SO FAR AND YET SO NEAR Reflective Poem

SO FAR AND YET SO NEAR

For so long, my Lord, your ways I have been pondering,

But it all escapes my grasp and just leaves me wondering.

You are so far beyond the grasp of my heart and mind,

That, Lord, unless You show me, Your ways I'll never find.

Reflect: The Lord is so far above me in His thoughts and ways.  Sometimes it seems that the more I seek Him, the harder He is to find.  Write about what discourages you from seeking the Lord, or what this stanza means to you.

It seems that there's so little which I can clearly sense.

But I am humbled now as I see Your transcendence.

For You always seem to escape my narrow vision; 

My mind and heart are clouded by darkness and confusion.

Reflect: Not only is the Lord beyond all things, but my human ways are full of weakness. My mind and understanding need help to understand the Lord, and I need the Holy Spirit to break through the clouds.  Write about what this means to you.

Lord, I cannot find that evasive truth for which I yearn, 

For with my own faculties Your ways are so hard to discern.

How can I clearly understand the words You are speaking?

Lord, how can I ever find this truth that I am seeking?

Reflect: I am overwhelmed by my search for the Lord. I am discouraged by my faults and weaknesses. I know that even at my best, His ways are far beyond my ways.  Write about what holds you back from understanding God.

So how can I recognize You through this obscurity? 

I wonder how I can know anything with true clarity.

How can I have faith in You if my mind is filled with doubt?

How can I know Your will unless You cast this darkness out?

Reflect: With all the wandering and searching, now I am starting to doubt that I will ever find the truth about God. I am so small compared to His vastness. I am beginning to know that only with His help can the darkness be dispelled.  Write about what this means to you.

I fear not that there is no “absolute” truth to find –

I know there is meaning beyond the grasp of my mind.

I fear not that I’ll lose myself in searching for the truth –

I fear only losing You in these wanderings of my youth.

Reflect:  Here I admit that I do not doubt there is a higher truth in God.  I know that God is bigger and beyond my grasp.  But I am afraid I will get lost on the journey.  Write about feeling lost in your search for God.

My Lord, Your thoughts and Your ways are so far above me;

The only thing I clearly see is how deeply You love me.

Still I look for a deeper meaning and some other will.

Then you say: “is not My love enough for you? Peace, be still.”

Reflect: In these final lines, I continue pleading for the Lord to help me find Him.  The only thing I know for sure is that He loves me. Then He answers out of the darkness and stills my soul with love. Love was the answer all along. Write about how this poem moves you.