We asked contributing authors to our poetry group’s anthology Still: Poems of Peace in Times of Turmoil to share the ways in which reading and writing poetry has contributed to their spiritual growth, and how poetry might help grow and mature the Church. Here’s what they shared…
Manifests the glory, beauty and mystery of God
Writing is a form of worship to God, for God and with God. Poetry is a vessel of God to touch the hearts and minds of people, so the glory, beauty and mystery of God are manifested. Xiaoli
Engages readers with the gospel
Poetry can always be a way to teach the gospel—for the lost to come to know Christ, for the reader to see God’s love and grace, and to see that God is our only hope in the time we are living in. Christal Eldredene
Poetry could be an instrument to reach people who are looking for God or spiritual answers, but don’t know any other means to find them, or hesitate to be close to a church. Crissanta
Writing and reading poetry functions as a spiritual discipline of presence for me. It forces me to slow down, pay attention, and sit with complex emotions, creating space to listen more attentively to the Holy Spirit rather than rushing past what God is doing in the moment. Poetry gives the Church a language for the quiet, un-neat spaces of faith—lament, mystery, and wonder. Poetry often bypasses intellectual defenses and speaks directly to the heart, offering a gentle yet profound way to engage seekers and help Christians express what prose cannot. Kathy Grobler
A way to start church planting
Good poetry makes my soul thirsty for God and fills my heart with prayer. During my six years in India, I learned how to go deep with new friends by sitting together and reciting our own poetry. Every church planter should begin their work by starting a public poetry circle. Mark Klassen
A divine gift from God through which we can connect with Him
When I write, I feel as though I am enjoying one of God’s many divine gifts. I believe He gave us words to connect deeply with Him because He, too, loves words. To me, our writing and compositions are a profound means of communication and relationship with our Creator. It is truly amazing that through our small efforts to open up and write—even if some of our words are never read by anyone else—He allows us to express ourselves and connect with Him. Being able to use these words to point others to Him, His greatness, and His Word is an immense privilege.
When we read the Bible, we see how much of its poetry helps us better understand our broken, fallible humanity alongside God’s majesty and absolute sufficiency. These two stark contrasts remind us of our deep need for a Savior. (If you are discipling someone, please remind them that God cares about their life, growth, maturity, and reproduction through evangelism—which can be expressed in many forms. Some will start reading the Bible because they first read a book whose author thought it was important.)
Writing and poetry serve as a beautiful mirror that captures this reality, ultimately pointing souls to the only true source of life: Jesus Christ.
In the midst of whatever chaos, internal warfare, or external turmoil they may be facing—readers of poetry can pause and breathe in life and peace, and find the sufficient grace needed to remember that there is still love and hope for their lives. Even if that peace is not felt completely in the here and now, it is fully secured for us in eternity. Reyna Orozco Meraz
Grows and matures individuals and the Church
Growing up, my favorite book of the Bible was Proverbs. Reading it daily helped me navigate different seasons of my life. The nuggets of truth tucked in every passage helped me make decisions anchored in God’s Word. In the same way, I have always been drawn to the hidden gems in poetry, especially poems that reflect God’s character.
Poetry has a way of slowing us down, helping us reflect, and allowing truth to settle deeply in our hearts. This can also help the Church grow and mature as we use poetry to point people to God, deepen our faith, and remind us of the truths of Scripture. Emie Joane M. Guintu
Helps us notice and attend to each other
Poetry is, for me, the raw language of the soul. Rhythm helps me focus on God when praying, and to avoid getting lost in the many things happening outside and how little I am compared to the problems. Like the psalmists did.
