Poem November 13, 1995 Issue

If I could rewrite the Bible

Larry K. Wojno

If I could rewrite the Bible,
would I outline an easier plan?

Would I move the scene to Tahiti
instead of a rock-ribbed desert land?

Would I have Saul travel to Damascus
in a late-model turbo sedan?

Or have old Jonah's finger
merely stuck in a tuna fish can?

If I could rewrite the Bible,
would I change what the stories say?

Turn all the tears and struggle and chastening
into a trivial comedy play?

No, I can't rewrite the Bible. It stands there,
a fait accompli—

To teach us
dominion over turbulent beliefs
(unstable sea of conflicting ideas)
that challenge us on every hand;

To spotlight
the rock of salvation upon which
we can sturdily stand;

To guide us
through difficult moments with
inspired chapter and verse;

To show no matter how bad the things we face,
they can be dispelled—lives bettered, not worse;

To prove
that God's power to help us
is not just some lame theory or myth
but practical help every moment,
to assure that each human need is met.

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

How God speaks to us through the Bible

November 13, 1995

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