

 

The Word

 

 

What comes to your mind

When you hear “The Word”?

No doubt you’d say the Holy Bible

And I would concur.

 

Not the word on the street

Or someone’s word

But the oracles of Scripture:

The Holy Word.

 

There has been much debate

On the deity of Christ

But the mere fact that he is the Word

Should adequately suffice.

 

 

In the beginning was the Word

And the Word was with God,

Introduced at Genesis 1 and verse 3,

Even before the fall.

 

And God said,

“Let there be light.”

The first words attributed to God

What an insight!

 

Herein is a chronology

That’s particularly interesting

And it is revealed to mankind

From the very beginning.

 

“In the beginning God”

Established from verse 1,

This is critically important to us

Even as creation dawned.

 

Next, notice the progression:

“And the Spirit of God moved”

And you are so absolutely right!

After verse 1 comes verse 2.

 

Finally, “And God said”

Ushered in at verse number 3,

In the first three verses of the Word

We have the Trinity.

 

“And God said”

An introduction of the Word,

Right there in the beginning

And not to be deferred.

 

 

In the beginning was the Word

And the Word was with God

Introduced at Genesis 1 and verse 3,

Even before the fall.

 

And the Word was God

Co-eternal and co-existence,

But also, the Word was co-essential

Meaning of the same essence.

 

In the beginning was God

And the Word was with Him,

He was the light that lit up the world

When human eyes were dim.

 

 

The people who walked in darkness

Have seen a great light;

The light that lights up every man,

What wonderful insight!

 

This light was in the beginning

And is actually the Word

That opened the eyes of the blind,

I am sure you have heard.

 

The chronology I speak of

Is not of the hierarchal kind

For God, the Spirit and the Word

Were before time.

 

All three are first cause

As is shown in the Word

And to believe anything different

Is to be more than absurd.

 

Isn’t it extremely enlightening

That the Creator of the whole world

Was not only moved by His Spirit

But created by His Word?

 

Three actual personal beings

That are in fact only one

Present before the beginning of time

Or creation’s dawn.

 

 

God, the Spirit and the Word,

These three!

Not bounded by but transcending time

And one with eternity.

 

In the beginning was the Word

And the Word was with God

Introduced at Genesis 1 and verse 3,

Even before the fall.

 

Even as God and the Spirit are,

So also, is the Word,

Co-eternal, co-existence, co-essential,

Aren’t you glad you’ve heard?

 

 

This same word who dwelt among us

Now fills the believer’s heart,

Of course, I am referring to the believer

That had that born-again start.

 

“You must be born again,”

The Word said to Nicodemus

And it is not any different today;

It is still a must.

 

Faith comes by hearing

And hearing by the Word

And if you have not yet accepted this

Then your vision is blurred.

 

Take corrective steps

And let the Word apply the cure,

Then you would surely make your calling

And election sure.

 

Stewart Russell © June 10, 2024

 

Winding Down

 

As the Old Year winds down

With one day to go,

We give Almighty God thanks

For His blessings still flow.

 

A roller-coaster year,

I guess one can call it that

But God has been with us all

And this is a fact.

 

We may or may not live

To see the New Year dawn

For many that started this year

Are now gone.

 

A few this very month

Were suddenly whisked away,

Pretty all right in the morning

But didn’t last the day.

 

 

As this year winds down

With just one day to go

This very day could be our last,

We just do not know.

 

It pays to know though

Where we stand with God

And if we have not done as yet,

To answer His call.

 

Say yes to the Lord Christ

That gave his life for us,

Right at this very moment

Say yes to Jesus.

 

So, whether we live or die

We will be the Lord’s

And based on his Holy Word,

He will be ours.

 

As this year winds down

Consider your sin-sick soul,

Confess and receive Jesus now

And he’ll make you whole.

 

The year is winding down

But so too are our days,

Trust God today whate’er betide

And do exactly what he says.

 

Stewart Russell © December 30, 2023

 

Unanswered Prayer

 

 

Someone said yes wait and no

Are God’s responses to our prayers

But tell me How can I know

To which one I should adhere?

 

Another person advanced

God’s responses are yes and no,

There is no wait in His replies

That is unbiblical say so.

 

“God answers every prayer.”

This is a position held by most

With some having a special line

Of which they daily boast.

 

Regarding unanswered prayer

There is never a case,

Nowhere in the biblical text

Can such ever be traced.

 

Yet we pray incessantly

About matters of great importance

And each time without an answer

But there is no admittance.

 

How do we know for sure

That God always answers prayer?

Can we attest to this?

Does it in His word appear?

 

Is answered prayer in proportion

To requests that are granted

Or whatever form the answer comes

Even if we are disappointed?

 

And if we do not hear from God

As is known to have occurred,

Would this not be unanswered prayer

Even if the answer is deferred?

 

What then is answered prayer?

Is it only when we get our request?

Is prayer only answered when we get relief

From some undesirable test?

 

It is definitely not as clear cut

As we had thought at first

Though the position we held on this

We once would never reverse.

God answers every prayer

That is my belief,

He points all to His Holy Word

In which we find relief.

 

We may not favour God’s answer

But His answer is always best

And once we follow the Spirit’s lead

We will conquer every test.

 

When prayer seems unanswered

As sometimes it will seem

We have an advocate with the Father:

We, meaning the redeemed.

