The Quest

… one thing I do,

Forgetting those things which are behind

And reaching forward to those things which are ahead,

I press toward the goal for the upward prize

Of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Philipians 3:13-14

Journeying

Blessed is the man whose strength is in You,

Whose heart is set on pilgrimage.

As they pass through the valley of Baca,

They make it a spring;

The rain also covers it with pools.

They go from strength to strength;

Each one appears before God in Zion

Psalm 84:5-7

Self-Discovery

Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks. “But he said, “I will not let You go unless you bless me!” So he said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob.” And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.” Genesis 32:24-28

Reward

But without faith

it is impossible to please Him,

For he who comes to God

must believe that He is,

And that He is a rewarder

of those who diligently seek Him.

Hebrews 11:6

The Queen of Sheba

Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions. She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels that bore spices, very much gold, and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was in her heart. So Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing so difficult for the king that he could not explain it to her. And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food on his table, the seating of his servants, the service of his waiters and their apparel, his cupbearers, and his entryway by which he went up to the house of the Lord, there was no more spirit in her – 1 Kings 10:1-5

Journeying, seeking, discovering, finding, valuing. That is what a quest is all about. A quest begins with a noble question, a noble desire to discover the answer to some grand truth or ideal. A quest is about journeying, about daring to venture beyond what you know, to cross a panoramic sweep of varying landscapes, to grapple with rugged challenges, to link heart and soul with like-minded adventurers, to galloping pound the earth as you race towards the ultimate prize before the hourglass drains its last grain of sand. A quest is that daring and desperate search for a legendary gem, an ancient code – a golden key to unlock and decode timeless mysteries and wonders. A quest is bound by codes of honour which mirror the truth of that jeweled prize. A quest is the joy of a perfect answer to perfected heroes and heroines – a gold-gilded ending to a trilogy tale.

When the queen of Sheba sought out King Solomon, she embarked upon a quest. Clearly what was deeply inspiring for the queen was not his power, but the source of Solomon’s wisdom – the Lord Himself. So in all the grandeur of her state visit, she was really after one thing, the answer to one question – who is this God that you serve, Solomon? She donned her finest robes, loaded her camel trains with dignitary gifts and then braved unforgiving desert heat and dangers to fill her heart with treasures worth far more than the fragrant spices and sparkling gems which she offered her kingly counterpart. This was a lady of class who was consumed by profound issues of life and eternal matters of faith. Though she was a queen, power was not her ultimate prize. Indeed royal position and human might was but a mirage. She understood that kingdoms may rise and fall, and that life would ebb and flow, but that in the midst of the undulating landscape of life, that wisdom is the principle thing – and that if she could find the source of all wisdom, that she would find the secret to life and eternity.

Clearly she was not taken with only Solomon’s wisdom, but also with the royal structures and kingly protocol which the depth and breadth of his understanding allowed him to build and create. So she was a woman of not only probing questions, but also keen observation; much like Solomon who was able to find parallels principles between the natural world and spiritual truth. She was able to study the detail of his home (how he built his personal philosophies), the elegance of his servants’ robes (their loyalty to Kingdom values), the beauty of the order in which they served him (the pattern, designs and principles of God) and the sumptuous fare (the richness of God’s Word) and see something of God’s nature. In the end, her propensity to probe, courage of conviction, sense of nobility and taste for adventure, bestowed upon her the greatest gift – a sighting of God Himself, the Highest Royalty and Guardian of all Truth.

The queen of Sheba’s state visit was perhaps one of the most honourable of its kind. She peeled away the pomp and pretension of power, and ran her fingers through a treasure chest of glittering wonder – the glorious glow of God’s truth and the fragrant beauty of Kingdom life. She joyously cupped the springs of life which flowed from within Solomon and drank deeply of his sparkling insight. For therein she found the gift of life and the answer to all her heart – the great King whom Solomon served – God Himself.

Solomon's Treasure

Solomon’s Treasure

Warm gold, perfumed spices,

Winking gems from Sheban fleets

Escort a silky palanquin

Brave mirage and desert steam

Rich parcels, camel high

Trail through sweet palm-bordered pools

Then snake across Arabian nights

On highest quest for rarest jewel

…

The graceful queen in flowing gowns

Admired Solomon’s treasure

Silver plates, golden crowns

Servants for his pleasure

She drew her breath and bowed down low

To the king who stood before her

Such beauty I have never known

What truly awesome grandeur!

At length the royal two

Over varied matters poured

Stately matters, natural wonders

Their ancient world explored

A keen mind probed the kingly host

With questions as she pleased

He answered every tricky time

With quick, insightful ease

The marvelling lady finally asked

What tickled at her brain

I see behind your knowledge vast

A grace I long to gain!

