Return to Peace

Meaning in Psalm 65

by Alfred D. Byrd

MAKER of heavens and earth, our God,
To You, by right, belong our praises.
Mountains that tower above our heads
Are there because You raised and shaped them.
Tempests that tear the face of the sea
Grow still when You say, "Return to peace."
The sea of nations, frightened and angry,
Settles to rest when You come with judgment.
Often, we turn aside from Your ways
To twist the truth and to do what's wrong,
But You, still loving the works of Your hands
However they've learned to misshape themselves,
Teach us our errors and lead us ahead
On the path that takes us to peace at Your throne.

The world that You made is a place that You love—
A garden for us, Your creatures, to tend,
Recalling each day that we'll fail unless
Your hand supports us and shields us from harm.
You made the water that fills the seas
And fashioned the cycle that forms the clouds.
As rain, the water comes down on the fields
To waken the earth to life, Your gift
To the world that You love and will come to restore.
The grass will spring up to feed Your flocks;
The grain will grow to sustain us sheep,
Your children, who wait for the sound of Your voice.
At Your call, the ones whom You love will come
To attend a feast with You as its head.
When we see the harvest, we'll shout for joy.
How happy are those who've learned what You do!
We'll come to Your house with gifts in our hands—
With gifts that we have because of Your love—
To see Your goodness — to live in Your light.

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.