R.E. Slater - The Glory of the Lord (psalm)

The Great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt

The Glory of the Lord
by R.E. Slater

Where is thy glory now O Kings of Egypt?
Where is the glory of the tombs of thy people?
For dust thou art and to dust thou hast returned,
And naught but the Lord doth sustain.

Who rules over the heavens and earth,
Who commands the seas and all that is in them,
Who raises up mountains and lays low
Those who by pride would stride the earth.

Who rule not by wisdom nor by mercy,
But by brute strength and vain glory,
To these the Lord of the heavens commands,
Bow down and lay low all ye nations of the earth.

For I am the Lord your God,
Maker of the heavens and the earth,
Whose forgiveness is unmeasured,
Whose joy is boundless as the stars.

Whose glory arises on the wings of the dawn,
Who strideth the earth seeking wisdom's mercy,
That peace might reign over the land of the living,
Before all nations of men full of sin and ruin.

For you, O Lord, art enthroned forever,
You are remembered throughout all generations,
Even as your years endure through all generations,
May all the kings of the earth fear your just name.

O Lord, we lie as a broken people,
Spent before the hot mid-day sun,
All our works lie in toil's upheaval,
Worn out like perishable garments.

O Lord, hear the prayers of the destitute,
Despise not the prayers of your children,
Who lament in sin's grief and lie stricken before you,
Whithered upon the dark days of mortal distress.

O Lord, remember the cries of your servants,
That we might dwell in your glory and praise,
Though the heavens be rolled up like a scroll,
Though the earth passes like an evening shadow.

For you, O Lord, art enthroned forever,
You are remembered throughout all generations,
Even as your years endure through all generations,
May we, your servants, dwell securely in your holy name.

R.E. Slater
April 6, 2013

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Psalm 102
English Standard Version (ESV)

Do Not Hide Your Face from Me

A Prayer of one afflicted, when he is faint and pours out his complaint before the Lord.

102 Hear my prayer, O Lord;
let my cry come to you!
² Do not hide your face from me
in the day of my distress!
Incline your ear to me;
answer me speedily in the day when I call!

³ For my days pass away like smoke,
and my bones burn like a furnace.
⁴ My heart is struck down like grass and has withered;
I forget to eat my bread.
⁵ Because of my loud groaning
my bones cling to my flesh.
⁶ I am like a desert owl of the wilderness,
like an owl^[a] of the waste places;
⁷ I lie awake;
I am like a lonely sparrow on the housetop.
⁸ All the day my enemies taunt me;
those who deride me use my name for a curse.
⁹ For I eat ashes like bread
and mingle tears with my drink,
¹⁰ because of your indignation and anger;
for you have taken me up and thrown me down.
¹¹ My days are like an evening shadow;
I wither away like grass.

¹² But you, O Lord, are enthroned forever;
you are remembered throughout all generations.
¹³ You will arise and have pity on Zion;
it is the time to favor her;
the appointed time has come.
¹⁴ For your servants hold her stones dear
and have pity on her dust.
¹⁵ Nations will fear the name of the Lord,
and all the kings of the earth will fear your glory.
¹⁶ For the Lord builds up Zion;
he appears in his glory;
¹⁷ he regards the prayer of the destitute
and does not despise their prayer.

¹⁸ Let this be recorded for a generation to come,
so that a people yet to be created may praise the Lord:
¹⁹ that he looked down from his holy height;
from heaven the Lord looked at the earth,
²⁰ to hear the groans of the prisoners,
to set free those who were doomed to die,
²¹ that they may declare in Zion the name of the Lord,
and in Jerusalem his praise,
²² when peoples gather together,
and kingdoms, to worship the Lord.

²³ He has broken my strength in midcourse;
he has shortened my days.
²⁴ “O my God,” I say, “take me not away
in the midst of my days—
you whose years endure
throughout all generations!”

²⁵ Of old you laid the foundation of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
²⁶ They will perish, but you will remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away,
²⁷ but you are the same, and your years have no end.
²⁸ The children of your servants shall dwell secure;
their offspring shall be established before you.

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 102:6 The precise identity of these birds is uncertain