The Lord is my light
He is my salvation and strength.
   So whom shall I fear?
The wicked rise up to devour
   They stumble and fall
Tho an army encamp against me
   My heart will not fear
Tho against me a war may rage
   My confidence holds.

There’s just one thing I desire from the Lord
   And that one thing I will seek
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord
   His face to see every day
I long to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
   To meditate on Him
There in the safety of His tabernacle
   He hides me from my foes
On a rock high above all my enemies
   He sets my feet secure
With shouts of joy and songs of praise
   I come before Him now.

Hear me, O Lord, when I cry with my voice
   Have mercy and answer me
You said to me, “Just seek My face”
   My heart says, “Your face I’ll seek!”
Please do not hide Your face from me
   Do not turn Your servant away
You’ve always been my help and strength
   So do not forsake me today
You are the God of my salvation
   Tho father and mother forsake
You always will take care of me
   Upon You I will wait.

Teach me Your way, O Lord, I pray
   And lead me in paths that are straight
Do not deliver me to my foes
   Who breathe out their lies and hate
Unless I believed, I would have despaired
   Your goodness I will see
Take courage, my heart, and wait on Him
   In the land of the living you’ll be
So do not despair but wait on the Lord
   Your faith He will reward
When all around your soul gives way
   Just wait, I say, on the Lord!

© 2014 J Dan Small

O Lord, defend my innocence and my integrity
I’ve always trusted in You, Lord, without a hint of doubt
Examine, Lord, my mind and heart, test me and You will see
Your lovingkindness I have sought, pursued relentlessly.

I have not sat with wicked men, from hypocrites abstain
Idolatrous, deceitful men, I hate their gatherings
In innocence I wash my hands, at your altar remain
With thankful voice I worship You, Your wondrous works proclaim.

O Lord, I love Your dwelling place, Your glory there is seen
So do not take my soul away with those who spurn Your ways
Because of my integrity, have mercy and redeem
Among the saints I bless the Lord, His kindnesses esteem.

© 2014 J Dan Small

O Lord, I lift my soul to You
    In You, O God, I trust
Let not my enemies succeed
    Nor let me be ashamed.

Indeed, none of the ones who wait
    On You will be ashamed
But any who deal treach’rously
    Will surely be disgraced.

Make me to know Your ways, O Lord
   Help me to learn Your paths
Teach me and lead me in Your truth
    For You I wait all day.

You are the God who rescues me
    I ask You to recall
Your tender mercies and Your love
    For they are from of old.

Remember not my youthful sins
    Nor all my rebel ways
According to Your mercies, Lord
    Your goodness now recall.

Because the Lord is good and right
    The sinner He instructs
The meek He guides toward justice and
    The humble learn His way.

For those who keep His covenant
    His paths are love and truth
Pardon my sin for it is great
    For Your name’s sake, O Lord.

Who is the man that fears the Lord?
    Show him which path to choose
His soul will prosper and his kin
    Dwell long upon the earth.

The Lord confides His secrets to
    The ones who fear His name
His covenant to them He shows
    That’s why I look to Him.

My eyes are ever on the Lord
    From traps He sets me free
Now turn Your eyes toward me, O Lord
    In mercy see my grief.

The troubles of my heart have grown
    I’m lonely and oppressed
Look on my troubles and my pain
    Deliver from distress.

Forgive my sins, protect my soul
    My enemies increase
With cruel hatred they attack
    Please rescue, O my God.

For You I wait, in You I trust
    Let me not be ashamed
Let truth and righteousness prevail
    Your people, God, redeem!

© 2014 J Dan Small

The earth is the Lord’s and all it contains
    The world and the people therein
Built upon waters and resting on seas
    It all belongs to Him.

Who may ascend to the hill of the Lord
    Before His great holiness stand?
Only the one with clean hands and pure heart
    Whom all falsehood and lies have banned.

All who refuse to serve idols or lies
    And will not his neighbor defraud
The generation that seeks our Lord’s face
    Gains righteousness, blessing from God.

Hearken, ye gates, lift up your heads
Your ancient doors swing wide
Behold the King of Glory comes
Now welcome Him inside.

Who might this King of Glory be?
The strong and mighty Lord
Mighty in battle, conq’ring One
Worthy to be adored.

So open wide you ancient gates
The Lord of Hosts is here
Before the King of Glory bow
His Majesty revere.

© 2014 J Dan Small

The Lord is my Shepherd, He meets all my needs
Along peaceful rivers, in green pastures feeds.

My soul He refreshes down paths that I take
He leads me in right ways all for His name’s sake.

When passing through valleys no evil I fear
In death’s darkest shadows Your presence is near.

You lead with your staff and correct with your rod
Then set right before me the table of God.

My head You’ve anointed, my cup overflows
Your goodness and mercy surround as I go.

All the days of my life Your love follows me close
And someday, forever, I’ll dwell in Your house.

© 2014 J Dan Small

Eloi, Eloi, Lama Sabachtani
My groaning cry it seems You will not heed
My God, My God, You have forsaken me
So far from helping in my hour of need
All day, O God, I cry and You don’t hear
And all night long to You alone I plead.

