Faith

Faith smells a flower in winter,

when all is dormant and dead;

Sees beyond tangible darkness

a glorious sunrise instead;

Hears through the jangle of hatred

the jubilant song of a bird;

Feels through the heartbreak of sorrow

the comfort of God's loving Word;

Tastes in a bitter experience

the sweetness of Daily Bread;

Feasts, through the deserts of wandering,

if God's living Manna it's fed.

Only through great tribulation

will faith find eternal reward;

Suffering is God's confirmation

that faith has, indeed, made Him Lord.

Faith is the present and future

all bound up in one thriving soul--

Power to take what life gives you

and virtue to turn it to gold.

--CJW--