Poetry invites us to slow down and focus on the little details. Like the metaphors, rhymes and metric, if we slow down, we can notice our brother or sister and connect or offer help, admire God’s creation, or listen to what the people in our city needs and how the church can answer. Priscila Chacón Martínez
When the world is teetering, being still is difficult to do. May poetry bring stillness in our hearts, and give us the peace that can only come from trusting Jesus. Lollétte Oliva-Alipe
Poetry is a tool that the soul can use to channel events, moments or experiences. Yoe Suárez
Writing poetry did not only help me declutter my mind, but reminded me of the ever-present God who is there for me in difficult moments. It brought calm, peace, balance and purpose to my spiritual life. Rahael Manang
Invites us to bring our humanity to God
Writing poetry has become, for me, much like reading the Psalms. I am often reminded of King David, who brought his whole heart before God. He praised and worshipped God through his Psalms—but he also cried out to Him, expressed his fears, questioned, lamented and poured out his deepest emotions. He did not hide his humanity from God. I find myself doing the same. Poetry has given me a way to bring my emotions honestly before the Lord. I am reminded that God is not only interested in our praise. He also invites us to bring our pain, confusion, questions and struggles to Him.
My prayer is that Still: Poems of Peace in Times of Turmoil will encourage readers to do the same—to come before God honestly, wherever they may find themselves. I hope the poems remind them that God loves to hear from His children in every season. Even in times of turmoil, we can still bring our hearts to Him, find peace in His presence, and discover that He is faithful. May the words will point beyond the poet to the One who gives peace. – Sally K
A powerful connecting point and unraveller of mysteries
I find that because God is so beyond us and our feeble attempts to define Him or the spiritual life, poetry can be a great aid to expressing such mysteries. There is a great deal of poetry in the Bible. Poets like George Herbert, Jacopone Benedetti, Gerald Manley Hopkins and Elizabeth Barrett Browning are just a few of those who take us deeper into the contemplative life through their poetry.
The church can too often try to make things overly simple. When it comes to the great mysteries of God, suffering and life, it can be more helpful to look at things through the lens of the poetic and its imagery. Like all beauty based on truth, poetry can be a surprisingly powerful connecting point for everyone, wherever they are on their faith journey. Keren Dibbens-Wyatt
Teaches us to look more deeply and listen more carefully for God’s presence
Poetry has become a way of paying attention to God. It has taught me to slow down in a world that is constantly rushing and to listen beneath the notice. Sometimes prayer comes easily through ordinary words; at other times, poetry helps me give voice to what my heart knows but cannot easily explain.
Writing poetry has also reminded me that spirituality is not loved only in certainty. There are moments of joy and praise, but there are also moments of silence, questions, grief, and longing. Poetry gives me permission to bring all of these honestly before God.
In that sense, poetry has become a form of prayer, a sacred space where faith and human experience meet.
The Psalms have particularly shaped my understanding of this. They teach us that we do not have to hide our emotions from God. We can worship Him in our joy, cry out to Him in our pain, wrestle with Him in our questions, and still trust Him in the waiting.
Poetry has helped me see that God often meets ours not only in the extraordinary but also in the ordinary—in silence, in struggle, in beauty, and even in brokenness. It has taught me to look more deeply and to listen more carefully for the presence of God. John Sirengo
Reminds the Church that faith is more than information to be mastered
I believe poetry can help the Church recover something essential: the language of the heart and the imagination.
The Christian faith is filled with poetry. The Psalms are poetry. The prophets frequently spoke through powerful images. The scriptures are rich with metaphor, song, lament, praise, and story. Even Jesus often communicated the mysteries of the kingdom through images and parables that invited people not simply to hear, but to see and imagine.
In evangelism, poetry can create bridges to people who may not immediately respond to traditional religious language. It speaks to universal human experiences, love, loss, fear, hope, identity, suffering, and longing, and can open the heart to the deeper questions of life and ultimately to the hope found in Christ.
In discipleship, poetry can help believers move beyond merely knowing about God to reflecting more deeply on life with God. It encourages meditation, honest prayer, spiritual imagination, and emotional maturity. Poetry can teach us to lament without losing faith, to celebrate without forgetting grace, and to hope even when life is difficult.
For church planting and mission, poetry and the arts can also help the gospel take root within the language, culture, and lived experiences of a community. The gospel never changes, but the ways we communicate its beauty can speak meaningfully within different cultures and generations.
Perhaps most importantly, poetry reminds the Church that faith is more than information to be mastered. Faith is also mystery to be encountered, beauty to be celebrated, truth to be embodied, and hope to be shared. John Sirengo
Gives deep insights to authors
Writing poetry has been deepening my experiential understanding of the Christian faith. It helps me keep together in a well-structured and clear framework the knowledge I get from scripture meditation, theology resources, daily life observations, edifying conversations and my personal experiences.
