“Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, and revive me in Your way”
Psalm 119:37
Poems
by James Tait
Simply put, James Tait wanted to hear a preacher who was marked by being in intimate fellowship with his Lord. It mattered not to him how educated or eloquent the preacher may be, for unless the Spirit of God marked his preaching, it would be just “speaking into the air”, and as lifeless as ‘a lion dead’.
This poem by James Tait is based upon a verse written by King Solomon. It is found in the book of Ecclesiates 9:4 “For a living dog is better than a dead lion”.
This poem is based on the Parable of the Prodigal Son. James Tait latches onto two
expressions spoken by the son, who believed that happiness could be found in wealth
and loose living. Before leaving home, he said to his father, “GIVE ME the share
of property that falls to me”. Without any word of thanks, and with pockets bulging
with cash, he sets off for the ‘far country’. However, he was to eventually find
out that the ‘far country’ was not such a pleasant place after all. He ends up penniless
and in desperation he finds work looking after pigs. This employment would be anathema
for any self-
by James Tait
James Tait was a Solicitor living on the Shetland Isles, north of the Scottish mainland. From his youth he was a member of the church at Ebenezer Hall in the town of Lerwick. His poems form a collection called ‘Bells and Pomegranates’
