What Did You Do?

About ten years ago I wrote a poem after a thought shared in a message got me thinking. I haven’t thought much about it lately, but today I was observing an English class in which the students were assigned to write a poem. So, I dug it out to share it with you…

What Did You Do?

I can now just imagine
The way it will be—
Walking through heaven
Many saints there to see.

I can picture me talking
With Noah one day—
Hearing how his faith
Did not question the way.
He built the ark
How the Lord said to build it
And all of those animals
Made just the right fit.

I can only envision
The pressure to fall
And worship the idol
Which stood there so tall.
But Shadrach and his friends,
By refusing to fall,
Gave witness to a nation
Of the true God of all.

Then there is Daniel
Who let no human law
Stop him from praying
Regardless who saw.
There’s Abraham—such faith!
He would have given his son.
And Isaac—so trusting!
Never thought to just run.

There’s John they call Baptist
Who spoke to the king of his wife.
He refused to let his faith slip
Though it cost him his life.

And Paul through such hardship
Never lacked in his trust
That when man intends evil
God still works through us.

There are so many saints there—
So many stories I’ll hear—
How God would sustain them
And protect them through fear.

They all did so much
In their time here on earth
To show to those near them
Their faith in Christ’s birth.
The birth of a savior
Who came here to die.
He brought down salvation
Out of love for you and I.

As I sat here and thought
How those talks there will be,
Hearing stories of faith
They’ll share happily with me

I started to think

What will I say to Noah,
Or Shadrach or John,
Or Daniel or Isaac—
The list could go on—
When they turn to me,
Say “Let me ask you,
Tell me dear friend,
What did you do?”