The Poetry of Mark Daniel Milbocker 
Fear of the Lord

To fear You, oh Lord!
Please teach me...

Oh Lord in Your Mercy,
Hedge in my heart
from without.
Send Your Chariots to
encircle my will
to render me open to
Your Word.

In the silence of my submission
may i hear Your Words 
of love that speak of
death, a reechoing sword
of true piercing
within me
deeply.

Inspire in me the holy fear
You desire, heal me of my 
pride, reveal in me Your Truth
that i may see beyond myself
through my image of You
into the mystery of Your Being -
a most awesome and mighty God.

Do i fail to sense Your Justice
for the warmth of Your Mercy.
Where is Your Wrath, when all
i see is Your Kindness?
What is hell, when 
all i dream of is Your Heaven?

How can i imagine not having You,
when You so graciously rain on
the wicked and righteous alike?
How can i see the wage of my sin,
when You have pulled me from my pit.

Though i knew my death in the darkness
of night, where is its sting when You
reveal the new dawn?  Even the pain of
my blackness begets hope by Your Hand
that reveals a deep longing from within
the brokenness of my weakness.

Yet, show me Your Displeasure
that i may weep for my grieving You
and thus wash away my sadness into
the joy of Your Pleasure.

Though, i find hope in my compunction,
Help me attend to Your Voice
which beckons me to grow onward,
that i may see with what patience
You endure my lack of zeal for holiness.

If i truly love You, oh Lord,
how could i bear to add another spike
to Your Heart?  How could i push the
thorn deeper into Your Flesh, when You
already bleed fully over me?
With what strength does my hand 
pierce You? - only the pride of satan.

And yet i see only life pouring forth
in Your Body and Blood, only Mercy effused.
Teach me to see the death of sin,
to know the wrath of a lover wounded,
who speaks a scourge of truth, to sever
what causes His Heart to ache, never
wishing to sever His beloved.

Speak to me of Justice, that i might
honor and revere You, 
holding Your Name sacred.

Perhaps, then, my sin may dry up,
even if by fear, so that i will not
offend You who deserves no offense.

Then, on the final day, 
when Your Judgement is revealed,
and all that fails to love You
is cut away from Your Heart,
i may be found Your Faithful Servant,
the spark of Your Love having found
a home in my heart,
that i might be a source of Your Delight.
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©1993 Mark Daniel Milbocker  All rights reserved.