Showing 41–50 of 65 results
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Psalm 34: Taste and See the Love of God
https://musicblog.gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/psalm_034-taste_and_see.mp3
Psalm 34 is one of the Psalms’ “greatest hits.” Rather than compete with classic Psalm 34 songs like James Moore’s “Taste and See” or Sylvia Dunstan’s “All Who Hunger,” I took a more intimate, personal approach, using the Psalm’s imagery in fresh ways that don’t sound overly churchy, and a music style that is simple and mesmerizing.
This leadsheet is a free download. If you sing this song in your church, please report its use to CCLI or OneLicense.
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Psalm 37: An Antiphonal Acrostic
[audio mp3="https://gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/psalm_37_demo-complete.mp3"][/audio]Psalm 37 is an acrostic Psalm with 22 sections built on each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. This musical setting follows that pattern, with 22 connected “songlets.” The last four measures of each songlet can be sung in counterpoint to the first four measures of the next songlet, creating a 22-link musical chain. It sounds complicated and esoteric; just take a listen to the MP3 demo and everything will make sense!
This leadsheet is a free download. If you sing this song in your church please report its use to CCLI or OneLicense. Download includes side-by-side Scripture and lyrics.
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Psalm 4: I Rest in You
Price range: $0.00 through $5.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product pagePsalm 4 is the lament of someone whose honor has been impugned. You can hear the theme of shame and honor recurring throughout. Ultimately, though, the Psalmist chooses to rest in the Lord. It reminds me of what Richard Foster says in The Celebration of Discipline—I believe in the section on silence—about not speaking in defense of yourself, but simply allowing your reputation to stand on its own. This lack of control is frightening, especially when your name is at stake, but ultimately we can’t control what others think of us. In this song, the lyrics and music turn the Psalm from an indignant defense (“Break their teeth, O Lord”) into a quiet prayer in the night.
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Psalm 41: Blessed Are the Weak
https://musicblog.gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/psalm_041-blessed_are_the_weak.mp3
Psalm 41 is a prayer for healing–a prayer of hope though both enemies and friends are waiting for you to die. “Blessed are those who have regard for the weak; the Lord delivers them in times of trouble.” This is very similar to Jesus’ words in the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” God has always sided with the poor, the weak, and the outsiders. We should, too, knowing that God will side with us in our moment of weakness.
This hymn is a free download. If you sing this song in your church please report its use to CCLI or OneLicense.
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Psalm 44: For Your Mercy’s Sake
https://musicblog.gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/psalm_44-for_your_mercys_sake.mp3
Lyricist T.L. (Tammy) Moody has a knack for finding fresh ways to express herself, or in this case express Psalm 44’s anguished cry for help of the original Psalm: “Awake, O Lord!” The Psalm is full of unresolved questions; similarly, the song’s harmonies remain unsettled throughout.
This hymn is a free download. If you sing this song in your church please report its use to CCLI or OneLicense.
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Psalm 45: Behold the Majesty
https://musicblog.gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/psalm_045-behold_the_majesty-1.mp3
Psalm 45 is a Psalm for a royal wedding. In this song, I’ve cast this as the wedding of heaven and earth, as it were. The king of Psalm 45 is certainly a foreshadowing of the Messiah, who will come to usher in a new age of heaven on earth. The queen could be interpreted as the earth and all its treasures, and their wedding seen as the consummation of a new age of lasting peace and justice. Yes, that is a lot of poetic license, but it allowed me to remain faithful to the Psalm (with a verse for each section of Psalm 45–introduction, king, queen, legacy), while creating a song that could be sung in a worship context.
This hymn is a free download. If you sing this song in your church, please report its use to CCLI or OneLicense.
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Psalm 46: O Lord of All, You Are Our Home
Price range: $0.00 through $5.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page[embed]http://musicblog.gregscheer.com/psalm_046-o_lord_of_all.mp3[/embed]Psalm 46 offers comfort and hope in times of trouble. It doesn’t promise that we won’t experience hardship, but that God will be with us in those times.
In Martin Luther’s famous setting of Psalm 46, “A Mighty Fortress,” he focused on themes of strength and battle. In my setting, I highlight the Psalm’s images of God as a refuge–God’s stable presence among us in a chaotic world–concluding each verse with an affirmation of hope: “The Lord of all is with us.”
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Psalm 6: Lord, My God, Do Not Contend
Adam Carlill’s Psalm versifications in Psalms for the Common Era strike a fine balance between faithfulness to the Hebrew texts and singability for modern congregations. For Psalm 6, I wrote a Celtic-style ballad, which feels to me like it’s sturdy enough to contain the harsher elements of the Psalm (“do not castigate and chide,” “Turn away from me my foes” ), but soft enough for phrases like “soothing touch and balm inside.”
This leadsheet is a free download. If you sing this song in your church please report its use to CCLI or OneLicense.
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Psalm 62: Only God Can Save Us Now
Price range: $0.00 through $5.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product pagehttps://musicblog.gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/psalm_062-only_god.mp3
Psalm 62 famously begins with the words, “My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.” The Psalmist goes on to describe the many difficulties experienced in life–those who are attacking or extorting money–always coming back to the refrain, “My soul finds rest in God alone.” Scottish lyricist, Doug Gay, has given these words an introspective feel in his setting of the Psalm. They could almost be sung by a victim of abuse, crying to God for help. That’s the thing about the Psalms: they give words to things we may have not experienced, which may make us feel like we don’t need them–until we do.
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Psalm 64: I Lift My Voice
https://musicblog.gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/psalm_064-i_lift_my_voice.mp3
Psalm 64 portrays the author as being hunted down by the wicked. Linda Bonney Olin does a great job of faithfully transforming the Psalm into a modern song. She begins with a cry for refuge and ends with praise for God’s unfailing help. In between, she is honest about the damage wicked schemes can do, while focusing on the ultimate justice and protection God gives us. It is a timely message when we’re all swimming in a sea of lies and malice: God still sees our deeds and judges hearts fairly.