The Source of All Things

Meaning in Psalm 24

Alfred D. Byrd

NOTHING but God belongs to itself.
The One Who made both heaven and earth
Is owner of both and King of all.
Beside the Throne at the heart of heaven,
Cherubim, spirits of fire, adore
The One, their Maker, the Source of all things.
The stars and their worlds belong to the One;
The winds and the clouds obey their Maker;
Rivers and seas respond to the will
Of the One Who founded the earth upon them.
Even the humans who say, "We're free!"
Have freedom only because the One
Produced them from dust and filled them with breath.
Our lives are gifts from our King on high.

The One didn't turn aside from the earth,
Or leave us humans without instruction.
Loving the creatures summoned to life,
The One has built a house of worship—
Temple of God, a focus for love—
Amid our darkness to call us to light.
Whoever desires the light may come
To see the Presence of truth and of peace.
The one whose heart belongs to the king
And whose hands are free of blood and of guilt
Is welcome to join the song of praise
For the One who gave us the light for guidance.
No one, however, arrives on one's own:
The one who comes to praise and to serve
Obeys a call that comes from the One
And answers that call with the gift of faith
Created by God to seal us to love.
A Face of light, of truth, and of peace
Forever illumines children of God.

As we stand beside the gateway of praise,
A song is starting. The King is coming!
Lift up your heads to look at glory,
Heaven on earth, fulfillment of hope!
Processions of angels serving their Maker
Herald the Throne where sits the King,
The One, the being of light eternal
Too bright for eyes of flesh to behold.
Beside the Throne, but One with the Light,
Messiah has come to hand down justice.
Conquering evil and serving the good,
The King, our King, has finished a work
Begun before time for the sake of love.
The King has entered the temple, and we
Who have watched our King arrive may follow,
Coming to live forever in light
And to sing the praise of the One Who is all.

If this poem spoke to you, you may enjoy my Biblical epic poems

A Song of the One, the age-old account of Creatlon, Fall, Redemption, and Glory retold in verse for a new millennium, and

The Stars Bow Down: An Epic of Joseph, the timeless tale of a favorite son whose brothers sold him into slavery, but whom God raised from a prison to save the known world from famine.