BEFORE YOUR TEMPLE

Meaning in Psalm 136

Alfred D. Byrd

OTHERS may speak of gods that are false,
But I will bow down to You, my God.
With thanks within me for what you've done,
I'll bend my knee before Your temple,
Holding, concealed in its heart, the Throne
On which Your cloud of light is resting.
Nothing can hurt us when You're around.

YOUR NAME is too great for lips of flesh,
But by it You've sealed a pact with us —
A promise, keeping what You've made Yours.
Recalling Your word, I walk unfazed
Through troubles making my flesh grow weak.
I call on You, and You hear my pleas;
You give me courage to face my foes.
You are, my Maker, Yourself the shield
That keeps the foe from taking my life —
My life, You're holding within Your hand.

ALTHOUGH You sit enthroned in the heights,
You see the humble, observe the proud,
And give to each what's just by Your Law.
A day will arrive for all to see
Your Glory unveiled, a sight of awe.
The kings of the earth will praise Your Name
Because You kept Your promise to us.
They'll sing of You, our God and our King,
"The Glory of God? Too great for words!
The love of God goes on forever,
Keeping secure the lovers of truth."

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THE NAME IS AWESOME

Meaning in Psalm 135

Alfred D. Byrd

SERVANTS of God in the House of God,
Give praise to the Name, the One Who is.
Our God is good; the Name is awesome,
Greater than any called gods by men.
Our God created all else that lives.
Whatever there is on land, on sea,
In heaven, on earth, in depths below,
Exists by the thought and speech of God.
Our God is truly the god of storm.
The clouds ascend, the lightning flashes,
And the rain comes down because our God
Has set a cycle running through time.

THE GODS of nations that live in fear
Are idols, empty of life or aid.
They gleam, perhaps, with silver or gold
And bear the features of lives like ours,
But have no breath in mouths that smile,
No image in eyes, no sound in ears.
They speak no thoughts of their own to us,
But priests and prophets speak them for them.
The ones who make the idols become
As empty as they, devoid of hope.

OUR GOD has called a remnant to serve
The Source of all truth, the One Who is.
The remnant began as slaves who groaned
Beneath the lash of tyrant Pharaoh.
Our God remembered the cries of slaves
And sent a prophet, Moses, to bring
Oppressive Egypt wonders and plagues
To break the chains that bound a people.
Fleeing their past, they recalled a home,
Delightful Canaan, fertile and fair.
Allured by hope and spurred by their God,
They made their way despite contention.
Rulers of nations halted their march,
But God would let the people conquer
Sihon of Amor and Og of Bashan,
Mighty enemies, helpless to God.
The exiles would find their home enslaved.
A cult of idols, a cult of lust,
A cult of infants slaughtered for gods,
A cult of gods called many, not one,
Opposed the people, but fell in time:
A king of peace achieved a temple.

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A PLACE OF HOPE

Meaning in Psalm 134

Alfred D. Byrd

PRAISES belong to our God, the King,
The One Who made both heavens and earth.
Our God is farther away than stars;
Our God is as near as life itself.
Our God has chosen to live with us.
On heights there sits the house of our God,
A place of meeting, a place of hope.

TO THE HOUSE of God, we've come to serve.
By day and by night, let's raise our hands
In praise for light, in thanks for blessing.
Gratitude aptly answers the King.
Our God is good for being the light;
Our God is good for giving to all
The light, the life, the law, and the love.
Our God remembers; our God is here
To give and receive the fruit of love.

Faith and reason in the ancient court of Athens.

MARS HILL: Paul v. The Philosophers