The Psalms - God Speaking to Me

God is speaking to me
            as I read the Psalms this summer and fall.

I’m involved in a project –

            writing hymns based on individual psalms.

Many mornings I’m spending an hour and a half

            writing one hymn based on one psalm.

I’ve never focused so intensely for so long

            on one passage of scripture.

And I think God is working in me –

            softening my hard heart.

Here’s how it often works:

            Last Friday I was studying Psalm 24.

I copied the psalm from Bible Gateway

            and pasted it on my MS Word page.

                        There are ten verses in this psalm.

First you look for colourful words or phrases –

            The earth is the LORD’s (v.1)

            Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? (v.3)

            Lift up your heads, O you gates;

                        be lifted up, you ancient doors,

                        that the King of glory may come in. (v.7)

Each of these phrases launched a new stanza of the new hymn.

Look at words or synonyms that are repeated –  

            earth – world

            everything – all

            seas – waters

            blessing – vindication

            strong – mighty – Almighty

In this psalm verses 7-8 are repeated

            almost verbatim in verses 9-10:

 ⁷ Lift up your heads, O you gates;
       be lifted up, you ancient doors,
       that the King of glory may come in.

 ⁸ Who is this King of glory?
       The LORD strong and mighty,
       the LORD mighty in battle.

 ⁹ Lift up your heads, O you gates;
       lift them up, you ancient doors,
       that the King of glory may come in.

 ¹⁰ Who is he, this King of glory?
       The LORD Almighty—
       he is the King of glory. 

The psalmist is clearly focused on the poetic concept

            of Jerusalem’s gates opening to Lord

                        as He returns from battle.

This is a strong image

            encouraging God’s people to worship the Lord –

                        to love Him, to offer Him their lives.

I read the phrases again and again,

            trying to think of similar words and ideas

                        to fit the structure of the hymn form.

Sometimes the meanings of the phrases

            lead me to other related ideas or poetic images.

In the first stanza, the idea of swimming Earth’s oceans,

            climbing Earth’s mountains,

                        and experiencing the warmth of the sun

                                    as you reach the summit of a mountain:

1. All the earth belongs to Jesus,

All the world is His domain

Every person, every planet

Universal is His reign.

Swim the mighty, raging ocean

Climb the mountain, feel the sun

God’s creative Word was spoken

He declared, and it was done.

Stanza 4 is my personal response to the psalm.

            Tears were streaming down my face

                        as the words came quickly:

4. Now we come, with hearts wide open

Now we come to all fall down

Put aside your lofty notions

Put away your boastful crown

Only One deserves our worship

Only One deserves our praise

Come to offer full devotion,

Love and serve Him all our days!

The image of the elders casting their crowns

            before the Lamb (Revelation 4:9-11)

                        came to mind,

and I took the image of the crown

            as whatever human glory we have attained.

All our glory must be put aside

            as we come into the presence

                        of the Lamb of God.

God broke me as I wrote this hymn.

            Here it is in its entirety.

(Written music is available free on request.)

All the Earth Belongs to Jesus (Psalm 24)

words: Gary Hicks (9.17.2010),

copyright 2010, Gary L. Hicks

tune: “Holy Manna” by William Moore

(“Brethren, We Have Met to Worship”)

All the earth belongs to Jesus,

All the world is His domain

Every person, every planet

Universal is His reign.

Swim the mighty, raging ocean

Climb the mountain, feel the sun

God’s creative Word was spoken

He declared, and it was done.

Who may climb the hill of Zion?

Who may reach God’s holy place?

There to stand in fearful Presence,

Feel the tender touch of grace?

All whose hearts and hands are holy

All whose lips speak truth and love

Such are welcomed by the Father

To His pleasant courts above.

Lift your heads, O gates of Zion

Lift them up, you ancient doors

Open to the King of glory

Open up to Christ the Lord.

Who, this King so strong and mighty

Who, this robed and shining one?

He is mighty to deliver –

God Almighty, God the Son.

Now we come, with hearts wide open

Now we come to all fall down

Put aside your lofty notions

Put away your boastful crown

Only One deserves our worship

Only One deserves our praise

Come to offer full devotion,

Love and serve Him all our days!