I'm Only One

I'm Only One

You may have gathered from reading some of the explanations of my poems that I get most of my inspiration while in the shower. I do seem to get started on a lot of poems there, but that is by no means the only place. Sometimes I'm in the car, sometimes I'm out for a walk, other times I'm sitting in a boring meeting. In this case, I was lying in bed trying to catch a few extra winks before the alarm went off. In that half sleeping, half awake state, my mind wandered to some of the poems that I have written and the part my belief in God has played in them. It suddenly occurred to me that although I have made references many times to my beliefs in various poems, I have never really written what I would consider a poem directed at deity. Suddenly all sorts of feeling, words, and phrases filled my mind, so much so that I had to drag myself out of bed and go to my desk and write them down before I forgot them.

Later in the morning as I was thinking about the things that had been coming to me, it occurred to me that what I had really been thinking about was a hymn. In fact I could think of several hymns that the mood and meter matched. Before I had really finished composing a poem out of these thoughts, I had sat down at the keyboard and composed music for them. So I guess you could say that the poem itself was written to go along with the music. After getting most of the basics of the music finalized, I was finally able to finish the poem.

Gale L. Wolfenbarger

7 May 1989

I'm Only One

I'm only one, my strenth is small,

With Christ my Lord, I will not fall.

My feet may stray when light is dim

I'll put my faith, my trust in Him.

When light is dim and hope has failed,

The way is clear, Christ will prevail.

When tempests rage and foes assail,

He is my guide, He will not fail.

When all from me have turned away,

The Savior will my ransom pay.

I'll meet the foe, my faith burns bright,

He bathes my path with truth and light.

He's given me His power on earth,

A child of God of royal birth.

A soldier fighting for our King,

I'll raise my voice, and anthems sing.

I'll praise His name, in prayer and song,

While giving thanks my whole life long.

Gale L. Wolfenbarger

5 June 1989