Psalm 66—The loves I laid on the altar to kiss and burn and bid away.

"His every work, the barest edge of him flashes thunderous light, sparks fire, dances."

Rendition of Psalm 66

Sing loud and shout, all the earth;
Raise and rattle out a cry;
Plea and praise and wonder; 
Trumpet the name of God;
Shine around the brightest sound
In praise of his fathomless glory.
Tell the whole story back again,
Belt it, blare it, heave, and hurl it out.
There is no measure of it;
It floods; it bursts its banks.
His every work, the barest edge of him,
Flashes thunderous light, sparks fire, dances.
Every knee will bow, and every mouth sing, 
And confess at last the king is king.

Come and see the works of God.
He has not held back; he pours himself
In double draughts. He is prodigal.
He is wild and wanton, unwearying.
He sows with a glad hand, 
Broadcast, unresting, unhasting.
He turned the sea into dry land
So his people could pass 
Through the water on foot.
His strength has never found its limit.
Nothing hides from his sight.
He brings the proud to a point,
And lifts the weak and weary.

Gather the people together.
Hear what he has done for me.
My God, my life shook and slipped. I staggered.
I fretted and kicked in your grip.
As silver meets itself 
Before its dross is lifted,
When my crucible came
You held me in the heat. 
I saw things I’d done for years 
But never known before.
You wove a net, and, 
With a flick, I was caught.
You piled upon me, and I was pressed.
I was dragged and crushed; I gagged.
Each day, I woke to the fire 
Of grief, and I blackened and balked.
At night, my bed was a raft rolled
On a darkling sea while overhead
Wheeled numberless stars
That I could neither touch nor change.
There was no way out but through.
I lost everything I thought was mine,
But I did not lose you.
I rode the tumult until I found
My way to rich and solid ground.
I brought my sacrifices,
My whole life, to your house.
I made my pleas into promises.
We cut covenants through the smoke
Of the loves I laid on the altar 
To kiss and burn and bid away.

Come and hear, if you fear God.
I will tell the story back again.
He did not relent 
Until my mouth was full
Of the blessings I had learned to say;
Until my hands were empty, 
And I raised them to heaven to be filled.
My God has heard me.
He gave me what I needed,
But did not ask for.
He did not turn away from me.
I carry his kindness here
Even when it cuts,
As it carried me.

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Catching up with the Darkling Psalter

If you are new to the Darkling Psalter, it is a project to create renditions of the Psalms (artistic rewordings based on the original Hebrew) paired with original poems.

Psalms with poems: 1, 2, 6, 8, 13, 14, 16, 19, 22, 29, 31, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 42, 46, 51, 53, 65, 73, 74, 84, 86, 88, 90, 107, 118, 121, 123, 130, 131, 137, 142, 147.

Psalms only: 3, 23, 27, 43, 50, 54, 62, 75, 91, 100, 110, 114, 117, 119, 120, 122, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 132, 133, 134, 139, 140, 148

Psalms complete: 66/150—44%

Request the Darkling Psalter in Print

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