Only a smile, yes, only a smile
That a woman o'erburdened with grief
Expected from you; 'twould have given relief,
For her heart ached sore the while;
But weary and cheerless she went away,
Because, as it happened, that very day
You were "out of touch" with your Lord.
Only a word, yes, only a word,
That the Spirit's small voice whispered "Speak";
But the worker passed onward unblessed and weak
Whom you were meant to have stirred
To courage, devotion, and love anew,
Because when the message came to you
You were "out of touch" with your Lord.
Only a note, yes, only a note
To a friend in a distant land.
The Spirit said "Write," but then you had planned
Some different work, and you thought
It mattered little. You did not know
'Twould have saved a soul from sin and woe;
You were "out of touch" with your Lord.
Only a song, yes, only a song
That the Spirit said "Sing to-night;
Thy voice is thy Master's by purchased right";
But you thought, "'Mid this motley throng
I care not to sing of the city of gold"--
And the heart that your words might have reached grew cold;
You were "out of touch" with your Lord.
Only a day, yes, only a day!
But oh, can you guess, my friend,
Where the influence reaches, and where it will end
Of the hours that you frittered away?
The Master's command is "Abide in me"
And fruitless and vain will your service be
If "out of touch" with your Lord.
--Jean H. Watson.
Prayer is Innocence's friend; and willingly flieth incessant
'Twixt the earth and the sky, the carrier-pigeon of heaven.
--Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
We may question with wand of science,
Explain, decide, and discuss;
But only in meditation
The Mystery speaks to us.
--John Boyle O'Reilly.