Here is part three of my Holy Week reflection on the Songs of the Servant.
SONG 4: Is 49:1-3
Hear me, O islands,
listen, O distant peoples.
The Lord called me from birth,
from my mother’s womb he gave me my name.
He made of me a sharp-edged sword
and concealed me in the shadow of his arm.
He made me a polished arrow,
in his quiver he hid me.
You are my servant, he said to me,
Israel, through whom I show my glory.
POEM
My vision is lifted to great heights
To behold all that which
Is beyond the horizon.
In the distance my eyes
Look upon that great tribes
And nations that populate the earth.
I call out to them, and though
So very far away, they hear me
As clear as if they were by my side,
For it is not my voice they hear,
But that of the voice of I AM within me.
It is Your voice, I AM,
Your gentle voice that coaxed me
Out of the womb of the earth;
Your voice, warm and sonorous,
That bestowed upon me my name.
Your voice dwells within me,
Like a beautiful melody from
Which I will never tire.
It is You, I AM, who raised me,
Taught me, hid me
And protected me,
And honed and sharpened my skills,
Like that of the finest sword,
Fashioned from the metal in the earth.
Placed in Your quiver,
I await, like that of a polished arrow,
Ready to be launched
From the archer’s bow,
To bring Your glory to
All nations and all tribes of the earth.
(c) 2022, by Robert C Wagner. All rights reserved.
