2020 Daily Devotion - Day 36
Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor and theologian during WWII. He was an anti-Nazi dissident and helped found the Confessing Church. He wrote such great books as “The Cost of Discipleship” and “Life Together.”
His efforts to help a group of Jews escape Switzerland, along with being accused of partaking in a plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, led to imprisonment. He was executed just days before the prison was liberated by Allied Forces.
Bonhoeffer knew what struggle and suffering were about. The following poem was written by him in prison. When we go through tough times, it is essential to know who we are and Whose we are. Because of Jesus Christ, you are a child of God – that is enough to get us through anything.
His efforts to help a group of Jews escape Switzerland, along with being accused of partaking in a plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, led to imprisonment. He was executed just days before the prison was liberated by Allied Forces.
Bonhoeffer knew what struggle and suffering were about. The following poem was written by him in prison. When we go through tough times, it is essential to know who we are and Whose we are. Because of Jesus Christ, you are a child of God – that is enough to get us through anything.
Who Am I? by Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer
"Who am I? They often tell me
I would step from my cell’s confinement
calmly, cheerfully, firmly,
like a squire from his country-house.
Who am I? They often tell me
I would talk to my warders
freely and friendly and clearly,
as though it were mine to command.
Who am I? They also tell me
I would bear the days of misfortune
equably, smilingly, proudly,
like one accustomed to win.
Am I then really all that which other men tell of?
Or am I only what I know of myself,
restless and longing and sick, like a bird in a cage,
struggling for breath, as though hands were compressing my throat,
yearning for colours, for flowers, for the voices of birds,
thirsting for words of kindness, for neighbourliness,
trembling with anger at despotisms and petty humiliation,
tossing in expectation of great events,
powerlessly trembling for friends at an infinite distance,
weary and empty at praying, at thinking, at making,
faint, and ready to say farewell to it all?
Who am I? This or the other?
Ami I one person today, and tomorrow another?
Am I both at once? A hypocrite before others,
and before myself a contemptibly woebegone weakling?
Or is something within me still like a beaten army,
fleeing in disorder from victory already achieved?
Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine.
Whoever I am, thou knowest, O God, I am thine.
"Who am I? They often tell me
I would step from my cell’s confinement
calmly, cheerfully, firmly,
like a squire from his country-house.
Who am I? They often tell me
I would talk to my warders
freely and friendly and clearly,
as though it were mine to command.
Who am I? They also tell me
I would bear the days of misfortune
equably, smilingly, proudly,
like one accustomed to win.
Am I then really all that which other men tell of?
Or am I only what I know of myself,
restless and longing and sick, like a bird in a cage,
struggling for breath, as though hands were compressing my throat,
yearning for colours, for flowers, for the voices of birds,
thirsting for words of kindness, for neighbourliness,
trembling with anger at despotisms and petty humiliation,
tossing in expectation of great events,
powerlessly trembling for friends at an infinite distance,
weary and empty at praying, at thinking, at making,
faint, and ready to say farewell to it all?
Who am I? This or the other?
Ami I one person today, and tomorrow another?
Am I both at once? A hypocrite before others,
and before myself a contemptibly woebegone weakling?
Or is something within me still like a beaten army,
fleeing in disorder from victory already achieved?
Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine.
Whoever I am, thou knowest, O God, I am thine.
Galatians 3:26 ESV
For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.
Pray with me:
Heavenly Father, we need to be reminded daily; because of Jesus Christ, we are children of God. There might be times when we become confused and perplexed, but we are still children of God. Help us to stay focused on this great truth. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Yours because of Him,
Pastor John R. Steward
Senior Pastor
Mount of Olives Church
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