An Appalachian Psalm

Inspired by Psalm 29

All creatures, everyone, everywhere,

Speak of God's power and glory.

Sing of God's strength.

Call on the name of God with reverence.

Worship the Lord.

God speaks over the rivers.

God thunders in the rush of the Kanawha 

and in the mightiness of the Ohio.

God careens in Blackwater,

and pummels the rocks in the Gauley.

The Lord is in the water.

The water belongs to the Lord.

In the trees that rise above Elkins

and in the pines that stand on Spruce Knob,

The power of the Lord rises to heaven.

In the cows that roam the hillside

on the farms in Wood County,

and in the goats on the side of the hills

near Spencer,

the Lord dances.

The voice of the Lord flashes in the fire

that licks the forests.

God echoes across the high places

in Terra Alta.

and shakes the wilderness in Huntington.

God moves the lawmakers in Charleston,

and roams along the West Side.

God echoes in the steel mills of Weirton,

and in the coal mines of Mingo.

God is there.

When the wind bends the oak trees

to the ground, the Lord is there.

When the leaves are gone,

and the trees are bare,

the Lord is there.

Every part of Appalachia says, "Glory!"

The Lord is more powerful than the flood,

more lasting than the destruction,

more sustaining to God's people

than anything else.

May the Lord give strength to the people,

May the Lord bring peace.