A Psalm of Upside Down Questions

Photo by Mathilda Khoo on Unsplash

I am honestly surprised it’s taken me this long to try writing my own Psalms, given that they’re Biblical poetry written by flawed people with big feelings who recognize their own humanity and God’s gentle divinity; no wonder I find them coming so quickly to my mind and heart. They’re intended to be sacred songs (or lyrical expressions of faith) made from plucking our own heartstrings to make music that echoes His heart, and I am all about that. Here’s one full of big feelings, honest questions, and sovereign hope; I hope it encourages you as it has me.

A Psalm of Upside Down Questions

Why is sin such a
skillful boomerang?
How does its thrower know
just where to aim,
to inflict maximum pain,
to cast gritty shame?
When will I learn how to
dodge its path:
sometimes telegraphed,
yet at others uncharted?
Who will still look at me
with the same eyes
once they’ve witnessed
how deeply I can fail?
What will become of me
once my sins stack,
high enough to hide
my fractured face?
Where can my feet drag me
that’s far enough from
the clatter and clutter
of life polluted by
my own flesh-formed thoughts?

Selah: I inhale deeply, yet my exhale trembles with emotion
Selah: please forgive the sins of this body, mind & spirit
Selah: “you are forever,” I breathe out; You are selah
Selah (selal): it’s time to lift my face, raise my voice and turn up the music¹

Yet, He calls me by name,
back to His side,
no matter what came.
Therefore, I will follow,
for I believe His
love-laced words(s);
I feel His heart swell
…for me…
I’ve read the facts,
all aligned in His Word.
Truly, nothing negates their truths
especially not me;
not even the
world’s weighty wrongs
that try to bowl me over;
no persuasively peeled
logic can alter it.

And so…

How can I not run to meet you,
colliding in the road,
and you swing me round
like a child giggling with joy,
offering me a familial feast?
What did I ever imagine happening,
that couldn’t be glued
back together with gold,
hotly filling in
sealing
all my clay cracks?
When did I forget to remember
how peaceful it is to rest in you,
to let your anointing oil seep
deep into my muscles,
because you’re the one holding me tight?
Who did I think I was,
to remove myself from your presence,
when my huffing and puffing
can’t even outrun
your goodness
that has the nose of a bloodhound
and the craftsmanship
of a perfect boomerang?
Where else would I ever go
to see such peaks of your glory,
or wake up to hope-streaked dawns
and sit in your presence outside any tents,
breathing you in like fresh coffee,
my spirit rising with the Sun?
Why did you, do you, will you,
never ignore my calls,
my questions
and insist on sitting
in the front seat
pointing out the path forward
toward adventure in the great wide somewhere
but also places to pause
and rest alongside streams?

It is written that you were,
and will be.
It is revealed that you are love,
but also justice.
It is shown that you gush grace upon grace,
while redirecting us.
It is announced that a perfect lamb
was slain, in our place;
a messy human slaughter,
that the gentle Jesus
signed up for.
It is proclaimed that we, your creations,
were worth dying for,
if only because you
greatly desired to
know us, and to
be known by us.

I once wondered many things,
and I may well yet again, but…
This I know, though, and will
practice speaking to my soul:
Oh, how He loves me so!

October 13th, 2025

Author’s Notes:

In learning more and more about Psalms, I’ve discovered there are 5 most typical kinds: praise, lament, thanksgiving, royal, and wisdom. As well, not only can Psalms have synonymous lines ( 2 lines sharing the same idea with different words), but they can have antithetical lines (2 lines sharing contrasting ideas contributing to the same goal), and also synthetic lines (successive lines that build to make a point or observation or explain a correlation). In case you find yourself interested in learning more about the Psalms, I’ve also included the links I referenced (so far) in my own exploration.

Psalms sources: