History Humbles

Editor’s Note: The first recorded words spoken by a human are in the form of a poem (Gen 2:23). The Book of Psalms contains 150 poems, which lead us to see the glory and grandeur of God. In short, The Bible is full of poetry. Poetry has a way of elevating the mundane, a way of showing us the beauty of truth. And as Christians, we are called to love the truth (2 Thess 2:10) and to gaze at the beauty of the Lord (Psalm 27:4). So, we are happy to showcase the poetry of Michael Haykin who has written a wonderful short poem called “History Humbles.”

Politicos abluster

With their own worth

And feathery selfies

Need history’s weight;

For, properly pondered,

“History humbles.”

Michael A.G. Azad Haykin is chair and professor of church history at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and the Director of the Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies in Louisville, KY. He is the author of a number of books and articles on Christianity in both late Antiquity and the long eighteenth century. He has recently completed a monograph on revival entitled “Times of refreshing”: The Holy Spirit & revival in the eighteenth century.