A while back, I encouraged readers to become more globally minded and one way of doing this is to read international authors. With this in mind, don't forget poets. Martin Luther came to a profound understanding of the gospel through reading not only Romans, but also the Psalms. And this part often gets overlooked. The impact of Romans 1:16-17 has become legendary and indeed, 'the just shall live by faith' is something that shouldn't be glossed over in its consequences. Yet, let's not gloss over the Psalms either.

The Psalms, often noted for their emotional impact, are often neglected in their theological importance. Yet, this is so often the case with poetry in general. Quite often, we reduce poetry to the fluff of greeting cards or relegate it to the darkness of bad days. Poetry is often seen as something for extreme days and more the exception than something that is quite instructive and a valid form of literature for reflection and redemption. Take for example, Psalm 23 and its almost universal appeal. The singular phrase, 'though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,' is perhaps not only a visceral note to us, but also a theologically rich truth that says as much or more than Romans 8:28 does, 'where all things work together for the good of those who love Him'. Now, set these texts side by side and you begin to see and experience what Luther did.

Poetry can be fluff, but it doesn't have to be. And certainly the Psalms are not fluff. In fact, I was reminded about this in a recentImage blog posting on Sufi poets. The article says that Sufi poetry can be both 'welcoming' but also 'mysterious.' In other words, the reader is often drawn in by an inviting image, but then the reader lingers and stays a while because that image or metaphor haunts and helps at the same time (the full link is here) The most famous Sufi poet in the West is simply named Rumi and his work is worth reading through at least once (though you'll get hooked on some of the pieces).

Sufi poetry is often utilized for devotional exercise as well, similar to that of the Psalms. And while the theological focus is distinct and different, reading Sufi poetry brings me back to the Psalms (after all they're both written in roughly the same part of the world) and the Psalms bring back to a God rich in mercy and steadfast in His love. And that God often brings me back to Romans 8 where there is now no condemnation for those in Christ. And that truth often brings me back to my knees, which is so often a good place from which to impact the world.