Life and faith are not always clear to us or easily understood. Often, there are more questions than answers, more wondering about the meaning of life and less living in wonder.
Try as we might, we soon realise our finite minds cannot fully comprehend the divine. We feel like blindfolded walkers stumbling through a long, shadowed tunnel, anxiously trying to make out the way ahead. Where is the light and won’t someone remove our blindfold, please?
What if we put uncertainty aside, allowed God’s word to speak to us in a clear way, to read us as we’re reading it? And if we tried to absorb its truth by soaking in the promises and believing them.
What would it look like to immerse ourselves fully in His story more than in speculation over how it all possibly came to be—to get to the heart of the matter by way of God’s beating heart for us?
Maybe we still wouldn’t have clear, concrete answers to the myriad questions in our minds, but it is possible we would be more easily satisfied to live into the answers to come, to let faith draw us deeper into wonder, rather than leave us wondering what to do with all the unsettled issues.
Because what matters most is relationship, getting to spend quality time in God’s presence, learning His will and ways in a natural, gradual way, relaxing our worries into His hands and learning to trust Him more than we focus on our cares and concerns.
My first poem below suggests God’s overseeing of things, even if they may look dark, blurry or seem invisible to us.
“even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you” ~ Psalm 138: 12 NIV
Clear as day
Night is clear as day
to our Creator-King, Lord
of all living things
©joylenton2017
And when we do begin to grasp how God is always revealing Himself to us in the everyday, can we actually turn aside from daily preoccupations and deliberately catch sight of His presence?
“Now Moses was keeping the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb (Sinai), the mountain of God. The Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing flame of fire from the midst of a bush… yet it was not consumed. So Moses said, ‘I must turn away [from the flock] and see this great sight—why the bush is not burned up'” ~ Exodus 3:1-3 AMP
Can I turn aside?
Can I turn aside
like Moses—witness my King
burning daylight bright?
©joylenton2017
Finally, there will come a Day unlike any other. We will see God as He is, know and be known fully, comprehend what has been deep Mystery beforehand.
“The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”~ Acts 2:20-21
On that Day
On that Day the King
will be revealed in glory
everyone will kneel
©joylenton2017
These haiku have been written in response to the prompt of ‘King&Day’, this week’s haiku challenge from our Haiku Master, Ronovon. If you’d like to read the rich variety of posts being shared and maybe join in, too, just click here. 🙂
Poetry Joy 
Beautiful! These parts especially spoke to me, about doing less thinking about the meaning of life and more living in wonder, and “let faith draw us deeper into wonder, rather than leave us wondering what to do with all the unsettled issues.” Thank you for this morning inspiration to start my day.
Deborah, I think I’m also preaching to myself here! But I’m grateful to have been able to speak to you through what has been shared. May you always seek with an eager, child-like heart attuned to wonder in the holy-ordinary. Bless you, my friend. xo
Dear Joy,
I hadn’t realized how much I have missed your Haiku offerings until you were back here today with your new words. I loved this introduction: “Often, there are more questions than answers, more wondering about the meaning of life and less living in wonder.” Oh, how I must admit that I so often find myself there, even when I want to look for that awestruck wonder! And so my heart longs for this:
“Can I turn aside
like Moses—witness my King
burning daylight bright?”
Thank you for sharing these sweet invitations today. My prayers are with you through the long days you are traveling in now. Love and Hugs to you. xo
Dear Bettie, I’ve missed joining in with the haiku challenge! Lately, it’s been difficult to post here more than once a week and I’ve been thankful for the magnetic poetry thoughts that have arisen. So I’m glad to have a haiku contribution today and to know I’ve given you something new to read as well. I think God plants a deep desire in all our hearts to live struck by wonder, though we often fail to focus most on His ways threading through the warp and weft of our days. Have you read Margaret Feinberg’s lovely book, ‘Wonderstruck: Awaken To The Nearness of God’, by any chance? It’s an invitation to see and sense the wonder of God’s immanent presence through tangible, visible means. I loved it.
Maybe we could remind one another to draw aside from our preoccupations for a while and deliberately look for signs of God’s wonder with us? Are you in?! Keeping a daily gratitude journal helps, though I must admit I’m a bit hit and miss with it. Thank you so much for your faithful prayers. We appreciate them all the more as this lengthy hospital stay is (hopefully!) drawing to an end, impatience is setting in for my beloved, with his visitors declining and weariness setting in for me. Love and hugs returned to you. xo
Oh, yes, I’m in for a daily quick “wonder reminder’ over email, (as we both are able, of course.) Praying tonight for that coming-home season approaching for your husband and for you also. xoxo
Bettie, by the time you read this my husband will be well entrenched on the sofa, watching TV, trying to catch up with all he has missed! The wonder of his swift recovery after such a slow start to it is amazing to both of us. I hope to share some wonder moments with you over the next few days. For now, rest and relaxation are just what the doctor ordered! Bless you, sweet friend, for your willingness to seek for the gold in life’s tarnished mess. 🙂 xo
Reblogged this on Pastor Michael Moore's Blog and commented:
Yes, it is all about relationship… thanks for sharing, Joy!
How kind of you, Michael! I hope and pray your readers will be blessed by reading this. Thank you, Brother, it definitely is all about relationship. 🙂 x
Thank you Michael for pointing people to Joy’s thoughtful, challenging and encouraging post of wonderful poetry. This came just as I am gathering support material for a small group discussion on relational evangelism. I trust the group will benefit from your poems and the posting when in April we gather for a weekly Easter-tide disciplined time for six weeks. I think one of the daily exercises for the group will be to reflect on your posting. May the Holy Spirit be preparing open hearts and minds….
Hello Thom, it’s good to meet you! Thank you so much for responding in such a lovely way to the words I have written and which Michael has kindly shared with his readers. May they bless those you share them with too. Do feel free to stop by here any time. 🙂
Your haiku and pictures go together so well, Joy. Like Bettie these words first caught my attention, “Often, there are more questions than answers, more wondering about the meaning of life and less living in wonder.” I shared them with my son, because we were just talking about how unclear some things are and how sometimes God seems silent. Thank you for sharing your heart, dear Joy.
Many blessings to you with love and hugs! xo
Thank you, Gayl, I’m so pleased you enjoyed the haiku and found something helpful in the opening words I shared. It’s rather wonderful how God takes our heart offering and makes so much more of it than we imagine! You’ve given me a lovely gift of encouragement today, dear friend. Blessings, love and hugs to you! xo ❤
Hello Joy. Beautiful and inspiring words, as usual. Loved your trio of haiku and the images too. 🙂 xx
Hello Vashti, it’s a joy to see you here! I’m so pleased you liked this week’s triple haiku offering. It’s often hard to limit ourselves to one, isn’t it? Thank you for your kind and generous comment. 🙂 xo
Such a lovely Gift you have been given, and that you share with us!
Thank you, and bless you, Joy. ❤
Cheryl Anne, I think the same about you and your words, sweet friend! Bless you and thank you for stopping by to read mine. Your gentle presence is always welcome here. xo ❤