Bridge Builders

"But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy…”
                                                        Jude 1:20-23 

 

As I waited on the Lord for this month’s blog this month, the poem below came to my attention. Jesus was the ultimate bridge builder, his purpose throughout the generations to reconcile humanity to the Father God and release them into His eternal love.  According to Google this poem was written by Will Allen Dromgoole and thought to have been published in 1900.

 

The Bridge Builder

An old man going a lone highway
Came at the evening, cold and grey,
To a chasm vast and deep and wide,
Through which was flowing a sullen tide.

The old man crossed in the twilight dim;
The sullen stream had no fear for him;
But he turned, when safe on the other side,
And built a bridge to span the tide.

"Old man", said a fellow pilgrim, near,
"You are wasting strength with building here;
Your journey will end with the ending day;
You never again will pass this way;
You've crossed the chasm, deep and wide-
Why build you this bridge at the evening tide?"

The builder lifted his old grey head:
"Good friend, in the path I have come", he said,
"There followeth after me today,
A youth, whose feet must pass this way.

This chasm, that has been naught to me,
To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be.
He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;
Good friend, I am building this bridge for him".

 

This seems very apt with our Queen laid to rest two days ago.  A woman who lived her life as a bridge builder to the Lord, and across the nations to the peoples of this world. She was the personification of what it is to walk with the Lord in His love, not judging, but seeing the best in people.   

 

King Charles has decreed he too will be defender of the Christian faith, bringing me to ask the Lord to honour that pledge in an even greater way than He did for the Queen.  Our mandate from King Jesus is to build that bridge between heaven and earth so His Kingdom can come and His will be done. Each of us are living stones being built into a spiritual house, and on earth we are the bridge, in our case as writers with an ability to reveal the love of God. And, I see a new generation rising inspired by the Lord to be bridges in their lives. 

 

Since this decade began the whole world has, and is being shaken.  There is a need to work together to build those bridges across the churning waters of life, be it personal, national, or on an international level.  King Jesus made decrees, and as we draw our strength from Him, take refuge in His love, carry His peace, we can bring His message of hope and love to touch hearts and change lives. Jesus death brought an understanding of life, what better time for His love be revealed to the secular and religious of our day.