You alone are holy
Enthroned upon our praises
Trusted by our fathers
And You delivered them
They trusted, Lord, their prayers were not denied
You rescued them, You heard their desp’rate cry

But look at me, less than a worm am I
Despised by men, they sneer and spit and say,
“He trusts in God, let Him deliver him
“If God does care He’ll rescue him today.”

But You did bring me forth
From my own mother’s womb
I’ve trusted You since then
Relied on You from birth
You’ve been my God right from my mother’s womb
Oh, be not far from my distress and gloom.

Strong bulls with horns are circling ’round me
Like hungry lions they threaten to devour
My life’s poured out, my bones are out of joint
My heart, like wax, is melted in this hour
My strength is gone, my tongue cleaves to my jaw
The dogs surround me and my soul does cower.

You lay my soul down in the dust of death
As evil men encompass me around
My hands and feet they pierced with cruel nails
They look and stare, their insults do abound
Stripped and naked I can count all my bones
They cast lots for the garments they have found.

In Your strength, O Lord, the king is filled with joy
And in Your salvation You have made him glad.

You, Lord, have granted all his heart desired
And have not withheld anything that he requested.

You have crowned his head with abundance of good things
He asked You for life, You extended it forever.

Because of Your salvation, his majesty is great
Honor and glory make him most blessed forever.

Gladness overwhelms him because of Your presence
He trusts in You, Lord, Your love makes Him secure.

But those who hate You will feel Your hand of judgment
You’ll swallow them up and Your fire will destroy them.

They plotted against You –their schemes will not succeed
Their offspring have no future among the sons of men.

When they see Your arrows they run for their lives
But we will exalt You and celebrate Your pow’r!

© 2014 J Dan Small

Psalm 20

As I meditated on this Psalm I could hear Tevye and his wife (Fiddler on the Roof) singing the Sabbath Prayer.  To catch the meter of these lines you need to have a slight Jewish lilt in your head.

May the Lord answer
   When you are in trouble.
May the God of Jacob
   Keep you safe from harm.

May He send you help from His sanctuary
And support you from His home on high
May He think of all your sacrifices
And accept your burnt offerings.

May He grant you
   All Your heart desires
And may all the
   Plans you make succeed.

When that happens we shall rejoice
Wave our banners and sing for joy
We will celebrate your victory
When He answers all your prayers.

Now I know that
   He rescues His anointed
He will answer
   From His holy heav’n.

Some are trusting
   In their own resources
And they boast in
   The strength that they possess.

With His right hand
   My God shall deliver us
So we boast in
   The Name of our Lord God!

Trusting their own selves,
   They’re asking for disaster
Our King will answer
   and we will rise and stand.

© 2014 J Dan Small

The heav’ns declare the glory of God
The universe shouts His praise
His handiwork shows night after night
His wisdom all our days.

Their message is heard throughout the world
All flesh their voice can hear
So none can say they never were told
The word is always near.

The blazing sun dwells in that realm
And runs its course each day
A radiant bridegroom, it comes forth
It’s heat no one can stay.

The words and judgments of the Lord
Are true and always right
By them the simple become wise
The upright find delight.

To fear the Lord, walk in His ways
Is pure, revives the soul
His statutes, laws, commands are good
By them we are made whole.

Indeed of greater value, these
Than mountains of fine gold
And sweeter than the honeycomb
They never will grow old.

Through them Your servants can be warned
In them is great reward
I cannot see my many faults
I need Your cleansing, Lord.

Please keep me from delib’rate sins
Don’t let them control me
Blameless and innocent I’d be
of great transgression free.

My Rock, Redeemer, and my Lord
This is my earnest plea
May all my words and thoughts be found
acceptable to Thee.

You save the meek but not the proud
The haughty You bring low
You light a lamp for me, O God
My darkness You illume.

With You I run against a troop
By God I scale a wall
My God arms me with mighty strength
And perfect makes my way.

As for my God whose word is pure
Perfect are all His ways
He is a shield to all who trust
Only the Lord is God.
Who is a Rock except our God?

There is no God but Him
He makes my feet run like a deer
And takes me to the heights.

From Him my hands learn how to fight
A bow of bronze to bend
You shield me with salvation, too
Your right hand holds me up.

Your gentleness has made me great
My steps you have made sure
The path in which You lead me, Lord
Is broad and clear and safe.

My enemies I chased and caught
Not one escaped my sword
Wounded, they fell to never rise
Beneath my feet lie still.

You were my source of strength in war
You made them all bow down
They tried to flee but mine they were
Destroyed by him they hate.

When they cried out e’en to You, Lord
You did not answer them
No one could save them from my hand
Like dust they’ve blown away.

Delivered from my enemy
I now rule over them
By foreigners and strangers served
In fear they all bow down.

I bless You, Lord, You are my Rock
Exalted Savior God
You have avenged and brought them low
I’m rescued from my foes.

You lift me up above them all
The vi’lent who opposed
So I give thanks and praise Your Name
The nations hear me sing.

Great are the victories You’ve giv’n
Unfailing love You’ve shown
To David, the anointed king
and heirs forevermore.

© 2014 J Dan Small