Whenever I read each of my poems I see before my eyes the circumstance, the insights, the teachings, and the corrections I was experiencing. What amazes me is that I understand more than what I understood when I wrote them. As life moves on, the poem gives more insights than before—for it goes beyond time and space in its message. Innocent Niyongabo
“A point in suspense that leaves open endings pointing towards eternity”
Poetry—both reading and writing it—has been a constant companion since my childhood.
It has helped me make sense of my world and the world of others. It has served as a way to express what I think, feel, yearn for, and reject. I have walked alongside it through my dreams and nightmares, through my grief and my hope.
Poetry has been like a treasure box that opens to reveal real and imagined worlds, flying off the page into minds, hearts, and souls. It is a launching point towards wherever the will of God leads. It is a place of encounter, but also of divergence; of certainties, but also of doubts as we journey as strangers and pilgrims on earth (Hebrews 11:13; 1 Peter 2:11).
It is a point in suspense that leaves open endings pointing towards eternity. Iván Werth
Invites us to make decisions in the Lord
Poetry is like a river, a lake, or a sea—at times calm, at others, turbulent. Sometimes it is guided by favorable winds, and at other times, by winds blowing against it. Those of us who navigate its waters, whether by writing or reading, can discover what causes us to flounder and what provides far more than a mere lifebuoy.
Within poetry lie reflection and emotion, nostalgia and hope.
In some instances, poetry touches upon daily life. In others, it engages with specific topics that are complex and difficult to navigate. Yet, in any of its varied expressions, it invites us to meditate and make decisions in the Lord, taking responsibility for them in loving obedience to Him (John 14:15).
When reflecting on the command, “Let there be light…” (Genesis 1:3), how can we not see the creative poetry of our God? He created the very canvas on which He began to paint the universe, and He painted us with the breath of life (Genesis 2:7). When the Potter places His hands upon us, He crafts poetry (Isaiah 64:8). How can we not love Him? How can we not long for His still, small voice (1 Kings 19:12) to fill us with His poetry so that we may share it with others?
Before beginning to compose the music for any of his works, J.S. Bach always wrote J.J., standing for Jesu Juva (“Jesus, help me”). At the end, he always wrote S.D.G., standing for Soli Deo Gloria (“Glory to God alone”). God helped us—all of us who wrote for Still and those who edited—to bring this anthology to fruition. Iván Werth
Explains truth from another angle and creates space amidst noise
I started writing poetry and songs as a kind of right-brained companion to the left-brained work of writing sermons and teaching. I could study a passage, wrestle with the theology, organize my thoughts and explain what I believed it meant.
But writing a poem or a song gave me another way to sit with the same truth.
There is something about working with an image, a phrase, a rhythm or a metaphor that makes me process things differently. It helps truth make the journey from something I understand in my head to something I am taking in more deeply in my spirit.
Over the years, poetry and songwriting have helped me engage truth with more of who I am.
We spend a lot of time explaining truth—and rightly so. We preach, teach, study and make our best attempt to put words around things that matter.
But sometimes truth needs to come at us from another angle.
A poem can give us an image to carry around. It can put words to a grief or longing we haven’t quite known how to name. It can make us stop and wonder rather than immediately looking for the point.
Sometimes poetry allows something we already know to reach us in a different place. It can give truth another way into us. Perhaps it can also give someone who isn’t yet ready for an explanation a place to begin listening.
A reader may come across an image, a line or a thought that causes them to stop for a moment. Maybe it gives words to something they have been feeling but haven’t been able to say. Maybe it helps them see something they already know from a different angle.
Maybe it simply creates a little space in the middle of all the noise. And in that space, something true has a chance to settle a little more deeply into the soul. Tom Friedrichs
Powerfully testifies to who God is and helps us grieve
Writing poetry is my expression of my relationship with God, my way of expressing my life’s journey as a Christian and as a missionary. It helps me to journey with God in grieving for the loss, healing in pain and experience His love.
