Psalm 9—We were never meant to rule a praiseless world
The Lord has all the thanks my heart holds. Wherever he walks, the rumor Of him rouses awe, Stuns, stills tongues, And wonder rises in his wake. Though the world twitters On metalled rails toward metalled ends; Though I am estranged From more friends than I can bear; Though the order and justice I long for Only seem to cede to noise and dust, When you arise, you make folly cease. It must. Those who brood and blare evil, Will watch their works come to nothing. My God never forgot the justice I needed. Nothing hides from him. His rebuke is ready. His judgment will not fail. He bends evil double. Soon, the sun will rise on a day When even the memory Of evil is gone. Though many mighty swagger and boast, There is only one throne And one king upon it. His judgment is just and fair; He makes no mistakes. He is not late. He waits. He hears and is near. He is a fortress when trouble comes. All who seek shelter are welcome inside, And the doors will not shut until the last Harried son is ushered home. No forsaken cry goes unremembered, No blood unmarked, no need unseen. Praise him. Turn your smile toward me, Lord. You see what I am going through, How I tremble at the edge of death. You lay your hand on my chest And feel the fear flutter there. I never thought it would come to this. My path lies pitted before me, And behind me waits a waste. One step in any direction, And I could slip soundlessly to the grave, none the wiser. Lift me up, and I will sing again. Teach me the joy that waits at the brink Of these troubles and another life. By your judgment, you make yourself known. Teach the wicked they built Themselves a hell for a home. Show the afflicted they were not forgotten. Arise, Lord. Judge us. Overthrow and silence us. Show us we were never meant To rule a praiseless world.
Psalm 10—Haven't you heard our cries and watched the ones you swore to shelter snatched away?
God, why are you hiding? Why are you far away? I look around myself And not a trace of you remains. The wicked run down the poor Like wild things. They howl After their every desire. They curse God and fall on their prey. They know only victory. They strut and preen, and nothing checks them. They give God not a passing thought. Their mouths only know to curse And swallow down. Their fingers Only take and take and take. The ruin that might save them On occasion calls, But they bat it away, bold as they can. They cast about for little kills And strike from hiding like Feral mousers playing lions, As though God hadn’t eyes to see, Or a heart that kept the count, Or a stone table where the smoke rises From their burning days. God, who can hold you back? Do not levee your judgment. Let your reckoning run. Tumble them in the flood. Haven’t you seen all this? Haven't you heard our cries And watched the ones you swore To shelter snatched away? We have no help but you. We were stalked through All of yesterday’s years, Hoping in you. We’ve seen things That shouldn’t have happened, That we don’t dare whisper Even behind our eyes. Yet, you are king. You topple nations at a stroke. There is not a single Passing prayer you miss. How long will we have to wait? No matter the answer, Strengthen us, comfort us. Ease this terror.
Psalm 12—Our shepherd neither sleeps nor slumbers
The good are gone, Lord. The faithful who carry The candle of your name Have fled. I looked for them And found only smoke rising. Everyone left lies; They flatter their fellows Only to devour them like wolves. They scheme and bite And trumpet the very things That should make them mourn And change their lives. Save us. O God of words, Silence the tongues That wag before you, As though the world before our eyes Were the only world. “I have seen the poor plundered,” Says the Lord. “I have heard The groans beyond words. I know the grief that bends you double. I have felt the lash And rack of the wicked. So now I will bring the broken home, And place them in the shelter They long for.” These are the words of the Lord. There is no dross in them, Only holy silver. Lord, your remnant is not lost. Though the wolves bound around us Like wind whipping the edges of the flock, We are not afraid. Our shepherd neither sleeps nor slumbers.
Psalms: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 38, 39, 40, 42, 43, 46, 47, 50, 51, 53, 54, 61, 62, 63, 65, 66, 70, 73, 74, 75, 84, 86, 88, 90, 91, 100, 107, 110, 114, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 137, 139, 140, 142, 147, 148.
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