Showing 71–80 of 119 results
Debra Rienstra won the Fuller Seminary School of Psychology Fortieth Anniversary hymn competition with this hymn text based on Psalm 25. Originally paired with the hymntune KINGSFOLD, I wrote a new tune in a jazz ballad style that brings out the more prayerful, pleading, and melancholic aspects of the words.
https://musicblog.gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/psalm_026-upheld.mp3
Many Psalms talk about God putting them on solid rock, but only Psalms 26 and 143 use the phrase “level ground.” It echoes the words of Isaiah 40: “Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.” This image tells us that God is making a way, clearing a path for us.
Based on Psalm 27:4, this song is a prayer for the beauty of God to fill our eyes. The music can be adapted to any number of styles, from straight acoustic guitar strumming to a jangly U2 groove. I’ve provided leadsheets in both E minor and C# minor for greater flexibility when using a capo. You’re welcome.
https://musicblog.gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/psalm_028-my_god_my_rock-sandy-1.mp3
Kate Bluett follows the three-part prayer we find in Psalm 28, teasing out the image of God the Rock, as opposed to the stony silence of a god who doesn’t hear people’s prayers. I wrote two tunes for her text and simply couldn’t decide which I like better. The first tune (SANDY, sample above) is a jazzy melody that gives the song a mournful, prayerful character and brings out the pathos of Kate’s text. The other tune (ROCKY, sample below) is more rustic and forceful, which gives the song confidence in the midst of a trial.
https://musicblog.gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/psalm_028-my_god_my_rock-rocky.mp3
https://musicblog.gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/psalm_029-the_voice_of_the_lord-ozone.mp3
Psalm 29 paints a picture of God and nature intertwined. But more than simply embodying God in the thunder and lightning, the psalm shows the world to be God’s very temple. God’s presence makes the earth, and all the ordinary stuff of life, sacred.
This leadsheet is a free download. If you sing this song in your church, please report its use to CCLI or OneLicense.
Psalm 3 is traditionally associated with King David as he fled from his son Absalom. Whether or not the Psalm was actually written while David fled for his life during a revolt, the Psalm is certainly full of fears and anxieties–with a side order of vengeance. But more than that, the Psalm is full of trust. Even though all hell is breaking loose, the Psalmist talks about going to bed: “I lie down and sleep; I wake again, for the Lord sustains me. I am not afraid…”
In this setting of Psalm 3, “I shall rest in peace” becomes a repeated refrain throughout. “Rest” not only indicates peaceful sleep but “rest in peace” is a euphemism for death. It seems to me that many people who might read Psalm 3 or sing this song may be fighting the enemy of disease, age, or death itself. Even in death, we can rest in the Lord.
This leadsheet is a free download. If you sing this song in your church please report its use to CCLI or OneLicense.
The joyous leaps at the beginning of the song underline the exuberance of Michael Morgan’s version of Psalm 30. But each verse also contains a prayer; at this point, the harmonies turn to a minor key and a lower range, slowly rising from lament until they conclude with newfound joy.
This hymn is a free download. If you sing this song in your church please report its use to CCLI or OneLicense.
https://musicblog.gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/Psalm-31_-In-Your-Shadow.mp3
Psalm 31 has a place in Holy Week worship because Jesus quoted it from the cross: “Into your hands I commit my spirit.” Though verses 9-13 give a glimpse into the terror of the cross, much of the Psalm focuses on trust in God’s deliverance. Kate Bluett has written a lovely setting of 31 which captures not only the heart of the Psalm, but also the structure, from plea for help to description of affliction to final words of hope. It is a great comfort to me to know that I can meditate and hope in the same scriptures that Jesus recited in his time of deepest distress.
https://musicblog.gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/psalm_032-when_i_kept_silent.mp3
Psalm 32 is summed up succinctly in Doug Gay’s new versification: “I was forgiven. I was restored.” This understated Celtic ballad is a simple to sing Psalm of confession.
Psalm 33 is a songwriter’s dream: it commands us to sing a new song, mentions a variety of instruments, and admonishes us to play skillfully. This bright, joyous song helps us do just that while also allowing us to follow the Psalmist into themes of creation, judgment, power, and trust.
This leadsheet is a free download. If you sing this song in your church please report its use to CCLI or OneLicense.