Create a clean heart for me, God; put a new, faithful spirit deep inside me! Return the joy of your salvation to me and sustain me with a willing spirit. (Psalm 51:10,12)
A few years ago, Father Dale led a Wednesday night teaching on the Book of Psalms. Before the end of the night, he invited us to write our own poem, a Psalm, from our heart to God. It was a meaningful exercise to focus our thoughts and put into words our praise, our laments, or our gratitude for our current circumstances. Several people shared their words with the community. I had to sit with it for awhile and continue the assignment at home. I recently ran across my “psalm” to the Lord, shared here…
A Psalm of Praise
God, thank you for the blessings of time and creation.
You are the beginning and completion of all things; Everlasting is your name.
Eternity is a single glance to you; the infinite measure of everything is in your hands.
And yet, you ordered time for us, your creation.
You set in motion the planets; their movements you maintain forever.
The earth in its steady rotation, orbiting the sun perfectly, to give us daylight.
The moon in its own orbit, reflecting the sun with its soothing glow over our nights.
Sunrise to sunset. Moonrise to its fading into the new day.
Faithfully revealing the rhythm of time.
We count the hours and measure our lives by moments.
Seasons of change that nourish the earth, bringing life and death and life again;
All within your perfect plan for every living thing.
And not just functionally perfect, but aesthetically perfect.
You designed our senses to perfectly respond to your creation;
Nose to smell. Tongue to taste. Skin to feel. Eyes to see. Ears to hear.
All for the sake of experiencing fully your glory!
Lord, if you did nothing more than the act of creation, we would have reason enough to praise you;
And know you are God, Yahweh, Creator, Sustainer, and Lover of every living thing!
But there is something greater than the physical senses that stir the human heart:
Unique in all of creation, you formed us with a spirit.
A spirit that is above the natural and beyond the physical.
A spirit crafted in your image and likeness, Lord – made to be one with you.
Our greatest desire is not of the earth, but of eternity.
We long to be one with you in spirit, to live this life completely dependent on you;
A yearning that runs deeper than our natural desires – of spirit and truth.
Give us a greater faith, O God, to know you, to worship you, to love you more.
But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. (John 4:23)