The wise king gave a knowing smile

A sparkle in his eyes

Then looked intently at the queen

Began to eulogise:

Though youth reigns in this earthly frame

I walk an ancient path

With footprints of great men who came

Made light my pilgrim task

To find true wisdom, birthed of God

Crafted from of old

Brought forth ‘ere creation’s dawn

Prince upon ken’s throne

Abraham bequeathed to us

A vast and boundless Faith

Childless, old and bent down low

Never toppled from his base

He stood firm on Promises

That came from God Most High

That this aged man should have a son

The Lord did not deny

Enter Jacob who even dared

To wrestle hard with God

All night long they grappled, strained

Until the break of dawn

The crooked man was truly bent

On that one, true thing of worth

A touch from God that brought a limp

Reversed his Name from birth

Forget not great grandmother Ruth

That queenly Moabite sage

Clung to Naomi, would not let go

‘Til penned upon the Page

She bade farewell to all her folk

Journeyed far to distant land

Sweet honour outwit bitter fate

God couched her in His hand

I fondly recall my father

Mighty warrior and king

Nobility crowned his daring life

God’s Favour ushered him

He loved the Lord with all his might

Not a dram did he withhold

Passion flamed, wrenching came

Dross stained not the gold

These ancient portraits guide me

As the rudders of my fleet

I have pondered long and hard

Their values rich and deep

So cease to gaze, my regal friend

At the splendour laid before you

Set your sails upon the course

Of these living, breathing statutes

The queen fell silent, truly dazed

Challenged to the core

If a Moabite can have this Faith

My heart need not be sore

She thanked her host with graceful bow

A tingle deep within

I’ve found a crystal spring of life

The God of this great king!

©NnekaEdwards2001

Wisdom Creates

I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,

And find out knowledge and discretion …

The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way,

Before His works of old …

When he prepared the heavens, I was there …

When He marked out the foundations of the earth,

Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman

Proverbs 8:12, 22, 27, 29, 30

The Queen of Sheba sought out King Solomon for his great wisdom. Wisdom is not only a godly quality, but also a creative tool. Wisdom conceives what is yet to be and brings it forth. Yet wisdom not only creates, but also builds up. Just think of Solomon. The first thing which consumed his thoughts when he assumed kingship was the building of a temple for God. Metaphorically speaking, just like any building project, the creative process has a beginning, middle and end – a starting point, mid-travel route, and a destination. So exploring creativity is essentially a journey of sorts.

At its very core, I might add, true wisdom is defined by both creativity and nobility of purpose. What I create should be useful and ultimately beneficial or edifying. Also when we consider the minute precision with which God designed the natural world – the lined patterns of a leaf, the artistry of a flower, the bright plumage of a bird – we understand that creativity is also about detail. So wisdom carefully and precisely designs what is good, noble, and of beneficial use all within a high sense of aesthetics.

Poetry is a wonderful example of what a creative process – a journey - is like. Of course, the principles described above could apply to any creative work, but I’ll stick with what I’m familiar with and what I’m passionate about, which is (blow bugle) … poetry! I’ll just briefly share what my creative process was like for Solomon’s Treasure, so that you can enjoy ‘seeing’ creativity at work and decide if it won’t also work for you.

Solomon’s Treasure

Solomon’s Treasure was written in 2001 when my church launched private websites where members could post their thoughts about teachings, our personal process or just about anything relevant or topical. I had not written any poetry since high school, but I decided to write Solomon’s Treasure after reading a beautiful poem written by our pastor’s daughter, Nicola. Out of my imagination and some very deliberate idea sketching, I decided to write something about my favourite Bible characters through the voice of Solomon.

I worked out what characters I was going to focus on – Abraham, Jacob, Ruth and David – and placed them in chronological order as they appear in the Bible. I then sat down and started writing. If I remember correctly, I jotted it down on paper first and then re-typed it on our computer. It didn’t take long to write my basic initial draft, which showed some definite promise.

 

Once I completed my first draft, my sister (Karla) read it over and offered a suggestion for changing the line about Jacob from “There was Jacob …” to “Enter Jacob ...”. That teeny change made a huge difference, adding a sense of drama to that particular line, and to the introductory part of my description of Jacob. My poetry mentor at the time (Pat) also read the poem. She encouraged me to keep on writing, expressing real delight with what I had written, and then she too suggested editorial changes. “Why do you say that David didn’t hold back an “ounce.”? That’s not true Bible language so it doesn’t really fit.” In the end I changed, “Not an ounce did he withhold” to “Not a dram did he withhold.”

About a year later, I sent a whole pile of my poems to Dr. P. Morgan – a professor at UWI (The University of the West Indies) – for her professional feedback. She, too, while very encouraging, also made a few key suggestions. She explained that my verses should really be of even length (which they weren’t at the time), that my rhyme scheme and rhythm should remain consistent unless I wanted to mark a change or turning point in the piece, and that diction (choosing appropriate words whose meaning fit exactly) was very important; based on which, I made some major changes to the poem, adding one or two verses, changing quite a few lines, and adding the introductory verse which describes the queen setting off on her journey.

