God | Khalil Gibran

Here's a wonderful parable by the great Kahlil Gibran on God, taken from The Madman (His Parables and Poems). Written from the point of view of the "madman", an individual seemingly at odds with the world and his place within it, Gibran explores themes of human kindness, alienation, and the search for ultimate truth.

Inspired by Biblical text, Khalil Gibran describes a man's inner quest to know God. He climbs a mountain with the hope of speaking to God and experiencing His presence but fails three times. He does not give up. On his fourth journey, God replies. The poem expresses the importance of patience, determination, persistence, awe, gratitude, humility and surrender when desiring to know God.

You can just enjoy or meditate on these profound words on self-realization and find strength, wisdom, and encouragement.

Photo by Sebastian Knoll.

Transcript

In the ancient days,

When the first quiver of speech came to my lips,

I ascended the holy mountain and spoke unto God,

Saying,

Master,

I am thy slave,

Thy hidden will is my law,

And I shall obey thee forevermore.

But God made no answer,

And like a mighty tempest passed away.

And after a thousand years I ascended the holy mountain and again spoke unto God,

Saying,

Creator,

I am thy creation,

Out of clay hast thou fashioned me,

And to thee I owe mine all.

And God made no answer,

But like a thousand swift wings passed away.

And after a thousand years I climbed the holy mountain and spoke unto God again,

Saying,

Father,

I am thy son,

In pity and love thou hast given me birth,

And through love and worship I shall inherit thy kingdom.

And God made no answer,

And like the mist that veils the distant hills he passed away.

And after a thousand years I climbed the sacred mountain and again spoke unto God,

Saying,

My God,

My aim and my fulfillment,

I am thy yesterday,

And thou art my tomorrow.

I am thy root in the earth,

And thou art my flower in the sky,

And together we grow before the face of the sun.

Then God leaned over me,

And in my ears whispered words of sweetness.

And even as the sea that unfolds a brook that runs down to her,

He unfolded me.

And when I descended to the valleys and the plains,

God was there also.

Reviews

I cry everytime I listen to this, I am so grateful for this track. Thank you 🙏🏻