Some things are so deep that the most appropriate thing you can do is say is nothing at all. Some things are so deep that not even silence is sufficient. Today, in honor of the Lord's goodness, and on this first day of the Hebrew New Year, I want to share something I recently wrote, even though it is woefully inadequate:
Who will declare
The beauty, truth, and goodness of God?
He is all beauty,
Wherever it is found,
From the innocence of youth
To the triumph of the abundant life well-lived.
He is all truth
No matter to what it pertains
Or in whom it is found.
He is all good,
the epitome of virtue,
and the fullness of love.
His saturating goodness infuses each of his numberless creations,
Permeated by who and how he is in every aspect of their being.
They unknowingly proclaim his character in their every act to those with eyes to see.
But even his endless works are insufficient to describe him.
He is the strength of the weak,
The hope of the hopeless,
The healer of the broken,
The restraint of the meek,
And the wisdom of the wise.
He is the redemption of the fallen,
And the ascent of the exalted.
He is mighty to cleanse every stain,
And sufficient to improve every fault
Through the purity of his holiness
And the power of his mercy.
His profundity cannot be fully found out—
He is higher than Jacob’s ladder,
The way by which any dare to climb,
The reason for which any dare to descend,
And what will be found by those who do.
He is deeper than the bottomless pit,
The key by which it is opened,
And the power by which it is sealed up.
He is the foundation that cannot be moved,
And the light that shines in the deepest dark.
He is the meaning that conquers all pain,
And the joy that endures every sorrow.
Through all of it the light continues to shine,
Not dampened by the depth of dark,
But instead, somehow, made brighter still.
He is the star that precedes the night
and heralds the breaking day.
He is the melody of the heavenly choir,
And the reason for their song.
He is the joy of the morning stars,
Who gleefully cast down their crowns of light,
And leapt to follow his descent
From the fire of endless joy
Into the fire of endless suffering—
Renouncing heavenly riches,
For the baseness of mortal penury,
To emit greater light
That could not otherwise be seen
By those who sit in darkness—
To demonstrate who he is
By being like he is
And doing as he does.
His glory can be denied, but it cannot be hidden.
Though his robes be stripped from him,
And his crown of light exchanged for a crown of thorns,
The extension of his arm cast aside as a thing of naught—
Yet his throne remains, everlastingly unchanged;
Established by his righteousness,
Which cannot be taken away by another
Nor overcome by anything.
Through his holy life he showed:
The reason, the extent, and the outcome
Of what those who love him must suffer,
Following the example of Alpha and Omega
Who loved us first, and will love us last.
Let every one of his uncountable creations proclaim:
Blessing, honor, glory, and power
To the Lamb that sits upon the throne, forever.