A VEIL OF LIGHT

Meaning in Psalm 104

Alfred D. Byrd

NO ONE has seen the face of our God.
The One is great beyond description.
Only a veil of light has appeared
To show us glory worthy of kings.
Behind the veil, what wonders exist,
We guess, but can't say, for God is All.
From a throne that holds the light on high,
The heavens spread out, a home for God.
A place for the Throne, a place for stars,
A place for clouds through which there moves
A thing of light desired in visions —
Heaven's chariot, bearing the King.
Beside our God are hosts of angels,
Creatures of breath and of fire who serve
The will of the One Who made us all.

OUR GOD has fixed the earth in its place
And covered the earth with robes, the seas,
Which mounted the heights, but now obey
The will of God, a promise to all:
"No flood will destroy the earth again."

THE WATER is life for all that lives.
From heights that feel the lash of the rains,
The water flows down to gush in springs
That ease the thirst of beasts and of birds —
That fill the branches of trees with fruit,
A gift from God to feed creation.

CATTLE eat grass, and humans eat grain
That grows from the land prepared by God.
Our God has made three blessings for us:
The wine that cheers us when used with care,
The oil of olives to smooth our skin,
And bread, which gives us the strength to work
On what our God has told us to do.
Our God cares for more than us alone:
From moss, which seeks the shelter of rocks,
To redwoods, whose crowns may touch the clouds,
Our God has fashioned the homes of beasts
That trust their Maker blindly, but well.

ABOVE the earth are signs in heaven
Telling the world when to work or sleep.
The moon will grow from darkness to full
And wane again to describe a month.
The sun will rise and set in a day
And circle the sky to mark a year.
The beasts have learned the signs of the sky.
Not even rulers like us deny
The call of days, of seasons — of years.
In darkness, we sleep; at dawn, we rise
To do what we must to stay alive.

WHAT WONDERS — countless — our God has made!
A wisdom beyond our words designed
The world around us — the stars above.
The seas conceal in their depths such things
As seem like fables to us on land.
The beasts in the depths are not for us.
A truth slips out: our God has made them,
Mighty, but pointless, simply for play.
Behind this truth lies one far deeper.
Nothing exists apart from our God.
All things were formed from dust and from breath
And return to dust, their breath withdrawn.
Whenever our God may breathe again,
What's lost will be found; what's dead, revive.

THE WORKS of God will last forever.
Heaven takes joy in what God has done.
The one who sees the glory of God
Will sing throughout life in joy, in praise
Of the One Who changes darkness to light &mdash:
Who finds a sinner and makes a saint.

The story of Divine Light as revealed by Hebrew and Christian Scripture.

The Light

FOR LOVE OF US

Meaning in Psalm 103

Alfred D. Byrd

CHILDREN of God, remember how much
Our Maker has done for love of us.
Our God, Who lives in light forever,
Spread out the heavens and set a throne
Above all else to tell the worlds,
"The will of God is life and is law."
The worlds are here because the Maker
Called out a word and made them appear.
From dust, a body; from God, a breath —
We humans depend on God for life!

TOO OFTEN, we fall because we're weak.
Before our God, we're grass that withers,
Shaken by winds and murdered by drought.
We come and go, but our God remains.
Our God remembers how weak we are
And makes provision for life restored.
Recall the past: a people enslaved
Cried out to God, "We're facing our death."
Our God remembered, sending Moses,
Leading them elsewhere to learn the Law.
Each year, they recall the gift of God,
A life of freedom to serve the King.

OUR THOUGHTS, our words, and our acts deserve
A judgment of death, but God is life
For all who turn from darkness to light.
The gift repentance restores our hope
When we've gone astray and lost our path.
Our God is ready, even eager —
Judgment delayed, we find a reprieve —
To hear our plea and grant us pardon.
Mercy, not justice, our King desires.
Our sins have earned us only the pit,
But all who come, repenting of sin,
Will find a welcome before the Throne.

OUR GOD is worthy of love and praise.
Let all draw near to offer worship,
Heartfelt and pure, to the One Who is.
In praise of God, we'll find companions.
Angels who hear and obey the King
Will sing together with dust and breath —
We humans redeemed from death to life —
The praise of the One Whose Name is Love.

