A couple of years ago, I was reading Psalm 75 and decided to memorize verse one:
“We give thanks to you, O God;
we give thanks, for your name is near.”
Psalm 75:1
After meditating on this verse for some time, I paraphrased it into a poem:
Thank you, Lord, for you are with me
Thank you, Lord, for you are here
Thank you, Lord, you’ll never leave me
Thank you, Lord, your name is near.
This verse and these words became a treasure for my soul. I have repeated them countless times.
If I could cry words instead of tears, this is what would come out of my eyes.
Then one day I realized, unexpectedly, that this four-line poem could be sung to the tune of “Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus.” I had no idea that this was the case, but it worked.
So I’ve been singing it that way ever since. Give it a try!
A few months later, I decided to write more verses and came up with five more. Again, all of them can be sung to the tune of “Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus.” Here they are:
Thank You, Lord
by Wayne Davies
1. Thank you, Lord, for you are with me
Thank you, Lord, for you are here
Thank you, Lord, you’ll never leave me
Thank you, Lord, your name is near.
2. Praise you, Lord, for you are holy
Praise you, Lord, for you are sweet
Praise you, Lord, you’ll always love me
Praise you, Lord, we soon will meet.
3. Exalt you, Lord, for you are gracious
Exalt you, Lord, for you are kind
Exalt you, Lord, your Word is flawless
Exalt you, Lord, renew my mind.
4. Save me, Lord, I need your mercy
Save me, Lord, or else I die
Save me, Lord, I’m lost without you
Save me, Lord, this is my cry.
5. Teach me, Lord, so I can trust you
Teach me, Lord, to love you more
Teach me, Lord, I long to know you
Teach me, Lord, for you I adore.
6. Change me, Lord, make me like Jesus
Change me, Lord, revive my soul
Change me, Lord, your Word is mighty
Change me, Lord, and make me whole.
So that’s how I wrote my first psalm. I wasn’t really trying to do this. It just happened. I thank God that it did. The creative process is a big mystery to me. I do know that it’s all by grace.
I was wondering if you could help me make a couple of final tweaks . . .
What should the title be? I’ve been calling it “Thank You, Lord.” Does that seem appropriate? Or can you think of something else?
And what should the order of verses be? I like verse 1 being the first verse. But would it make sense to change the order of the remaining verses?
Let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment below.
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