(Worship leader: David wrote this poem when he’d been captured in Gath by the Philistines. Sing it to the tune of “A Lost Dove on Foreign Trees.”)
I need some kindness, my God.
Haters are hot
On my heels,
Relentless,
Chasing me down alleys
And up streets,
So sure they’ll overtake me.
(Stop. Breathe. OK.)
When fear grabs me,
I grab ahold of you,
Of you, God,
Your words turning me
To worship.
As trust in God fills me,
I’m drained of fear.
Come to think of it,
What can mere mortals do to me
When God’s on my side?
But that doesn’t stop their plotting.
Twisting and turning
My words against me
Is a full-time job to them.
Any slip of the tongue,
Any slip of the foot
And they pounce on me.
Take down these terrorists.
Get angry, God!
Finish off these Philistines!
Make a spreadsheet of my sorrows.
Keep an account of every tear I cry.
You don’t miss a moan,
Do you?
There’s only one way to know for sure
God is on my side:
The haters halt
When I call for help.
It’s God whose words
Turn me to worship.
It’s Yahweh whose words
Turn me to worship.
As trust in God fills me,
I’m drained of fear.
Come to think of it,
What can people do to me
When God’s on my side?
I’ve made my promise to you,
My God.
I’m so looking forward
To making good on them —
Fireworks of thanksgivings!
I was dying.
You delivered me.
I was stumbling.
Now, I’m standing sturdy
With you, God,
Chased by sunshine,
Suffused with life.