Victoria Jackson Gray

Poetic Praises Victoria Jackson Gray

Poetic Praises is a collection of praise poems glorifying God through the experiences of some 66 Biblical characters (39 from the Old Testament, 27 from the New Testament). There are 75 praise poems total, however, because of the two-part selections from five characters (Judah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, the Virgin Mary, and the sisters Mary and Martha) and the two poems from the apostle John: one about the Gospel and two about Revelation. All poems consist of 28 lines; two have additional refrains. Some of the poems (from John's Gospel, the Wise Men, the Virgin Mary, and John in Revelation, Part 1) contain acrostics (of "love," "gift," "babe," and "Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End," respectively). The poems titled "The Word" and "The Opening of the Lamb's Book of Life" also contain acrostics. One poem, from John the Baptist, is used as a transition piece (called the "Intermission") between the Old and New Testaments. Each "Poetic Praise" is centered on "Verses from the Well"-drawn from the rivers of living water provided to the overflow that God gives believers in the inner man (John 7:38). The Word is God's Well springing forth. The author's praise poems are "well-versed" not because of the (sometimes ueven) rhymes and rhythms, but because of the neverending constant of the rivers from which the praises are drawn. A verse from the Well (i.e., Bible) introduces each poem. All of the "Poetic Praises" are followed by "Prose Interludes" to illustrate how believers may benefit from some aspect of a Biblical character's experiences by reinforcing brief life lessons in faith. The author has addressed human foibles and faults against the backdrop of God's flawlessness and infallibility. The author has written a "Selah" moment for each of the 75 poems. "Selah" appears in several Biblical Psalms and may have been used originally as a rest symbol (as in music). The word Selah is not intended to be read aloud but is a signal to "pause and reflect." With these points in mind, each Selah in Poetic Praises is a tidbit of wisdom that could be used, in conjunction with the accompanying Poetic Praise, Well Verse, and Prose Interlude, during daily devotion.