Awaken My Senses

May is flying by. With gardening season here, and the end of the school year approaching, I have a million things to do. That is my explanation for not posting anything new on my blog all week. It is also the reason I decided to look up a poem I wrote a few years back. After reading it, I decided to share it with all of you.

I was studying A.W. Tozer’s The Pursuit of God at the time, when I came across this passage, “We apprehend the physical world by exercising the faculties given us for that purpose, and we possess spiritual faculties by means of which we can know God and the spiritual world if we will obey the Spirit’s urge and begin to use them.”

The entire chapter surrounding that passage deals with how our physical senses are constantly engaged, allowing little opportunity for us to recognize or cultivate our spiritual senses. Sadly, some Christians never do.

As I contemplated and cultivated my spiritual senses, I searched the Bible for scriptures. Finally, I decided to write the following prayer poem. When life gets crazy like it is right now in the middle of May, I like to pull out this poem and breathe in the fragrance of my Savior. As He becomes more tangible, the daily stuff of life somehow seems a lot less pressing.

You don't mind if I combine this poem with "Thankful Thursday," do you? Since I am to be thankful for five things, I can easily say that I am thankful for my five senses, both physical and spiritual. Wait. That would be more than five. Why can't I ever seem to stay within the limit? Maybe it's because God's blessings are limitless!!



Awaken My Senses

Your fragrance is the very air I breathe,
O my God,
Emanating from Your being
An aroma sweet and pure
Like baking bread,
Aloe,
Lilacs,
Lavender,
And myrrh;
O my God,
Let Your sweet aroma fill me.

Your beauty is delightfully revealed,
O my God,
Radiating from Your presence
An awesome, glorious sight
Like rare gemstones,
Rainbows,
Fire,
Angel wings,
And light;
O my God,
Let Your lovely vision thrill me.

Your melody is soothing to my ears,
O my God,
Sung in quiet strains accompanied
By the music of the earth
Like gurgling brooks,
Locust,
Bullfrogs,
Ocean waves,
And mirth;
O my God,
Let Your comforting voice still me.

Your taste is sweeter to my mouth than wine,
O my God,
Springing from an endless fountain
So my hungry soul is fed
With honey, milk,
Manna,
Water,
Vegetables,
And bread;
O my God,
Let Your living food instill me.

Your touch incites a longing in my breast,
O my God,
Everlasting arms enfold me;
They’re my solace and my peace
Like warmth of sun,
Babies,
Blankets,
Rose petals,
And fleece;
O my God,
Let Your loving touch fulfill me.

Shake my senses from their long-extended sleep,
O my God,
Train them how to recognize You;
Let me learn of You so much
By Your fragrance,
Beauty,
Flavor,
Speaking voice,
And touch;
O my God,
Send Your Spirit now to will me.

Here are the accompanying scriptures I had in mind for each stanza.


Stanza 1

Psalm 45:8 All your robes are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia; from palaces adorned with ivory the music of the strings makes you glad. (NIV)

Stanza 2

Psalm 27:4 One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. (NIV)

Stanza 3

Psalm 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. (NIV)

Revelation 3:20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and He with me. (NIV)

Stanza 4

Psalm 34:8 Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. (NIV)

Stanza 5

I Samuel 10:26 Samuel also went to his home in Gibeah, accompanied by valiant men whose hearts God had touched. (NIV)
Deuteronomy 33:27a The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.(NIV)

Stanza 6

Psalm 51:6 Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. (NIV)