Poetry contributes to growing and maturing the church—in evangelism, discipleship and church planting. Poetry in the Book of Psalms and in Job are powerful testimonies of who God is. Through poetry, readers may experience the amazing love of God that propels them to trust Him and appreciate His way, giving Him all the glory and honor. Grace Moron
Draws us towards the presence and peace of Christ
Poetry has helped me slow down enough to notice what God is saying and doing in places I might otherwise rush past. There are truths we can explain clearly in prose, but poetry sometimes allows us to feel their weight differently. It gives room for a mix of reflection, wonder, lament, hope and worship. Reading and writing poetry have become part of how I process life before God.
Poetry has a real place in the life and mission of the Church and the society at large. It can give language to experiences people struggle to express, open conversations about faith, and carry biblical truth into the imagination as well as the intellect.
In evangelism and discipleship especially, poetry can help people encounter familiar truths from a fresh angle. It can also give the Church a meaningful way to speak into pain, uncertainty and the deeper questions people are already asking.
Poetry may create moments of stillness in the middle of present noise and turmoil, drawing people toward the presence and peace of Christ. It may comfort those who are weary, awaken hope in those who are discouraged, and remind us that even in unsettled times, God remains present, faithful and worthy of our trust. Abraham Shuaibu
“Allows heavy words to feel light, unlocking hidden hallways and secret chasms”
Much of the Bible is poetry. God speaks to us in a still small voice. He made us in His own image and gave us a still small voice that is manifested in poetry. God gave certain gifts to all of us—and one of those gifts I believe is poetry.
Poetry is the soul crying out, the heart speaking through the fingers.
Because I was homeschooled, no one ever told me poetry wasn’t manly. Until I joined the army and soldiers would tell me they were surprised that I was so open about being a poet. I was surprised that they were not open about being a poet, because I believe we are all poets.
God first gave me poetry when my little brother died. It has been with me ever since in the highs and the lows in the ups and the downs, whether on scraps of lumber on job sites to pieces of paper on humvee hoods in war zones.
Some things are so heavy in life that we can’t carry them. That’s why God gave us poetry. It allows heavy words to feel light, unlocking hidden hallways and secret chasms that allows us to be more receptive to His Word in different ways. Josiah Jack
Softens the heart to praise God in powerful ways
Singing—which is poetry—is as powerful as preaching. Preaching is good, learning is good, being taught is good, being taken on a journey through God’s Word is good.
But singing praises—the poetry that comes from the soul—that’s our chance to give praise back to God. For someone like me who doesn’t really hear music, my singing is manifested through my poetry. I get to praise Him through my reciting of the poetry to music and it’s a beautiful thing.
Writing poetry is a step in the direction to have a more open and contrite and soft malleable heart for God. If we are too tough, too callous, too cold, too composed to write poetry … How can God use us if we’re just a stick in the mud not even the wind can touch?
If every Church made their own poetry book—inviting everyone to share a poem about how God has blessed them, how they want to praise God— it would be such a blessing for them and visitors and new members alike.
Imagine all that poetry praising God!
The world can never have enough literature that glorifies and praises God. Indeed it has too much that does the opposite.
As David danced before the Lord, with words we too can dance. It’s called poetry. Josiah Jack
Gives us the language to wrestle with loss and fosters stronger relationships in the Church
Reading and writing poetry have been lifelines for me. I started reading more poetry as a teenager after a loss. It gave me the language to wrestle with the shadowy experiences that come with death. Reading the Psalms, Lamentations and Micah—how openly the Bible talks about betrayal and anguish—made me realize the Lord is keenly aware of our experiences of being human. But He doesn’t leave us there. He provides a solution in the person of the Lord Jesus.
As disciples of Christ, we are tasked to see the person in front of us as someone the Lord loves, and the quiet work of becoming like Christ is largely learning how to see and value things the way He does. Poetry asks us to slow down, to ask questions, to remain in the tension. It offers the church a way to remain open to the mysteries of God. Reading and writing poetry together can foster stronger relationships in our churches by allowing people to shed the armor we often wear. Dianne Kristine Chan
Helps us to communicate the gospel in ways that reach the mind and heart
Writing and reading poetry has helped me become more honest with God, giving me language for things I sometimes struggle to express in ordinary prayer. It has taught me that faith can hold questions, doubts, pain, and hope—while also making me more attentive to His Word, His presence, and the experiences of others. Through poetry, I have learned to slow down, reflect, wrestle with what I believe, and bring even my uncertainties before God.
