Glimpses of His Kingdom, by Ben Shaw

Here's a gift: a poem written by high school student Ben Shaw. .

Glimpses of His Kingdom

Have you ever stopped to listen,

To the evening crickets chirp,

Or watched the stars that glisten,

Or smelled the fresh spring dirt?

Have you ever walked a forest green,

In the cool of the day,

Or sang a holy song to God,

In a field smelling of fresh cut hay?

Have you ever let the warm spring wind,

Fill your heart with peace,

Or laughed with cold, crisp air,

That comes with Autumn leaves?

Have you ever sat in the snow,

On a winter night frosty chill,

When the only sound is your foot-fall,

And the entire world is still?

Have you ever felt the love in fathers hug,

Or the joy of an child’s embrace,

Have you wrestled your best friend to the ground,

Or seen the breath-taking smile from a beautiful girl’s face?

Have you ever run as fast you can.

To fall laughing in the summer grass,

Or lain amid the dandelions,

And watched the clouds go past?

Have you ever listened to the music,

That violins and fiddles sing,

The music moves as a thing that lives,

And sets us all to joyful weeping.

Have you ever danced in the rain,

Till the water ran down in streams,

Have you ever let the thunder shake you,

Or felt the lightning scream?

Have you ever burst out in laughter fierce,

Or let you soul leap to song,

Have you ever longed for purifying tears,

When the world seems all wrong?

Have you ever held your breath,

While you watch the sunset fire,

Or drank water so clear and pure,

It quenches all desire?

Do you know that without God,

These blessings are bread unleavened,

For without his truth you will not know,

These things are glimpses of heaven!

Have you ever felt or seen,

Something better than the best,

It leapt deep down inside you,

But words could not express?

Have you ever felt these things,

Of which I try to describe,

The thrilling shout of victory,

At the top of the mountain climb?

Have you ever felt these things and pondered,

“Are they of this world, or perhaps more?”

There is a deepness there that reason cannot bind,

These are glimpses of our lord!

He made the dirt, the sky, the sun, the rain,

He made the moon to shine,

He gave you family and friends to love,

He made the awesome mountains for you to climb!

His hands once shaped the stars,

In the farthest reaches of space,

He gave you lungs to laugh,

And he made that girl’s beautiful face.

“So, why?” You ask, “Do these joys seem,

To be something more than they are?”

These blessings aren’t just notes of song,

They are more than just glittering stars.

These joys are far, far more,

Than what they seem to be,

They’re a part of God’s true kingdom,

They are the parts of his heaven he lets us see!

This goodness felt by us,

In the deepest of our bones,

They’re glimpses of heaven on earth,

Set here by God, who’s sitting on his throne!

So remember, the next time spring brings you peace,

Or you laugh with the wind from the southern bends,

Remember these are given us by God,

With them he shows us, death is not the end!

These blessings give us hope,

Until the end of time,

When all these joys are fulfilled,

According to the Lord’s design!

As lofty as this sounds,

The truth is entirely plain,

These simple joys show you heaven on earth,

So, I ask you once again.

Have you ever stopped to listen,

To the evening crickets chirp,

Or watched the stars that glisten,

Or smelled the fresh spring dirt?