A Modern Psalm (expanded)
O Lord, my Lord, I see You as a Crystal,
Reflecting varied facets of Your light.
I marvel at Creation, then am dazzled
By seeming shifts between Your love and might.
One facet shows You speaking loud and clearly
To Adam, Noah, Abram; Jacob, too.
They heard; they dared not doubt Your plain intention,
And reaped the blessing when they heeded You.
You chose to make a special deal with Abram.
You said You’d bless the nations through his son.
His part was: keep the sign of circumcision,
Trust You, his God, and serve no other one.
With Moses shone a new and fearful aspect:
Commandments hewn from rock of Sinai’s hill.
Now sacrifice and rituals ruled the people,
And sanctions when they failed to do Your will.
Within the Promised Land You gave them Judges,
Who governed more or less as You required.
The days were harsh, your Majesty was thwarted;
Without a king, all did as they desired.
You chose a King, who met Your own heart’s longing,
But treachery and murder marred his reign.
The nation fell to foes, who took them captive;
Then, in Your grace, You brought them home again.
“Not sacrifice, but mercy!” called Your Prophets,
“God wants allegiance rather than such rites.”
Rebellion caused Your chosen folk to flounder.
Messiah’s advent now was in their sights.
He came – a babe, admired by dirty shepherds –
To teach and heal, hypocrisy expose.
He introduced Your Kingdom, welcomed outcasts,
Then died to heal our discord. But He rose!
By Grace and Truth, He launched a new arrangement,
Forgave our sins and called us to unite,
Renewed through faith in You, our heavenly Father,
To serve the world, with Jesus as our Light.
His Spirit moved His followers to speak out
Of love and hope; of Him, the living Word;
To show by acts of grace and tender kindness
That Jesus is the only valid Lord.
And now, as all Creation groans in bondage,
Our only hope is that He’ll come again,
Renew both Heav’n and Earth as You intended,
Forever banish sin and death and pain.
I gaze upon this Crystal’s many facets,
And wonder at the bright, translucent Truths.
Though Jesus is the same of yore, forever,
We each experience You in unique moods.