I thought that I would try something different for my devotionals this week. I have a passing interest in poetry; I don’t read much, but what I have read has had an impact on me. As a result, I thought that I would share some of the poems that have meant something to me over the years. The Bible is, of course, rammed full with poetry but I want to spend most of the week looking at how our faith in Jesus can speak into the situations highlighted in poems.
Children’s poetry never interested me much and Ted Hugh’s ‘Thought Fox’ poem is the first poem that I can remember engaging with, at round the age of 16. Take a read…
Thought fox is about the poet looking for inspiration while sat alone at night with just a ticking clock for company. The fox, real or imagined, becomes the muse and the poet is able to complete his poem. I can really identify with this need. I usually find that when I am preparing a sermon, or indeed a school lesson, I need to have a main point. Once I have that, I am away, but until that time I flounder around.
For us, as Christians, the question becomes where do we look for inspiration? Where do we go for our Thought Fox? If you are stuck for inspiration, perhaps sitting alone late at night, Satan may offer you any number of motivational ideas. We need to make sure that our inspiration comes from God. We need to ensure that our musing and our muses are right and godly. A daily diet of prayer and scripture is the answer here.
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2 [NIV}
For prayer.. Talk to God about where you find inspiration. Are you getting it from a holy and healthy place?
John Martin-Jones
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