52 SONGS / 52 WEEKS

psalm 104

Psalm 104

May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
    may the Lord rejoice in his works—
he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,
    who touches the mountains, and they smoke.
I will sing to the Lord all my life;
    I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
May my meditation be pleasing to him,
    as I rejoice in the Lord. (Psalm 104:31-34)

Psalm 104 has been set to music a number of times and, honestly, much more effectively than I was able to in this song. O Worship the King All Glorious Above, by Robert Grant in the 1830s is probably the best musical adaptation of the psalm. However, I have learned to not let that sort of thing stop me from writing a song anyway. I mean, goodness, if we stopped writing songs just because the subject has been covered by others, we would have no new songs ever.

What makes a song unique is rarely the subject matter; it is the perspective.

Edmund Wilson once said, “No two people have read the same book.” Sure, countless throngs have read Psalm 104. But no one has ever read it as YOU read it. No one can put on–like a set of lenses–the unique blend of personality and experiences and passions and idiosyncrasies that make up who you are. It is why we should never rely on our own interpretation alone. It is also why we should never rely on anyone else’s alone either.

The same principle applies to any creative act. No two people have ever written about the death and resurrection of Jesus in the same way. Nor have they put Psalm 104 to music in the same way.

This simple song of praise will never live up to Robert Grant’s and that is okay. It is my song either way. And if anything ought inspire us to give voice to our songs it should be audacity of the psalmist who throughout Psalm 104 proclaims the eternal glory and earth-shaking splendor of God and then says in verse 34, “Oh and be pleased with the little ole meditations of my heart too, God.” Can the psalmist *think* anything that would compare to the majesty of God’s creation? Of course not. But he didn’t let that stop him. He knew God was big enough to take pleasure in the grandest and the humblest of displays of praise.

And if that is true, then maybe, just maybe, he will be pleased with my offering too.

Lyrics

May Your glory, Lord, last forever
May You rejoice
in all You have made

The earth trembles
at Your glance, O Lord
At Your touch,
the mountains burst into flame

Be pleased, Lord God,
with the thoughts of my heart
As my soul rejoices,
how great You are

You are robed in splendor
and clothed in light
And You spread out
the starry curtain of night

I’ll rejoice in You, Lord,
as long as I live
I will praise You, my God,
to my very last breath