My Psalm 174 Philosophy and Prophecy, Orlando, 2016
From everlasting to everlasting,
You are Lord.
You alone are Sovereign.
You created us, You sustain all life,
You direct our paths,
You call us to Yourself.
You have told us to teach Your attributes
From one generation to another,
To proclaim Your honor to our children
And our children’s children.
When our little one asks,
After hearing a mournful orchestra piece,
“Grandma, did someone die?”
And I confess to her that many people died
In Orlando, she answered,
“That makes me sad, Grandma.”
I try to teach her to live by Paul’s words:
“Do not be anxious about anything,
But in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
Present your requests to God, And the peace of God
Which transcends all understanding,
Will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
I try to be an encourager, to make my heart believe
That the right will succeed, that all will be all right for my loved ones,
When I repeat over and over, sinking this truth into my heart
It often gets dashed by the evil around me,
I too say, like my sweet grandbaby,
“That makes me sad.”
Yet once more I read,
And your Word tells me once again:
“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right,
Whatever is admirable—
If anything is excellent or praiseworthy—
Think on these things.”
I try, oh I try.
Then Orlando shows me Your prophecy,
For You know our depravity oh so well:
You warn us of those who reject You,
And we see the results even this morning
As we mourn those killed in Orlando:
“Since they did not think it worthwhile to retain
The knowledge of God,
He (the devil) gave them over to a depraved mind,
To do what ought not to be done.
They have become filled
With every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity.
They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice.
They are gossips, slanderers, God haters,
Insolent, arrogant and boastful;
They invent ways of doing evil;
They disobey their parents;
They are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless.
Although they know God’s righteous decree
That those who do such things deserve death,
They not only continue to do these very things,
But also approve of those who practice them.”
We pray for redemption, for revival.
Even today, change our hearts.
Let those who serve and encourage
Find their strength in You.
Lord, forgive us for our lack of love,
But keep us close to Your precepts.
Your covenant says You shall be our God,
And we shall be Your people.
Let our hearts not be hardened by the world,
But continually renew a right spirit in us
Keeping our eyes fixed on You,
The author and finisher of our faith.
We thank You, in Jesus’ Precious Name. Amen.
About the Author
