Psalm 33
1 Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous;
it is fitting for the upright to praise him.
2 Praise the LORD with the harp;
make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.
3 Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully, and shout for joy. (NIV)
Psalm 33:1-3 has been my motivation for creatively responding to the goodness and grace of God for the last 7 or so years of my life. My good freind Rodney and I wrote a very average song in response to the first half of the psalm.
Rejoice in God, O you righteous
Sanctified, make melody to Him
Play the harp, sing new songs
Worship Him with shouts of joy
For the word of the Lord is good
And all His works are done in truth
The Lord loves righteousness and justice
The earth is filled with the goodness of God
... and so on...
The song was rubbish but it expressed our connection and response to truth and commandments in His word. And if our hearts were in the right place then I know that it was an offering that He delighted in. Not because we knew anything about writing a song but because i've always believed that God inhabits the praises of his people (psalm 22:3) and we were really praising.
Since then, I have thought alot, prayed about and, more recently, read some really good articles about this passage in scripture. It has become a bedrock for my worship/music/art philosphy and practice.
Psalm 33:1- 3 tells me that I am to:
1) Rejoice in God and respond to Him - If I am in Christs love then I have been made righteous
2) Shake everything I've got [Maceo Parker - "Life on Planet Groove" reference] - Use any and all mediums and resources that I can to enhance my worship and increase the glory of God
3) Be Creative - Sing a new song! write something down! engage myself in responding
4) Be Excellent - Most skills are developed from a commitment to practice and refinement.
5) Be exhuberent!
more to come... maybe
Here! Here!
ReplyDeleteI don't know that the song is/was rubbish...but then again, I haven't HEARD it :). Seriously, your version of Ps 33 seems to by lyrically sound, imho.
I, too, am an occasional writer- of lyrics, songs, and poems. I've kept written record for nearly 20 years (wow...has it REALLY been 20 years??). How time flies :).
I look forward to 2006 being the year where I am truly part of the worship team- as the Lord called me to do so last year.
I also look forward to working w/ other band members (and potentially Mike ??) to being more vocal about the songs our Father has put in/on my heart (no pun intended :) lol.
See you all Thurs!
~Shannon