Tuesday, 24 December 2024

We Need More Songs Like The Psalms

 


 


Back in 2006 when I came to the Lord, I got involved in a really good church where the worship pastor would often sing songs he had written and composed himself. He was not just a worship pastor either, he was an evangelist, a disciple maker, a preacher, and a mentor. I was really blown away by the quality of the songs he wrote.

After I moved on to another Church, I realized just how blessed I was to have a pastor like that man who wrote such biblical but touching and meaningful songs. I noticed that many other churches sung the popular Christian songs of the moment, some of which were great, but many were not that great. They were not heretical or anything, they just lacked depth, and most of them sounded exactly the same. I also noticed how there were so many topics in the Bible, and especially the Psalms, that modern worship did not touch. I have written about this in the past here.

There are heaps of wonderful Christian worship songs, some of them are some of the most beautiful songs ever written. There are even many great modern worship songs. But we seem to have lost the ability to write with the same breadth of range of topic that the Book of Psalms itself displays. This book is written to teach us how to worship, but many of its lessons are not heeded by the Church.

So, in my early days as a Christian I started to write what I call ‘Psalms for the 21st Century’. They are not to be considered scripture, of course, I want to say that so there is no misunderstanding. They are simply to be modelled on the Psalms and cover some of the topics we don’t sing about so much in modern worship. Like God fighting against our enemies for us, for instance, as a powerful avenger.

Now that we have the ability to create music through AI, I can finally take my old poems and Psalms and turn them into full fledged songs, in a variety of formats and genres. Here is the first of my own songs. I wrote these lyrics myself many years ago.

Now you can listen to them in song: here, here and here. Three different versions. Depending on your tastes. Merry Christmas, let’s do our best to worship our Lord in Spirit and in Truth in the new year and beyond.

 

Rejoice in the Lord

 

My heart rejoices in you Lord

For all that you have done

You have saved me from myself

Delivered me from the evil one

 

I can call on your name

And I know that you will hear

Because I know that you oh God love me

My heart knows no true fear

 

Strike at my enemies

With your mighty power

Save me from myself

In my darkest hour

 

I can rejoice in you God

My heart is so free

To take joy in your presence

Let it wash all over me

 

Your strength is like the roar of the sea

Your glory is like none other can be

You have taken me from the deep

And set me on firm ground

You have claimed my soul to keep

And filled me with joy to go round

 

My heart rejoices Lord

For all that you have done

My soul cries aloud for God

Like you there is not one

 

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