Poetry can help the Church communicate the gospel in a way that reaches both the mind and the heart.
In evangelism, it can give language to our deepest questions and struggles.
In discipleship, it can help us slow down, meditate on Scripture, and examine our faith.
In church planting, it can help us listen to the stories, wounds, hopes and realities of a community.
Poetry should not replace Scripture or preaching, but serve them by making biblical truth more memorable, relatable and deeply human.
In a world that is constantly moving and growing noisier, poetry can help us pause, see things from different perspectives, and understand that chaos is never the answer to our difficulties, conflicts, or wars—it only produces more destruction. May poetry help us to embrace peace, recognize the beauty and growth that can come when we choose to understand one another and stand together, and ultimately see the world through a different light. Geoffrey Tinwi Monday
Breaks barriers and points people to Christ
Poetry helps me to be still, slow down, reflect, and wrestle with questions honestly. It helps me to worship God just the way I am—in grief, joy, gratitude, loneliness, in the waiting, in all circumstances. Poetry has the power to initiate conversations and is a great tool for breaking barriers across culture, religion etc, and gently pointing people to Christ. Agnes Krocha
An avenue for closure, spiritual growth and healing
One of the components of spiritual growth is admitting that you need emotional healing and going out and finding the help required. Seeking help is not weakness. Spiritual growth means appreciating suffering and learning that we are not exempt from it as Christians. Poetry has done this for me, offering an avenue for closure or processing difficult situations. I have found comfort in the written works of others. The laments of Jeremiah in Lamentations and Psalms of David for example offer comfort or insight in different seasons of life. Poetry offers opportunities to reflect and encourage. God is in the chaos and His beauty is still around us. Olivia Kibui
Since I surrendered my life to Jesus at 16, poems I studied in high school gave me images and models for my spiritual walk. For instance, Jesus said that the Christian is the salt of the world—but like the Hestiades, sometimes we do not fulfill this duty, which impacts our society.
Poetry is a way to sing a new song for Him and to rejoice in Him as described in Psalm 149:1-2. I believe it is a powerful tool for people who long for authenticity. May God through sincere poetry makes His written Word alive for people today—and may they discover, like me, that they can find refuge and solutions as they spend time talking with Jesus as their best friend. Ioanna Kakari
An art form that includes, making the inaccessible accessible
Poetry can be a home for your thoughts and feelings, and a place you can invite guests into. Over the years, I have used poetry to ask questions of my faith and God.
When I was younger, I wrote a poem called Are you there God?, lamenting what I felt was His complete absence. I then returned to that years later, and wrote a response from the position of knowing He was present.
Like music, film, art and other creative mediums, poetry—one of the oldest art forms—can provide a different lens through which people can see, hear and respond to something.
Matters of faith are sometimes packaged and articulated in a way that can be exclusionary. Poets have an opportunity—and, I’d say, responsibility—to handle their words wisely, using the abilities they have to take the matters of life (local and global) and make them accessible to everyday people.
The words of Jamaican poet Lorna Goodison resonate with me, “Good poetry is like effective prayer, it feeds the human spirit, it nourishes, it puts us in touch with forces far greater than ourselves,” and “I’ve always thought that was the job of the poets really: to sustain with a word… somebody who is weary.” Janice Whyne
Renews us for flourishing together
Peace is the breath of humanity: like drawing fresh air into weary lungs after the scorching heat of the day, it restores life, renews hope, and reminds us that we were created not to destroy one another, but to flourish together. Sunday Bobai Agang
Ministers to us as we create it
I began writing poetry as a songwriter back in the 1980s, creating songs that marked the beginning of my journey with Jesus and celebrating His goodness. As I wrote, the Holy Spirit ministered to me at the same time.
Poetry can draw us closer to our Savior. Words can soften hearts, bring enlightenment and encourage us to pursue the Lord and His ways. Poems can inspire us to abide in Him and take action. Poetry can bring hope and healing to its readers as a source of comfort—a reminder of the Lord’s presence and commitment to see them through. Felichi