Galilee

Introduction:  I wrote this poem originally in early 1977 right after I came back from Israel. I was thinking about the beauty of the Sea of Galilee - I actually only wrote 4 stanzas at that time and set it to music (pitiful, really pitiful) - I pulled the dusty words from my all too feeble memory banks and added two more quatrains and now it is a poem I wanted to share!  I also tweaked a few lines in the original first stanza.

Storms on Galilee

by Steve Loggins

stanzas 1,2,5,6 written in February of 1977

stanzas 3 & 4 written 10/25/2009

The morning mist hangs low upon the sea of Galilee,
The rising sun will scatter it away,
Reflected glory of the sun plays out upon the waters
of the lake that looks and acts like its a sea.


The beauty of this site both blessed and cursed by God’s own breath
is stunning in its simple serenity,
It is difficult to comprehend the suddeness of stormy wrath
that grips this jewel in raging foamy fury.


The storms that come to Galilee roll down from mountain heights,
in moments seas once glassy still are churned
To waves that threaten man and beast who brave the stormy night
To sail where God alone would dare return.


Men hardened to the threat that Galilee can quickly make
are rowing on the lake for its His will,
The storm descends and makes the waters boil and undulate
while He alone is sleeping in the keel.


The Master stilled the storm with just a spoken word or two,
while fear-filled followers watched with awe-struck eyes,
His sleep-filled eyes grew cold with disappointment for to know
their faith in Him was little, or a lie.


We all can learn a lesson from the sea of Galilee,
To let the master calm our stormy soul
and though we doubt His awesome might, He still is in control
of our destiny, our troubled hearts made whole.