Songs from Psalms

Below are three songs adapted from Psalms

Rock of Refuge

Psalm 31:1-3; 14-16 (NIV)

¹In you, Lord, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
deliver me in your righteousness.
²Turn your ear to me,
come quickly to my rescue;
be my rock of refuge,
a strong fortress to save me.
³Since you are my rock and my fortress,
for the sake of your name lead and guide me.
¹⁴But I trust in you, Lord;
I say, “You are my God.”
¹⁵My times are in your hands;
deliver me from the hands of my enemies,
from those who pursue me.
¹⁶Let your face shine on your servant;
save me in your unfailing love.

Rock of Refuge

© Edd Russell (9/98)

Psalm 31:1-3, 14-16

(Song Order: Intro-A-B-C-D-A-B-A/2)

Intro  G - D - C - G - D - C - G

 A

      G                             D   C   G

In You, O Lord, I have taken refuge

                              D   C     G

Let me never be put to shame.    (End here)

                                 D       C     G

Deliver me in your righteousness,

                                                   D          Dsus-D-D2

Turn Your ears to me-- come rescue me.

B

G           C          D

Be my Rock of Refuge,

G              Em               C    D

A strong fortress to save me.

G                 C          D

Since You are my Rock

                                  G-Em-C-D

And my (You're my) for  -  tress. 

C

                Em        D            C

But I       trust in You, O Lord;

                    Em  D           C

I say,        "You are my God."

                      Em         D              C

And my       times are in Your hands.

D

     D2                          C2 - C

Deliver me from my enemies.

D2                                             C2   -   C

Let Your face shine on Your servant.

D2                                          C2 - C

Save me in you unfailing love...

How Great is Your Goodness

Psalm 31:19, 20 (ESV)

  Oh, how abundant is your goodness,
which you have stored up for those who fear you
and worked for those who take refuge in you,
  in the sight of the children of mankind!
  In the cover of your presence you hide them
from the plots of men;
you store them in your shelter
  from the strife of tongues.

One time when reading through this Psalm, I was reminded what Jesus taught us about heaven in John 14:

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God;1 believe also in me. ²In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?
John 14:1, 2 (ESV)

I combined the two thoughts in the following song.

How Great Is Your Goodness

© Edd Russell

Bakersfield 12/2000

CHORUS

           Em                D                    Em

How great is Your goodness, O Lord. 

           Em                D                    Em

How great is Your goodness, O Lord.

              C                 D              Em

Which You    have laid up for me.

      C             D              Em

Because    I fear Your Name.

VERSE 1

C                         D

    You have prepared for me

G      Em

    A secret place;

C                    D

    And I shall rest secure

G                Em

    In Your presence,

     C             D              Em

Because    I   trust in You, 

     C             D              Em

Because    I   trust in You.

VERSE 2

You are preparing

A heav’nly mansion;

I long to be with You

In that dwelling

Because    I love you,

Oh, how I love You

Forever With You

This next song is loosely based on the following text:

Psalm 84:1-4, 10 (NIV)

¹How lovely is your dwelling place,
  O LORD Almighty!
²My soul yearns, even faints,
  for the courts of the LORD;
  my heart and my flesh cry out
  for the living God.
³Even the sparrow has found a home,
  and the swallow a nest for herself,
  where she may have her young—
  a place near your altar,
  O LORD Almighty, my King and my God.
⁴Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
  they are ever praising you.
¹⁰Better is one day in your courts
  than a thousand elsewhere;
  I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
  than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

Forever With You (Psalm 84)

© Edd Russell

Abbotsford 10-11-98

 

INTRO:

D-Bm-G-A-D-Bm-G-Asus-A

 

CHORUS

D                Bm

Lord, I desire

      G                A

To be forever with You;

                  D                     Bm

In Your courts, in Your house

        G                    A                  (End  G-A-D)

Is where I long to be.  (2x)

 

V1

G                D               G                 A

My heart cries out to be in Your Presence;

G             D                          G                           Asus-A

Blessing is found in the place where You dwell.

G                D                 Asus-A

So shall I praise You, Lord.

G              D          Asus-A

In You, I put my trust.

 

V2

G                D                   G                       A

O Lord, Almighty, how lovely is Your dwelling:

G                  D                          G                                   Asus-A

Better one day there than a thousand somewhere else.

G                D                 Asus-A

So shall I praise You, Lord.

G              D          Asus-A

In You, I put my trust.

God Will Come in Glory

35 The desert and the parched land will be glad; 

the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. 

Like the crocus, ² it will burst into bloom; 

it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. 

The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, 

the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; 

they will see the glory of the Lord, 

the splendor of our God. 

³ Strengthen the feeble hands, 

steady the knees that give way; 

⁴ say to those with fearful hearts, 

“Be strong, do not fear; 

your God will come, 

he will come with vengeance; 

with divine retribution 

he will come to save you.” 

⁵ Then will the eyes of the blind be opened 

and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 

⁶ Then will the lame leap like a deer, 

and the mute tongue shout for joy. 

Water will gush forth in the wilderness 

and streams in the desert. 

 Isaiah 35:1-6 (NIV, 1984)

God Will Come in Glory

Isaiah 35:1, 5, 6

© Edd Russell

Bakersfield 7/2000

 

        Em 

The desert will be glad,

         D                                    Em

The parched land thirst no more,

                 D                    Em

The wilderness will rejoice.   (2x)

 

C               D           C             D

     It will burst out     into bloom.

