Classic Poem

The great world's heart is aching, aching fiercely in the night,
And God alone can heal it, and God alone give light;
And the men to bear that message, and to speak the living word,
Are you and I, my brothers, and the millions that have heard.

Can we close our eyes to duty? Can we fold out hands at ease,
While the gates of night stand open to the pathways of the seas?
Can we shut up our compassions? Can we leave one prayer unsaid,
Till the lands which Hell has blasted have been quickened from the dead?

We grovel among trifles and our spirits fret and toss,
While above us burns the vision of the Christ upon the Cross;
And the blood of God is streaming from His broken hands and side,
And the lips of God are saying, ‘Tell my brothers I have died.’

O Voice of God, we hear Thee above the shocks of time,
Thine echoes roll around us, and the message is sublime;
No power of man shall thwart us, no stronghold shall dismay,
When God commands obedience and love has led the way.