Congregation
I was one of them, gathering together to ask the Lord’s blessing, every Sunday singing with the rest, how he chastened and hastened to let us know what all he was wanting from us.
The “us” is important, I’d say, there needing to be an “us” between “chastens” and “and”:
He chastens US and hastens his will to make known. Besides chastening us, He hastens to make his will known.
He snoozes, I guess we loses.
Unless He’s chastening us in order to speed making his will known.
Mean?
I doubt I knew what chastens meant, habitually too slothful to look it up or care, since in those days I felt no punishment being laid upon me.
At least not by the Lord.
No, my punishment, if it were headed my way, most often came from my parents, they never sparing the rod and, therefore, making sure not to spoil me.
Maybe we get what we deserve.
When the congregation sang those last liberating words, “make us free,” I’d breathe a sigh of relief, an obligation fulfilled meant we were out the door once more.
Lanning Lee 