Morning reflections: More than my necessary food

This verse was, in part, the inspiration for a poem with the last five words as its title.

This morning as I began my time of prayer and meditation, I opened up a Bible that was given to me prior to my being drafted into the Army in 1967 in the midst of the Vietnam War. The members of my home church Carter Chapel C.M.E Church in Gary, Indiana presented this small Bible with a zipper and with my name embossed in gold on the front along with the words “Holy Bible.” The zipper has pulled away from the binding and has not worked for years, and the first two letters of my name are barely visible with the rest of the letters having long since been worn away.

As I opened to Genesis, the first few pages were missing as well as the pages where I recall there was an inscription. The first pages are not only worn and discolored from notes that were written in ink that has not blurred the frayed pages, but the edges of some of the pages have been eaten away by some kind of microscopic insect or parasite. As I look at this particular Bible, my mind is flooded with wonderful memories of my tour of duty in the military when I became more keenly aware of the presence of God in my life, as I was introduced to reading and studying the Scriptures in a much deeper way than previously. As I reflected upon that significant period in my life, I was inspired to write this poem.

More than My Necessary Food

“Who stole the cookie out the cookie jar?”

  Childhood Song

Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips;

I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.

Job 23:12

In thinking of God’s goodness over the years, I found

A cherished Bible received almost fifty years ago

When I met God through His Word, an encounter profound

And life-changing, as I recall the debt that I owe

To the members of my home church who expressed their love

With this precious gift that from constant use is so worn.

I open and find missing pages and some of

Them eaten away, devoured by a strange bookworm.

Like that insect, I found God’s Word and I did eat it,

And it was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart:

A child who steals the cookie with delight, I admit

I consumed it, hiding it in my heart’s deepest part.

Looking back, I have tasted and seen that God is good

And esteemed His Word more than my necessary food.

The poem opens with the lines from a children’s song that I recall singing way back in the 1960s. The Jeynetts offer a lively version of this children’s song sung so often at church camps or during pre-school activities or at other times when children gather.

As I completed the poem I also recalled the lyrics to an original song that I composed when I coordinated a children’s summer program ten years ago and used music as a means of memorizing scripture.

Psalm 34:8 inspired the lyrics to a scripture memory song “Oh, Taste and See.”

Oh, Taste and See

Chorus:

Oh, taste and see, see that the Lord is good, so good.

Blessed is the man that puts his trust in Him.

Verse 1

Partake of the Word of God,

Taste and see that it is good.

It will fill you up

More than any kind of food.

(Chorus)

Verse 2

Partake of the Word of God,

Let it richly dwell within.

It will help you grow.

It’s better than a vitamin.

(Chorus)

Verse 3

Partake of the Word of God,

Read the Word and put God first.

It will feed your soul

And satisfy your thirst.

(Chorus)

Oh, taste and see, see that the Lord is good, so good.

Blessed is the man that puts his trust in Him.

The Chicago Mass Choir offer another spirited rendering of a song entitled “O Taste and See”:

I thought I would share some of my reflective thoughts in another compounded recipe from Dr. J’s Apothecary Shoppe, my 100th blog entry.

Tags: Bible, Cookie jar, Job 23:12, Psalm 34:8, Word of God