Song title: Psalm 139 (Were I to Cross from Land to Land)
Music: Greg de Blieck
Lyrics: Greg de Blieck
CCLI no: 6467780
Song title: Psalm 139 (Were I to Cross from Land to Land)
Music: Greg de Blieck
Lyrics: Greg de Blieck
CCLI no: 6467780
Were I to cross from land to land
And sail afar by sea
Descend the depths or climb the heights
My Lord remains with me
Before the blood ran in these veins
The days ordained for me
Were written in Your book O Lord
Before I came to be
I grieve to hear Your enemies
Speak hatred, Lord, of You
Long though they scheme with ill-intent
Their days are numbered too
How precious are Your thoughts to me
How countless, Lord, they are
More than the shores have grains of sand
More than the skies have stars
Come search and test this heart O Lord,
Dispel each anxious thought
And lead me onward evermore
To tread the path I ought
How blessed I am, so bound with love
Surrounded, yet so free
In doubt or blessing, life or death
My Lord remains with me
This is a paraphrase of psalm 139 which expresses amazement and praise of a God who knows, loves and cares for his people intimately.
The psalm is often used for sentimental reasons, a kind of “warm-fuzzy-God-is-always-there-like-my-guardian-angel” thing. However, consider how the psalmist seems also to be expressing that God is inescapable- even if we wanted to escape him, we can’t. This realisation becomes a source of reverent joy and he goes on to say, in effect “How wonderful to be hemmed in on every side by this wonderful God”.
The psalmist also takes a moment to express an emotive response to those who hate God. He cries out “oh that you would slay the wicked!” That’s not a verse you’ll see on greetings cards. Nevertheless – it is worth considering what precipitates that kind of strength of feeling.
I grieve to hear Your enemies
Speak hatred, Lord, of You
Long though they scheme with ill-intent
Their days are numbered too
Bible Passage: Psalm 139
Themes:
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