Much of the Bible is poetry, even though we don't always recognize this in our English translations. We may assume the Psalms are poetic since they are Israel's hymnbook, but other parts of Scripture contain large section of poetry that often go unnoticed. Many of the prophets were poets. God understands the power of poetry. He understands how it speaks to our hearts. He understands it is a powerful tool when people are unwilling to listen to truth. When his people refused to listen to truth in the form of a speech or sermon, God sent prophets who used lyrics.
Although modern day poets are not inspired in the Biblical sense, they still play an essential role in society. Their words can inspire change and peirce hearts when other methods fail. We need poets who dabble in the transcendentals, poets who use beauty to remind us of heavenly truths and spur us on to imitate the goodness of God.
One such poet for me is Josh Ritter. His words challenge. There is a depth to his lyrics. He is concerned with the condition of humanity. He wrestles with difficult questions as he seeks something beyond our material world. We see this in his song, "When Will I Be Changed".
Change is not easy. Many people do all they can to avoid it. Change can hurt. This is beautifully described by C. S. Lewis in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Eustace, a boy who was turned into a dragon, has to peel off layer after layer of skin and scales to become a boy again. This is a painful process that is only possible with the help of Aslan. Of course, Lewis has more in mind with this story than just providing a children's tale. He is speaking of the transformation we must all undergo to become like Christ.
Ritter's song, When Will I Be Changed, is about the same thing. He sings,
"When oh when will I be changed from this devil that I am"
When will I be changed from this dragon that I have become? When will I be changed from this devil that I am? When will I be changed from this thing that I was never created to be? Sin mars the human condition. When we give ourselves over to sin, we act less than human. We are not being who we should be, and we need to be changed.
But again, change is hard. Transformation hurts. We become comfortable in our scales, and we don't want them removed. We often don't even know we have scales until someone points them out for us. We see nothing wrong with how we are living or what we are doing. Why would we change? This is one of the reasons Ritter's song is so important. It is not a hymn, but it could easily be one because it wakes us up to our need for transformation. I am not who I need to be. I still have scales that need to be removed. When will I be changed?
The chorus of the song repeats this same question over and over again.
When will I be changed?
It is not an easy question. It is a question that some people run from. It is a question that others believe is unimportant because they cannot see their own scales. It takes courage to ask this question. The journey that begins by asking this question is costly but also very rewarding. Once our scales are removed, we will never want to go back. We will taste true humanity. We will know abundant living. We will see with new eyes and understand what we never understood before.
This kind of change is not something we should fear. It is something every Christian and every human being should embrace. We should all be willing to sing, and shout, and ask,
When will I be changed?
Listen to When Will I Be Changed
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