An age-old story retold in verse for a new millennium.

A Song of the One

MY HEART GROWS FAINT

Meaning in Psalm 102

Alfred D. Byrd

MANY who suffer today might pray
A prayer written in days gone by:

"CREATOR, hear me! I need Your help.
My days are swiftly passing away.
My body trembles from waves of pain.
A fever burns me, my heart grows faint,
And food is only ashes and dust.
My grief has turned me to skin and bones.
I'm like an owl that moans in darkness;
Lonely, it sounds. Does it look for friends?
Without a friend, a life is empty —
Nothing but words unspoken, unheard.
Without my God, what Friend do I have?
While I lie awake, I think of foes
Who laugh at me for all that's gone wrong.
They'll say to me, 'Your God rejects you.
Picking you up, He'll cast you aside.'
The shadows lengthen. The days grow short.
Unless, my God, You come to my aid,
I'll be like grass that withers and fades."

OUR GOD has been the same forever.
Seated upon a throne in the heights,
Our God sees lives and nations go past
Like shadows of clouds on days of wind.
It's easy for us to say in pain,
"Our God is distant, above our griefs."
Our God is distant; our God is near.
Amid the stars, there's also mercy,
Comfort for those who suffer today.
Our God remembers; our God will come
To raise again the walls of Zion.
Nations will turn from darkness to light
When they learn, "Our God has heard our cries."
Our God is with us. Our God sets free
The one in chains to sing in praise,
"Let all come near to worship the King!"

THE ONE who suffers is free to pray:
"My God has touched me with pain and grief
That caused me to think, 'My days are short,'
But life resides in the hand of God,
Who made indeed the heavens and earth,
But, soon, will sweep them away like dust.
The worlds will vanish, but life remains
In the hands of God, the Strong, the True.
I trust my God to bring me to light
Where I'll greet my King with praise and joy.
Before my Maker, I'll change my clothes
From garments of cloth that fades and rots
To garments of light, untouched by time."
The children of God will live secure,
Their grief forgotten, before the Throne.

One misunderstood system of faith and practice explained to another in its own terms.

Kabbalah for Evangelical Christians

THE FRUIT OF CONCEIT

Meaning in Psalm 101

Alfred D. Byrd

MANY don't reach the city of God.
The One has standards of what is right.
The root of what is right is the truth.
Whoever twists it will be cast out.
Unfaithful persons despise the truth
And fill the world with acts of evil.
Devious thinking results in death.
How wrong it is to slander neighbors!
Arrogance leads us badly astray.
Disgrace has been the fruit of conceit.
Whatever is false consumes itself.

THE ONES who'll reach the Throne have treasured
Honesty over the fruit of lies.
The King, our God, accepts the faithful.
Wholeness of heart and cleanness of hands
Will please the One Who is Love and Light.
The ones who treasure mercy and justice —
Better forgiveness than gall and grief —
Will walk a path that ends in music,
Singing the praise of the God of truth.

If you're confused or overwhelmed with debates on the early Church, here are some clear, basic facts about it.

Trinity, Canon, and Constantine: Clear Light on the Early Church

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TO ENTER THE GATES

Meaning in Psalm 100

Alfred D. Byrd

HAPPINESS prospers, praising our God.
Let all who live in all of the earth
Devote their lives to service of God.
Not sorrow, but joy, awaits the one
Who seeks the Temple with songs of praise
For the One, our God, Who made all things.
Let all who live acknowledge this truth:
The One has made us, and we belong,
Like sheep to shepherd, to God, our King.
The sheep must take the Shepherd as guide
And call the Temple their home in hope
Of seeing the Light upon the Throne.
To enter the gates, to see the Throne,
Should make our hearts break out in praise
In thanks to God, Who made us for love —
The love of Maker for what is made,
The love of made for Maker and King.
The Name of the One, I AM, proclaims
Our God to be good untouched by wrong.
The mercy of God can have no end;
Our God is faithful to be the Light
Both now and through all of time to come.

Faith and reason in the ancient court of Athens.

MARS HILL: Paul v. The Philosophers