 

Stewart Russell © December 19, 2021

 

Nothing New

 

 

Truth from truth leaves truth

It is what preachers are called to do,

It’s a rhema word from the Logos Word

This should be nothing new.

 

Truth from a lie is bewilderment

A mathematical impossibility,

But it’s just what the devil did to Eve

And it is still his modus operandi.

 

A lie from the truth is hypnotic

It is what magicians do,

Like how cults read into the Holy Word

To mislead first me and then you.

 

A lie from a lie is remarkable

This is the scammers’ way of life,

Get caught in a lie tell another lie

To create more and more strife.

 

 

Truth plus the truth is questionable

The Bible is the word of truth,

You may be called to swear on the Word

But that is not the burden of proof.

 

A lie plus the truth is zero truth

The slightest contaminant is impure,

It is rendering the whole just another lie

Though truth may be at the core.

 

A lie plus a lie is a liar

That’s like 1 plus 2 equals 5 plus 6,

This has become the world’s unique way

For effecting an apparent fix.

 

Multiplying the truth by the truth

Sounds probable but is untrue,

Remember, multiplication is repeated addition

But dividing is to undo.

 

 

There is no more truth or less truth

No who is more right than wrong,

The truth is the truth and nothing but the truth

And to it no lies belong.

 

If you read through this poem again

The following you would recognize,

Each of the verses is amazingly true

Though seven of them are about lies

 

Stewart Russell © October 2019

Madness

There is a bit of madness

In everyone…

And I believe it was there

From the time we were born.

You can blame it on Adam,

If you like,

Perhaps, in a natural sense,

You would be right.

This course of study

Is Madness 101,

I’ll make it a crash course

And then I’ll be gone.

Now, I am no psychiatrist

And I am not a psychic,

But every one of us

Has some peculiar habit.

I can’t give a name

For each of these “madnesses”

But we can agree

That each one exists.

You don’t know who you are

That’s an identity crisis,

Normal at birth and in old age

But now the youth are at risk.

You don’t know where you are

You are lost,

This is the case with many

And it’s a colossal cost.

Everybody else is mad

Except you,

This is particularly dangerous

Since it is an infectious view.

A convenient loss of memory

Is another madness,

It is an “I just can’t remember

Who caused this mess.”

“Everybody else is wrong

And I am right.

They are in the darkness

I alone am in the light.”

This is considered serious

Especially when it is always so,

Always right is madness

And it is time that you know.

Politics is madness

But it is a licensed madness,

It is also compelling

As many of us can attest.

We know he is talking madness

But we give him our vote

And we’re likely to do it again,

Just take note.

Hearing and seeing things

Is another one that exists,

And even University graduates

In this case are at risk.

We all suffer from this madness

And it’s just not cool

To try to convince me

That I am the only fool.

To see is to believe,

We see what we don’t believe

But take it a step further

And receive what we don’t receive.

Confessing to it is madness,

At worst, it’s a lie

But on such a dubious profession

Many Christians rely.

At best they call it faith

But it is really rot,

It is straight-up madness

Which faith is not.

  

Real faith is believing in God

And in His Holy Word,

Belief in any other is madness

And should be considered absurd.

Absolute selfishness

Is absolute madness,

That’s the reason why the world

Is in such a horrid mess.

I didn’t do it

When I know that I did

Is lying madness

That comes high on the grid.

This one is prevalent

And growing day by day

Hence, the numbers in prison,

That one was by the way.

Nail biters and thumb suckers:

That is your sign

And that look in your eyes

Says you have lost your mind.

I am not talking about children

This is about grown-ups,

And you don’t have to go far

Just in the mirror, look!

Another time, perhaps,

I will talk about the church,

There is madness there too

You don’t have to be an expert.

I am tempted as I close

But I will leave it alone,

But concerning the madness levels

We all are in some zone.

Stewart Russell © December 2019

Nevertheless

Nevertheless is a critical word

That helps us to see both sides,

Be that as it may or nonetheless

Are two other definitions supplied.

In addition to what I have said before

Let me give you just two more,

Notwithstanding is one of those

And yet gets right to the core.

You may wonder why nevertheless

So I will tell you in a while,

It helps to shape the decisions we make

As we confront the enemy’s guile.

Satan is a shrewd strategist

He’s an experience war campaigner,

Nevertheless Jesus is captain of heaven’s hosts

And he is also our Redeemer.

Be that as it may we must be on guard

Whenever the tempter comes,

A contrast Satan will always present

But nonetheless we must heed God’s Son.

There is an occasion in the Holy Word

When this contrast was presented,

Jesus uses the word nevertheless

To show what he had always intended.

Turn to St Luke chapter 22 and verse 42

And pay attention to the words of God’s Son,

Father if you be willing remove this cup from me:

Nevertheless not my will but yours be done.

Two paths before the Lord Jesus Christ

And both going in opposite directions,

Nevertheless he focused on his Father’s will

And on the wonderful plan of redemption.

If only there was another path

Better and different from that of the cross:

Nevertheless there was no better way

That God the Father could redeem the lost.

  

I draw your attention to an occasion

When sorrow filled the disciples’ heart,

In John chapter 16 we understand

That Jesus was getting ready to depart.

“Nevertheless,” Jesus said to them,

“It is expedient for you that I go away.”

For if he went not away as in fact he did

The Spirit could not be in us as he is today.

An interesting word is nevertheless

A very interesting word indeed,

Not withstanding we were condemned to death

Yet Jesus wonderfully met our need.

Stewart Russell © February 2019