The hymn by this name has become one of my favorites over the years because it conveys the holiness and glory of God by transporting the mind to the mercy seat both in the tabernacle and in heaven. The version I have has 5 verses. The original, written by Frederick Faber, has 8 verses: (for a choir rendition, albeit too slow for my liking, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4VtpEu3CDQ)
My God, how wonderful Thou art,
Thy majesty, how bright;
How beautiful Thy mercy seat
In depths of burning light!
How dread are Thy eternal years,
O everlasting Lord,
By prostrate spirits day and night
Incessantly adored!
How wonderful, how beautiful,
The sight of Thee must be;
Thy endless wisdom, boundless power,
And glorious purity!
O how I fear Thee, living God,
With deep and tender fear;
And worship Thee with trembling hope,
And penitential tears!
Yet, I may love Thee, too, O Lord,
Almighty as Thou art;
For Thou hast stooped to ask of me
The love of my poor heart!
No earthly father loves like Thee,
No mother, e’er so mild,
Bears and forbears as Thou hast done,
With me, Thy sinful child.
Only to sit and think of God,
Oh, what a joy it is!
To think the thought, to breathe the Name,
Earth has no higher bliss.
Father of Jesus, love’s Reward!
What rapture it will be
Prostrate before Thy throne to lie,
And gaze, and gaze on Thee!
As I sang this wonderful hymn, and others, and mused on Psalm 103, more verses came to me. They are not of a quality of the original but I do intend them as worship to God:
He righteous deeds each day performs
Judgments for the oppressed
Compassionate and gracious He
With love for the distressed
As high as heaven above earth
So great His steadfast love
Is toward all those who fear their God
The God who dwells above
As far as east is from the west
Transgressions He removes
A Father who compassion on
A child who his God fears
For all is peace, my soul at rest
Submitted to His will
Our God is good and great and kind
To know Him is a thrill
One day in heaven we will be
Adoring face to face
But now we see His glory great
Through His redeeming grace
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CreatorWorship 
Comparative Religion and Philosophy Class
Posted in Cultural commentary, General, Poem, tagged Cultural commentary, God Thoughts, Poems on October 8, 2016| Leave a Comment »
Bibles and spiritual discussion involving Christianity have largely been expunged from public discourse, politely ignored at best or ridiculed as archaic. So we as a society try to convince ourselves of how enlightened we are by studying various religions and philosophies, all the while being open only to human autonomous naturalism. Even many church-goers acknowledge God as no more than a concept of good behind the scenes rather than a personal, involved, just and loving Sovereign Creator, a real person to whom we are responsible. It is quite ironic that the most Bibles are to be found where the least acceptance of its content is given. In just such a room I stood recently, silent, considering the lack of Bibles elsewhere in the building and the multitude of them here.
Comparative Religion and Philosophy Class Deep irony in our midst The most Bibles in a room On a shelf with all the rest Equal texts as they assume Thoughts of men believed the best Ridicule of God will bloom Putting God's Word to the test Sweep away truth with a broom Of poor logic or mere jest Scoffers conceived in this womb Birth unbelief in this nest Many young skeptics to groom And others their faith arrest Sending belief to its tomb Extract self from this class lest You take part in death and doom Instead, set out on a quest In each context truth exhume That society be blestRead Full Post »