Songwriting 101
Psalm 40
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to write a song, today’s your lucky day because I’m going to give you three easy steps. The first step is to be inspired. The second step is to express your inspiration, and the third is to share your expression with everyone who will listen. You’re welcome! I expect you to be writing hits in no time! Maybe that’s a bit of an oversimplification, but for King David that certainly seemed to be the case when he wrote Psalm 40.
See, David was a man well acquainted with inspiration. He was frequently inspired by all the different ways God was consistently saving him. Whether he was being hunted by his rival, King Saul, engaged in war with enemy armies, pursued by his son, Absalom, or haunted by the consequences of his own actions, God always provided salvation for David because God loved Him, and David thought that was something worth writing and singing about… a lot. The legend is that David wrote over 4,000 songs. Whether or not that figure is accurate, we can read 73 of them in the Psalms, and that’s an impressive number by itself. Every one of these songs were inspired by the ways David had experienced God’s saving love.
Now that David’s been inspired by the saving work of God in his life, he expresses the joy he’s experiencing by contrasting the ways the people of the world fall short with the ways God comes through time and time again. David says that if he were to recite all of God’s wonderful deeds, he’d never have enough time to get through the whole list. Not only does God provide redemption and refuge, He does it all for free, asking for only one thing in return--the gratitude of the benefactor of His salvation (in this case, David).
To finish the job of writing this song, David commits that he will share this expression of God’s good deeds in the great assembly, in front of people, for everyone to hear! This isn’t a private matter between God and David alone. He’s going public with the good news so that others can share in praising God for what He’s done in their lives too. Undoubtedly, David’s song of praise resonates with the citizens in David’s kingdom because God has shown His love to them as well. Because of David’s obedience in sharing his song, an entire nation is expressing their gratitude for the unfailing love of God that inspired them.
Perhaps songwriting isn’t YOUR gift, but without a doubt you have been given inspiration in the person of our savior, Jesus Christ, and He has given you a unique way of expressing His love to everyone with whom you come into contact. We call these gifts. Use your gifts to metaphorically sing that hit song to the tune of unfailing love, and sing it loud for all the lost to hear so they can join in and jam to the rhythms of God’s grace right along with you.
What gifts has God given you?
How has God been at work in your life lately?
How can you use your gifts to express your gratitude for what He’s doing in your life?
Who could you share that with so they can join in with you?