The Workshop
Where the scribbles and scraps gather.
Here is a long-time-coming recording of a song I wrote last fall - the first of what I hope will be many reflections / settings of the Psalms. I always wish my technical skills in producing my songs were better than they are, but such as I have give I thee!
Thanks to Adam Zembower for the generous lending of his mad guitar skills by laying down some acoustic tracks on this one!
Last fall, I felt inspired to start studying the Psalms and to try to distill each one into a song, holding true to its theme(s) as much as possible and in many cases even the exact wording found in Scripture.
Jump ahead a year and it’s remained a back burner project, with Psalm 1 written and a demo almost done (stay tuned!), Psalm 2 written but not recorded yet, lyrics done for Psalm 3 but no music, and this afternoon, as I sit here rocking a sleeping baby, I began work on Psalm 4.
I can’t wait to share the finished Psalm 1 and 2 songs with you guys. But the Workshop is about the process, so I wanted to kick out what a very quick writing session on my phone in our nursery yielded.
1 Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!
2 O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah
3 But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him.
4 Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah
5 Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the LORD.
6 There are many who say, "Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!"
7 You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.
8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety. - Psalms 4
This Psalm is interesting in that it has a couple often quoted verses in it - namely vv. 4 & 8 - but both take on deeper meaning when viewed in the context of the entire Psalm. When taking all of the verses of this Psalm into account as a collective whole, the scene in which I see the Psalmist is a familiar one. He’s desperate and crying out to God to show Himself faithful, as He has in the past. He feels dishonored and ridiculed for his faith by a culture seeking goodness and pleasure in things other than God (“[loving] vain words… [seeking] after lies… [seeking joy in abundant] grain and wine…”). He is angered by the evidence and effects of sin around him, but He knows that God is not mocked and God is a truer and better delight and portion. And interestingly, I think all this is keeping him up at night (v. 4) and he needs to preach the truth to himself a bit so he can sleep (v. 8). Every Christian been there, amirite?
So here was the shorthand list of themes I pulled out…
Faithfulness of God (v. 1)
The Lord proves who are His own by answering when they call (v. 2-3)
God is faithful. Be angry at sin, but trust and rest in Him despite surroundings (v. 4-5)
Man seeks transient pleasures, but the joy of the Lord is found in Himself (vv. 6-7)
God is our peace (v. 8)
And here is a first pass at lyrics for a chorus.
I will rest in You
I will trust and choose to believe
Though a thousand voices would put me to shame
I will call out above them Your name
You are faithful and true
You’ve done all that You said You would do
I will choose to trust and believe
Your will will be done
And your way is best
You are good
In you, I will rest
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Thanks for reading! Feel free to comment any thoughts below and check back for more updates on this song and other new works!
