In the castle of my soul

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In the castle of my soul Is a postern gate, Whereat, when I enter, I am in the presence of God. In a moment, in the turning of a thought, I am where God is, This is a fact… With God is a great silence. But that silence is a melody Sweet as the contentment of love, Thrilling as a touch of flame… In this world my days are few And full of trouble. I strive and have not; I seek and find not; I ask and learn not… When I enter into God, All life has meaning. Without asking, I know; My desires are even now fulfilled, My fever is gone. In the great quiet of God My troubles are but pebbles on the road, My joys are like the everlasting hills… So it is when I step through the gate of prayer From time into eternity. When I am in the consciousness of God, My fellowmen are not far-off and forgotten, But close and strangely dear. They shine, as if a light were glowing within them. Even those who frown on me And love me not Seem part of the great scheme of God… So it is when my soul steps through the postern gate Into the presence of God. Big things become small, and small things become great. The near becomes far, and the future is near, The lowly and despised are shot through with glory… God is the substance of all revolutions; When I am in him, I am in the Kingdom of God And in the Fatherland of my Soul. — Walter Rauschenbusch, 1918