Bible: 5 Poetic Books

Lesson 3: Psalms, part one: POSITIVE Power and Passion

Inspiration and activities

Throughout this unit on positive emotions in Psalms, we've seen many powerful symbols that point out what a blessing we have in God: the harp, the palm tree, and the fortress are just a few.

Take time to make a list of powerful symbols in the Bible. Then use those symbols in a powerful poem of praise and thanksgiving.

I'll give a few symbols, and a sample poem of my own to give you an idea:

Rock—the Rock, or the Rock of Israel is Christ Jesus, the solid foundation upon which we must build our faith. Rock can also make us think of a person’s hard heart which must be broken or softened to make room for God. Finally, rock provides a solid foundation for us to build on. It is not shifting sand, which is easily swept away. If our faith is firm, we will always have God in our lives.

Water—Again, water can be Christ Jesus, who provides water for our soul. When we thirst, we seek to quench ourselves with water—Jesus, and God’s Word. On the other hand, false teachers, in a few sections of the Bible, are referred to as “waterless clouds”.

Earth—Earth can represent the “dirt of the earth” , the earthly concerns of people compared to the heavenly concerns of God. Remember that Adam, the first man, was created from the dust of the earth, and the elements present in our bodies may all be found in nature. In this way, it can also be a symbol of us as God’s creation.

Heart—The heart is what circulates your blood; it’s what “gets you going”. If your heart is devoted to God, you live out and are active in Him and in His Word. A hard heart indicates an unwillingness to accept God or His Word. Hard hearts must be broken for us to be able to receive God’s blessing.

Streams—Streams indicate a flow. Streams are not ponds; they are not static. Instead they move and flow and affect what is around them. Over time, streams can wear down the hardest of materials; we’ve all seen the powerful effects of erosion that water can have on stone. In this way, we are to be active in our faith so that we positively affect our environment, carving out a godly world!

Now here's what I did with these symbols:

The Conversion

Even the stones drip.

You see souls swimming inside, they give themselves to You. The hardest heart gives way, gives, sways, until it cracks and gives up Living Water.

We met that way. How I resisted.

My cold granite face rejected your hand. I affected love, deflected love. Your love found an opening and powered inside me, fracturing resistance, crumbling contempt. Then out flowed Living Water.

But I was only one pebble, one stone from the rock pile.

Changed, transformed, part of a flowing fluid that washes clean, wears away at others, wears to sway others, carving out more souls with Living Water.

I see I'm not the only miracle.

Small streams converge, form a rushing river, slamming the land, and the sound in my ears is a rocking crack of cracking rock.

Earth gives way to Living Water.

Now write your own poem.

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