I was at one of Matt Papa’s concerts recently. As the piano gently sang beneath his fingers, he thoughtfully looked at the crowd and spoke: “One of the fundamental things everyone desires is to be known and to be loved. If you’re known, but not loved, that’s rejection; if you’re loved, but not known, that’s sentimentality…The world tells us a different story – that the way up is success. But Christians have the only God who came down to us…Don’t place  your happiness in something you can lose.” With these words in mind, I penned this poem.  Jesus really is The Ultimate Joy. “To be both known and loved,” Matt said, looking from the piano to us, ” – that’s heaven.” Jesus Is our Heaven.

 

Though oft in dreams I did confide, my heart was not yet satisfied,

and gold and jewels and silver things allured me to their shadowed rings

of endless search and endless pride, and still I was not satisfied.

 

A  better thing I would have sought if there were such that money bought,

the faire commenced, the song was sung, and I still yet remain undone.

A thousand endless aims I’ve thought, but joy within cannot be bought.

 

I’ve traveled far, I’ve journeyed long, but still I fall beneath my wrong

of guilt fain ever by my side, in highest hopes I, trembling, lied

that these would satisfy the long-adorning, ever-grasping wrong.

 

Amiss I’ve guessed, and still my heart will not from verdict just depart:

condemned I stand before a King who knows the whole of everything,

yet then He speaks, the Blood is shed, the chains are loosed, my guilt has fled,

and I in awe fall to my knees – the Righteous One had heard my pleas

before I cried, His Son had bled

to right my wrong

and raise the dead

in e’er blessed journey now we tread –

He came to die – A King of Stars gave life for dead and life imparts

for by His might a Sword arose and cast asunder hellish foes –

and death, defeated, bowed its head, undone by Might of Son, it fled.

The Blood of Man, The Glory of King – to this Dear Lord we ransomed sing.