With Silver Wings: A Response to Psalm 68

I

I love psalm 68 and I remember once hearing it half- sung half- chanted by Peter Tosh to a full Reggae rhythm, most appropriately as this is the psalm which asks us to ‘praise him in his Name JAH, and rejoice before him.’ 

I also love the way the psalm moves from the depths to the heights, from the ordinary to the utterly transfigured, as it does for example in verse 13:

Though ye have lien among the pots, yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove: that is covered with silver wings, and her feathers like gold.

And that verse also epitomises the hope at the heart of this psalm, the hope in the coming of the Messiah, the coming triumph of good over evil.

As always you can hear me read the psalm by clicking on the play button or the title.

These poems will all be gathered together and published on January 30th under the title David’s Crown. I am just working on the proofs now and there is already an amazon page for the book if you wish to pre-order it Here

LXVIII Exurgat Deus
 
And Eden’s rivers here on earth are flowing,
Invisibly they rise within our hearts,
Springs in the wilderness to keep us going,
 
Balm on our bruises, healing of our hurts.
We lie amongst the broken shards, and yet
You have not left us comfortless: our hearts
 
Are stirred to life, and over us you set
Your spirit like a dove with silver wings
And golden feathers. All her stirrings let
 
In the light of heaven. When she sings
Our sprits lift and blossom in her song
And praise the mighty JAH who made all things.
 
Grace of the graceful, true strength of the strong,
The captor of captivity, his day
Is coming, and the time will not be long.

 

If you would like to encourage and support this blog, you might like, on occasion, (not every time of course!) to pop in and buy me a cup of coffee. Clicking on this banner will take you to a page where you can do so, if you wish. But please do not feel any obligation!