Outside the Refuge

Meaning in Psalm 84

by Alfred D. Byrd

FACING the world as it is today,
We need a refuge, a place of hope.
Outside the refuge, wickedness prospers,
Grinding our lives as meal for its bread.
Outside the refuge, we find no safety.
Evil will meet us wherever we go.
While we keep our hearts in the world, we'll find
No peace — no trust in neighbor or self.

The sparrows have found a place of rest—
A nest in the eaves of the House of God.
The birds can breed and nurture their young
Beneath the wings of the One Who made them.
Altar of fire in temple of light—
A place made holy by God in its midst
Is a place where we find the hope of peace.
The light reveals the way to the truth,
The fire makes pure all things that draw near—
No shadow remains in the heart of the light.

Let's go from darkness to seek the light.
The path of those who return to God
Is a path well watered, abounding in fruit.
In the hope of peace, in the taste of fruit —
We'll find the strength to finish our journey.
Nothing can keep from reaching the goal
The one who answers the call of God.

It's better to spend a day with God
Than lifetimes in quest of things of the world.
It's better to stand by the doors of God's House
Than to sit on a throne amid deceit.
The king on the throne may reign awhile,
But leaves the throne to others — his foes?—
Who may waste the work of the king before them.
Dawning in hope, it sets in despair,
The end of all things apart from God.

On what foundation can you rely?
Whatever one brings to the House of God
Remains with the King Whose reign will not end.
The one who opens the door to hope
Will make a way for joy to come through.
The source of joy is the spring of the light.
A sun is rising — the sun is our God!
In the light of that sun, we'll find delights,
The blessings of peace, which comes from our King.
How happy are those who trust in God,
The One Who hears and answers our pleas.

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.