That Word

If that Word of God you study,
that Word of Life
you continue to declare,
is not resounding
resonating
and bearing witness
in your deepest place
as affirmation,
as identification,
as participation
in the substance and spirit of that word,
and if that word is not growing up -
blossoming
from your inner man
as a life-giving power,
it does no less or more
than a dog’s bark moves the moon -
or rattling kettles makes a meal.
You're only making intelligible sounds
to your own ears and brain
which are yet so far
from transforming your heart and life.
The words of God are yours,
as you give them place
to possess you.