 

       G    D        C 

Oh, it   will rejoice

G              D           C

     And shout for joy, for

G                   D            C

     God will come in glory,

G                             D                       C

     We’ll see His splendor with our eyes.

 

Em                   D

The blind will see,

Em                  D

the deaf will hear,

Em                    D

The Lame will run—

                        G                      D          C

And with the mute we will shout for joy, and

G       D       C 

We   will rejoice

G              D           C

     And shout for joy, for

G                   D            C

     God will come in glory,

G                             D                       C

     We’ll see His splendor with our eyes.

Reconciled

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—Colossians 1:21–22 (NIV)

We were God's enemies. We were at war with God. We were not for the things of God, we were for the things of this world. But God made a way for us to be reconciled to Him through the death of Jesus. We don't have to be at war with God anymore. We can change sides because God made it possible.

Reconciled

© Edd Russell (9/1998)

Colossians 1:21,22

 

VERSE 1

G                                                           C

I'm no longer      at war with You, O God.

         G                                                         C

The long entrenched     battle lines are gone.

          G                                                                         C

The troops which marched    against You all have turned--

                G                                                     C

They've seen the light    joined the other side.

 

CHORUS

D          C

Reconciled,

                 G

I've been reconciled.

D                                  D7

Not by my righteous acts,

                    C                       D

But by the power of Your love.

G

Reconciled,

                 C

I've been reconciled--

G                                                   D                            G (-C-G)

Jesus gave His life that I might be at peace with God.

 

VERSE 2

My sin was black    as the darkest night,

I seldom had    intentions to do right.

But Jesus came     lived a righteous life,

And made a bridge     to You upon the cross.

 

No Reason to Complain

²⁶And the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, ²⁷“How long shall this wicked congregation grumble against me? I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me. (Numbers 14:26-27 ESV)

The People Complain to Moses
(https://www.freebibleimages.org/illustrations/moses-food-water/)

Grumbling. Whining. Complaining. I found myself doing it again. God called the nation of Israel wicked because of their grumbling—grumbling in spite of His miraculous provision and leading in their lives. Why is it so wicked? Because grumbling is a sign of lack of trust in God and, ultimately, a lack of love for God. And I found myself behaving like these Israelites. As I reflected on this, I was reminded of other behaviors that imply a lack of love for or trust in God. So even though my lips might say that I love God, my actions might be saying something else. God convicted me of this sin and this song was born.

I Want to Love You Jesus

© Edd Russell, Fresno 8/30/2006

 

VERSE 1 

E                 B/D#            C#m

   How can I say      that I love You

                 A                       B

   When I avoid You all the time?

E                      B/D#          C#m

   How can You know that I love You

         A                      B

   If all—all I do is whine?

CHORUS 

A    B                          E       B/D#  C#m

   I want to love You, Jesus,

A                    B                        E

   Spend each moment by Your side.

A            B                   E         B/D#  C#m

   To be closer to You, Jesus

A  B                       E

   Resting in Your arms.

 

VERSE 2 

E                 B/D#            C#m

   How can I say      that I love You

                   A                                 B

   When I’m chasing this life’s offerings?

E                      B/D#          C#m

   How can You know that I love You

                    A                                          B

   When my heart—my heart seeks other things?

 

You

This song is based on a reflection on some of Jesus' words about Himself and some of his instructions to his followers.

In the first saying, Jesus calls himself the bread of life. We read in John 6:35 and 48 (ESV):
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
I am the bread of life.

Jesus' followers are not the bread of life, but they can share bread that Jesus provides. When there was a group of 5000 men plus women and children, needing something to eat, Jesus said to His disciples, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” (Matthew 14:16 - ESV)

Jesus also called Himself The Light of the World:

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
John 8:12 (ESV)

As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
John 9:5 (ESV)

I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.
John 12:46 (ESV)

But elsewhere, Jesus says to his disciples, “¹⁴You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:14–16 - ESV)

As Jesus' followers, we are to shine with the light He gives us and share the bread that He gives us with a needy world.

You

© Edd Russell,  Fresno 7/2004

VERSE 1

C2       C/Bb

Jesus, Light of the world

Dm7/A                         C2-C

    We turn our eyes to You.

C2       C/Bb

Jesus, Light of the world

Dm7/A                        C2-C

    We fix our gaze on You.

 

 

CHORUS

C/D  C/E   F-C/E-Gs/D-G/D

You  are  Je   -   sus

              F-C/E      Gs/D-G/D

And You shine on us                                   (After V2: And You fill us)

               F    C/E      Gs/D-G/D

And You burn in our hearts

             F       G        C2-C

    A desire to know You

VERSE 2

C2      C/Bb

Jesus, Bread for the world

Dm7/A                          C2-C

    We fill our lives with You.

C2      C/Bb

Jesus, Bread for the world,

Dm7/A                         C2-C

    Our life comes from You.

TAG

                  F  G     C

We want to know You,

                  F  G  C

To become like You;

F                 G             C  C/B   Am

   Make our hearts to be like Yours,

F                    G        C     C/Bb  Dm7/A  C2  C

   We want to know You.