More Than Watchmen (Psalm 130)

I wrote this song a few weeks ago, also in response to one of my pastors' request for "hope songs" for us to sing in worship on Sunday mornings (He's doing a sermon series on hope). Most songs take at least a week or a few days of coming back to it a number of times for me to finish them, but this was one of the rare ones that came rather quickly, probably because the theme of hope resonates so strongly with me, and because Psalm 130 has been one of my favorite Psalms for years. I have been especially moved by its description of waiting on the Lord:

I wait for the Lord

More than watchmen wait for morning,

More than watchmen wait for morning.

I heard a story yesterday about a navy chaplain who was visiting soldiers who were standing guard through the night on the frontlines of a battlefield. He described the incredible tension, as a moving camel in the distance seemed so certainly to look like an enemy soldier, and a twinkle of light would set the whole camp on alarm. In the final hours of night, everyone was desperate to see the morning light, longing for the clarity of vision it would bring. These words from Psalm 130 became all the more real to the chaplain after this experience.

I have written below about how the Christian is always, in this life, waiting. For every answered prayer, there are many unanswered ones. And the ultimate fulfillment for what we can best desire will always remain unfulfilled until Christ returns. But we can still wait with confidence, believing that the morning will come and that the God who is in the business of making things new, will finally, one day, make all things new in Christ.

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Verse 1: Bm7 G D A

Out of the depths I call to You

Listen to my plea

Out of the depths I cry the name of Jesus

Battered by my circumstance

Broken at Your feet

But voice enough to sigh the name of Jesus

Pre-Chorus: Em7 D/F# G A

Where else would I go

You're my only hope

Chorus: Bm7 G D A

More than watchmen wait for morning

I will wait for You, my God

In Your promise I will glory

All my hope is in Your love

Verse 2:

If you kept a record of

All our sinful ways

Who, O Lord, could stand to face Your glory

But full of mercy, rich in love

You have come to save

So in my weary bones I whisper, "worthy"

Bridge: Bm7 A/C# G Bm7 A

My soul waits for the break of day

You will surely come as the rising sun

Bm7 A/C# G A

My soul longs for the coming dawn

You will surely come to us

Faithful One

I wrote this song a few weeks ago in response to a request from my pastor. He sent me a list of scriptures, revolving around the them of hope, which he'll be preaching on for the next few months, and he asked me to start writing songs! This one came originally from Psalm 147:11. As I thought about the verse, I wanted to write a song that was full of praise for the riches of God's love, his faithful, unfailing love. We can have such confidence in his love, knowing that He who was, who is and who is to come, is love, and will always look on us with love.

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(the recording is in E, but I frequently play it in D when leading this song at church)

Chorus: D G D A (x2) Bm7 G D A Em7 G A

Faithful One

We will hope in Your unfailing love

From the rising to the setting sun

We will hope in Jesus' name

You have never failed us

Verse: D Em7 G A

Rich in Compassion, lavish in love

Hope of the nations, beautiful God

Full of new mercy day after day

You come to save me, Lamb who was slain

Bridge: Bm7 A/C# G

And for eternity we'll sing this song

Our God is love, Our God is love

The One who was and is and is to come

Our God is love, Our God is love

Em7 A

Our God is love Our God is love

Ending: Em7 G (x3) Em7 G A D...

You have never failed us

You have never failed us

You will never fail us

You will never fail us

We Are Waiting (2)

I know I already did a blog post for this song, but I was helping with worship at a conference this weekend, and this song sort of came to the forefront because it tied in so well with the theme that emerged: waiting on God. (Plus, I got a new mic recently and felt like re-recording it).

I was reminded this weekend that waiting is such a crucial aspect of the believer's identity. We wait in confidence because we know that He who did not spare his only Son but gave Him up willingly, will not withhold anything good from His children (Romans 8:31-32). And we wait with a strong hope because of the coming Kingdom, where we will know Love personified in all His fullness.

P.S. I kind of went to town on this recording... I couldn't help myself... but I hope I'm not setting a precedent... I would still like this to be a place where I can throw up (very) rough recordings of songs I'm writing...

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Verse: (C Dm7 F Gsus)
Pre-chorus: (F C Gsus)
Chorus & Bridge: (F C Gsus Dm7)

All My Life (At the Cross)

I wrote this song about a few months ago, around the same time as "This World Has Nothing for Me". Both songs are centered around the theme of losing all things for the Lord, being crucified with Christ, but this song sprang more out of a meditation on the first part of Galatians 6:14, "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ..."

And I stole a line from a great old hymn... I'll let you figure out which one.

(I've also included the chords for this one, in case you care to play along)

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(C F G C Am G F C)
All my life I will live
At the cross
At the place you loved me
With all my strength
I will boast in the cross
For the way you loved me there

(Am G F C)
And I am crucified with Christ
And I have found new life
At the cross at the place you loved me

(F Am G C F Am G)
Riches I will heed not, nor man's empty praise
You will be my first love now and always
I will ever praise you, see your hands and feet
You have won my love for eternity

Jonah

I wrote this song probably four years ago now. I had a crisis of faith toward the end of my junior year of college, after which the Lord got me by myself for a little while. I felt like Jonah in the belly of the big fish. Anyway, I think I'll let the lyrics speak for themselves.

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I am Jonah and I am sailing on the sea
And you sent a storm because you wanted me
So throw me over, come and throw me overboard
I have a long awaited appointment with the Lord

I am Jonah in the belly of the deep
But it is in this place I can hear you clearly
And although its dark and cold, this I have come to know
It is my only hope

'Cause you had to get me into the secret place
You had to draw me out and get us face to face
You have my attention, and I know it's been a while
But I am all ears now

I am Jonah, and it has been three days
I've been waiting and praying here with no escape
Are you about to spit me out, 'cause Lord, I could use another hour
Just to be here with you

One thing I ask and I would seek
To meet you Jesus here in the deep
In lowly places my heart is weary
But you are near me, Lord

Strong and Loving

I love the passage in Psalms where David says, "One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving."

I have needed this image of God, who is both strong - able to save me and take my daily burdens upon himself - and loving - willing to save me and take my burdens.

This song is an effort to understand who God is as strong and loving in the context of Christ's death and resurrection. The One who died in weakness displayed greater strength than any man ever has. He who loved his enemies unto death arose in strength and power to make salvation available to all who come in faith.

Other passages that I had in mind when writing were Proverbs 18:10 and 1 Corinthians 1:27-29.

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You are love, You are strong
You are good all day long

Your love is a strong tower
We run in and we are saved

You are our burden bearer
You are our sin forgiver
You were the man on the cross
You are our strong redeemer
You are our king forever
The risen ruler of all

You are God come in flesh
Knowing pain, drinking death

What strength displayed in weakness
What love conquered o'er the grave

Dead and risen, You have conquered
Strong and loving, What a Savior!

Thank You For Taking

I wrote this song recently, inspired by a time of prayer at my church. A friend of mine prayed a prayer that really struck me, and knowing a little bit about what had recently transpired in his life, it was all the more striking.

It went something like this...

"Lord, thank you for taking [...] out of my life;
Thank you for what you have given to me;
Thank you for what you have left in my life.
You are my portion forever. Amen"

So I wrote a song about it (and added a little something that might remind you of Neil Young...).

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Thank you for taking
Thank you for giving
Thank you for leaving behind
What you have taken
What you have given
What you have left in my life

Refrain
You are my portion forevermore
Your ways are higher than mine
You are my lot in the land, O Lord
Your love is better than life

Thank you for making
Thank you for changing
Thank you for taking control
What you have made me
How you have changed me
O what a love I can know