More Than a Hammer

How many more times must I strike a nail’s head?
Have I no greater purpose than to pound it ’til it’s still?
I see no need to do a hard stone’s deed, why must I yield to another’s will?

I could have been cast as a centurion’s spear
Or a sword that would make its owner’s intentions clear
Given a chance at the end of a lance to be a hero the people could cheer

But instead I’m just a hammer that some nameless carpenter swings
Held in the hand of a simple little man to make simple little things

Indeed I’m just a tool to help another extend his force
My power lies in one’s greater strength, unable to chart my own course

And worse, even now, I don’t build but destroy!
To bring criminals to their end as they hang from a tree
I try to resist the well-swung fist that condemns the man who would set the world free

I wish I was more than a hammer with the power to make a change
To stand up and make a difference in a world filled with fear and rage

But as I look back on all that was said and done
I can see how God used me in a special way
Though not the blade of a warrior’s trade, but a weapon of His to keep Death at bay

My shame was turned to honor for I see His ways are good
I have become more than just a hammer because I let Him use me as He would