A New Song

I've been writing songs since I was 16--or even longer, if you count the nursery rhymes I set to music and sang for my baby sister. Most of the music I've written are Christian hymns and songs, and all but 20 have been written in the last 15 years or so. That means I have averaged seven or eight songs a year in recent years.

Last year was different. I was driving back and forth to Fairbury frequently to help my Dad navigate the last few months of his life. For half a year, I made that 800 mile round trip two or three times a month. When I drive long distances by myself, I usually sing along with My Bridge, a Nebraska Christian radio network that is available all the way across the state. But something new was added during last year's trips. I found that God was giving me new songs to sing as I drove.

Composing music while driving can be problematic because it's impossible to write and drive at the same time. So, I sang the new songs over and over, and recorded them on my phone. Then, when I got home, I actually "wrote" the songs, added guitar chords, and made revisions. I soon had a year's worth of compositions in just the first four months of 2022. 

Then, after Dad's funeral in early May, my song-writing stopped. It wasn't a conscious decision. I wasn't overcome with grief. I just wasn't writing songs.

Now, in 2023, my song-writing is back on track. I've already written two songs.

The last song came about in an unusual way. I had slept quite soundly one night, until close to morning when I had an extremely vivid dream. In my dream, I could see (and hear) two lines of music, over and over. The melody and chords were obvious, but there were no words. When I woke up, I clearly remembered that song, and I knew that it would provide the foundation for a new composition, but I had no idea what the song would be about. Then, I opened the YouVersion Bible app on my phone, and there it was: the designated daily reading for February 1st.

I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,

    and he turned to me and heard my cry.

2 

He lifted me out of the pit of despair,

    out of the mud and the mire.

He set my feet on solid ground

    and steadied me as I walked along.

3 

He has given me a new song to sing,

    a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see what he has done and be amazed.

    They will put their trust in the Lord.

Psalm 40, 1-3

Whenever I write a song based on a particular Bible reference, I am dumbfounded at how much I learn. This time was no different. 

I've read this Psalm many times before, but this time it reached out and grabbed me. How often have I waited, sometimes not so patiently, for God to help me? No matter how hard things are, he has always been there with me. When David wrote this Psalm, he was feeling overwhelmed, just as we often do, but I doubt that he had any clue just how much comfort and hope his words would bring to so many people throughout the ages.

This Psalm goes on to plead for God's protection and mercy when troubles surround us. The last three years have certainly been filled with difficulties for everyone, but God has been with us even in these hard times and, as the Psalm reminds us, he will continue to help us and give us everything we need. 

Psalm 40:3 has become a refrain for this new song because I realized that, every time God brings us through some difficulty, he gives us a new story to tell about his loving care for us--a new song, a new reason to praise him. As we tell about what he has done for us, others will see, too, and come to trust in him.

It took just an hour to complete this new song, called  A New Song, A Hymn of Praise. You can listen to it here:

One more thing: I really know what it means to be lifted out of the mud and mire. One of the first blogs I ever wrote, Stuck in the Mud, was about my experience as a young child. You can read it here.