Blades of Grass

Posted on June 30, 2019 by mitchteemley

A personal paraphrase of Psalm 90

472988457

Father

You have always been our home

Before the mountains were thrust up

Or the earth itself was shaped

You were our God

Yet at your word we turn to dust

For time has no substance to you

Substance has no substance to you

And so you sweep us away

Like blades of grass

That push themselves up at daybreak

And are hacked down by dusk

O, Lord

You frighten us

Your anger is more than we can bear

We know we sin

We know that you know we sin

How could you not?

Just look at all we’ve done

Does it sicken you?

How could it not?

Does it make you want to start again?

To clear us away

Like so many forgotten cobwebs?

Is this all we are?

Things that exist

And then cease to exist?

No!

Teach us to see as you see, Lord

Fill our hearts

With You

We are lost in the present

Like blades of grass

And this is all we have

Unless you stay with us

Stay

And lead us beyond the dusk

Into a different morning

Erase our sorrow

And displace it with your joy

For too long we have forgotten

–but no more–

That you are our Father

And we are your children

About mitchteemley

Writer, Filmmaker, Humorist, Thinker-about-stuffer
This entry was posted in For Pastors and Teachers, Poetry, Religion/Faith and tagged , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

21 Responses to Blades of Grass

  1. trE says:
    June 30, 2019 at 11:33 am

    Amen. These are some powerful words to read this morning, Mitch. Thank you so much for sharing.

    Reply
  2. abeaustin says:
    June 30, 2019 at 12:07 pm

    That’s beautiful, very well written!

    Reply
  3. gregoryjoel says:
    June 30, 2019 at 12:42 pm

    Thank you Mitch! This came at the perfect time to share with someone in desperate need of words of lament and healing!

    Reply
  4. IanC555 says:
    June 30, 2019 at 1:17 pm

    Oh Yeah! That’s a real good one…so powerful in reminding us that God has done what is stated…swept us away to begin anew. And it shows us where our safety is. We would abide in safety. thank you so much for this! It IS very helpful!

    Reply
  5. lisanne3015 says:
    June 30, 2019 at 1:22 pm

    Beautiful.

    Reply
  6. seekingdivineperspective says:
    June 30, 2019 at 2:05 pm

    Thanks for sharing your take on this Psalm. I like the fresh perspective. (But I still have that song going through my head now, anyway.)

    Reply
  7. Heidi Viars says:
    June 30, 2019 at 3:55 pm

    Hebrews 10:31 comes to mind …
    “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

    Reply
  8. Valerie Cullers says:
    June 30, 2019 at 4:47 pm

    Love it! I just read that Psalm the other day and wondered why it was not one of my favorites! Thank you for highlighting it!

    Reply
  9. smzang says:
    June 30, 2019 at 5:25 pm

    While it is a personal paraphrasing, it is universal in its hunger for God and the permanence He offers. Your ‘Blades’ is very different from Whitman’s ‘Leaves’.
    It lifts the reader beyond the temporary.

    Reply
  10. numrhood says:
    June 30, 2019 at 10:54 pm

    Mitch upload psalm 65

    Reply
  11. Bill Sweeney says:
    July 1, 2019 at 7:12 pm

    Beautiful.

    Reply
  12. mmyselfni3 says:
    July 2, 2019 at 12:38 pm

    “Teach us to see as you see, Lord”😍

    Reply
  14. Warren Richards says:
    July 3, 2019 at 10:41 pm

    Amen! Nicely said!

    Reply
  15. Jonathan Caswell says:
    August 9, 2019 at 3:29 pm

    Reblogged this on By the Mighty Mumford and commented:
    PRAISES TO GOD WHO HEARS US!

    Reply
  16. cat9984 says:
    August 25, 2019 at 12:14 pm

    Sometimes people remind of those projects that I start that aren’t working out all that well, but I won’t give up on because of the time I’ve already invested.

    Reply

Leave a Reply