So, in this particular poem, my creative process was very much a shared process where I had some significant input (and encouragement) from other people who know a thing or two about poetry. It was also a piece of writing inspired wholly by my imagination. That is no longer the case with many of my poems. I still write poems out of my own deliberate planning and thinking, but since 2002, and especially since 2004 or 2005, I am often inspired by thoughts which come directly from God. Sometimes I ‘see’ or sense images which I interpret and string into poems. Sometimes I hear one or two lines playing in my head and, again, string them out into a poem. Sometimes, I ‘see’ animated images which I try to capture in verse.

I always pay careful attention to my wording, often keeping the thesaurus of dictionary.com very handy. If a word doesn’t seem to fit even by a millimetre I try to find something that would be a pluck-fit! Sometimes I make up words or coin phrases just to say exactly what I want to say. The more I write and practise, the more this comes naturally because I know what I can get away with and what I can’t. In selecting just the right word, I also consider the consistency of the rhyme scheme (if there is one … not all poetry rhymes) and (Dr. Morgan would be proud) diction.

I don’t really consider a poem complete until it’s absolutely perfect. I tweak and tweak until it is, sometimes going through as many as twenty-something drafts. On the occasion, as the proverbial image goes, lots of crumpled ‘paper’ gets chucked in the waste basket. So while poems may be short, and they may sometimes look as if they took very little effort (and sometimes they really do flow very easily … but then again, sometimes they don’t), they actually require a lot of skill, patience, persistence, taste and craftsmanship because writing a poem is way more than just making words rhyme.

 

I love writing poetry and I love being creative, which is a gift from God. God created a beautiful planet with a special design defining everything that He has made. God created me and you. He took great care and crafted in surgical detail to make the unique you and me that we are. He designed us with nobility and beauty in mind because we are meant to be a gift to others. He also gifts each one of us with some form of creativity whether as scientists, administrators, artists, medical practitioners or whatever we may be. Creativity is part of the beauty of reflecting who God is. Discovering the gift of creativity which God has crafted into each one of us is a personal journey as unique as you or I. Seeking out the God who generously bestows these gifts is a worthy quest – an adventure unlike any other!

Joie Journal: Highly Human

Dear Diary,

When I sometimes think about life, and about my life in particular, I can’t help but think that I really want to make the most of the little time that I have been granted on this planet; and when I think about life, I can’t help but think about the Bible and the panorama of personalities that populate its pages. I see there a broad representation of people, but a very narrow band of outcomes. People either please God or they don’t; as simple as that. So when I think of all the varied characters which feature in God’s Word, I can’t help but think of people I admire like Abraham, Noah, Enoch, Ruth, and David. They were incredible people who impressed God with their simple faith and obedience, and … they were people just like me, encased within all the fragility of human nature. 

I muse … Abraham was the father of faith and a friend of God. So why can’t I be a friend of God too (it’s in our gene pool)? Noah built a boat and was a righteous man in his generation. Why can’t I shine like a star in the darkness of my times? Enoch walked with God and then was no more because God spirited him away. Why can’t I walk with God with intense loyalty and attract keenly divine interest? Ruth found God in the midst of famine and family distress. Why can’t I find God in the midst of personal crisis and find possibilities where life says they do not exist? David was a man of courage and nobility – a truly poetic character who lived through heart-break, heartache and endless hostility. Why can’t I scale any and every wall with my God and let God make a poem of my life? What can stop me? Nothing. Who can deny me? No one. As long as I make the right choices (even if it initially wrings my heart), I will find God and His favour.

I choose to be more than base clay. There’s human and then there’s human. There are heroes and heroines who have journeyed through life with God in great nobility of spirit and left a legacy for me and for many more. Their footsteps are the path I follow.

Ennobling My Soul

O Lord, thank you for the nobility of the Kingdom. I thank You for this noble quest called The Faith. It is a journey of great honour that only those of true courage and daring are worthy to call their own. I choose to believe you, I choose to obey you, I am determined to lay hold of you and not let you go. I will grapple with You like my father, Jacob, and not let You go until You bless me and change my name. I will not let You go. I will journey from what I have always known and who I have always been, to a better place – to a place that You will show me; I echo the faith of that heroine, Ruth. Where You go I will go. Your people will be my people, and where You stay, there I will stay! I only go where I know I will find You and there I will dwell. Though I am clay and I am human, I know that You have designed me to be a vessel of honour. Fill me with the best of who You are. Let me be like my father, David, who fought the mighty and prevailed, who was a man of excellence, who walked in a spirit of honour and nobility, who was a king long before he assumed the throne. Cause me to be a person of honour like Enoch who set his heart to walk in your ways, to stay his course through the boundlessness of time and eternity. I choose to live like Noah, who was a righteous man in his generation; I choose to please you. I choose to seek after you. I choose to believe you even when I do not fully understand. Let the glory of your goodness be engraved in my very being with all the patterns of who You are. Give me strength for my battles! Give me wisdom to outsmart the odds which have arrayed themselves against me! Let my spirit be weighty and my soul full of honour and nobility. Be honoured in my life, God, for you are honourable. Make me worthy of your favour. Let my valley of Baca, my valley of sorrow become a watered place – a place of springs – as I journey on in You!