Psalm 21

The Battle Hymn of the Republic 

     Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.

     He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;  

     He hath loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword:  

     His truth is marching on.

             (Chorus)

             Glory, glory hallelujah

             Glory, glory hallelujah!

             Glory, glory hallelujah!

             His truth is marching on!

I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps,

They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;

I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps:

His day is marching on.

(Chorus)

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

His day is marching on.

I have read a fiery gospel writ in burnished rows of steel:

"As ye deal with my contemners, so with you my grace shall deal;

Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heel,

Since God is marching on."

(Chorus)

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

Since God is marching on.

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;

He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment-seat:

Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet!

Our God is marching on.

(Chorus)

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

Our God is marching on.

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,

With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:

As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,

While God is marching on.

(Chorus)

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

While God is marching on.

He is coming like the glory of the morning on the wave,

He is Wisdom to the mighty, He is Succour to the brave,

So the world shall be His footstool, and the soul of Time His slave,

Our God is marching on.

(Chorus)

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

Our God is marching on.

Julia Ward Howe wrote the lyrics to this in November of 1861.  She was in Washington during the Civil War and heard the tune (it had other lyrics then!) being sung by the troops.  During the night, she wrote these lyrics--they are a little different from what we see now in our hymnals.  As I was reading Psalm 21, the tune and lyrics of this song began to echo in my brain.  Now it will echo in yours as well!  :)  

(Ok, so start the drums...)

Psalm 21 seems to be in two parts.  The first part is verses 1 thru 7 and focuses on God's goodness and blessings to the king (David), and the king's joy and trust in his God.  In the second part, verses 8 thru 12, the psalmist is vividly (almost gleefully?!) describing the Lord destroying His enemies and their descendants.  The Psalm closes with verse 13:  "Be exalted, O Lord, in Your own strength!  We will sing and praise Your power." 

When I was little, I would take great delight in starting the year with a new diary.  I liked the ones with the lock and key best (I had snooping brothers).  I still actually have a couple from way back then and they are mostly blank pages with a few entries (--mostly on the days when I was mad at one or more of my brothers and was documenting how mean they were complete with a list of their transgressions...)  I can remember how I felt when I read those entries now.  They take me back.

David obviously put a lot of thought and energy into his writings.  There is a lot of emotion, but it is developed and molded with intention--the intention of giving God glory.  Just as we get great comfort in reading the Psalms, I believe they also served to comfort and remind David of where God had taken him and where He was going to take David.  I think there were days where David could not write, but reread (sang?) and reminded himself of God's faithfulness and blessings. 

We need to write.  Many of us do already.  We need to be keeping our own personal record of God's faithfulness to us.  Some days are just dark and we need to arm ourselves with our personal proof of His faithfulness and blessings to us.  

I am sure many of us do this already and can attest to the value of this discipline.

Father thank you for David.  Thank you for the Psalms that allows us to see inside him, feel his feelings and see how he saw You.  Help us learn to trust you more.  Amen.