November / December 2004

The Inner Chamber

The House of the Lord has many chambers,
Large and lofty, or low and small;
And some who turn from the world’s broad highways
And find the door to the Entrance Hall,
Are satisfied with its shade and coolness,
To know they have come to the House of a Friend,
And, resting there in the peace and quiet,
They think they have fared to their journey’s end.

And some are content with the Ante-Chamber,
That opens out of the entrance hall,
With the winds that blow from the spicy gardens,
The musical splash of the fountain’s fall;
They feast on the fruits of the Spirit’s giving
And muse on the thought of the joys to come,
And resting there in the peace and quiet,
Are glad that the Lord has brought them home.

But those who have heeded His invitation
To come up higher and enter in
To the Upper Room of the Master’s dwelling,
To stores of treasures their way shall win.
What eye hath seen them? What mind conceived them?
What heart hath dreamed of the things concealed,
The joys prepared for the Lord’s beloved,
To those who seek them alone revealed?

Clothed with His glory they leave His presence,
Girt with His power they walk abroad
Who find the door to the Inner Chamber,
The secret place of the Most High God.

by Annie J. Flint, 1866-1932