Singing the Psalms: 5 Artists You Should Meet
Does prayer come easily to you? It is rarely seamless for me. My thoughts wander, I become distracted by something I forgot to do, or I end up staring at the spots on my ceiling wondering how they got there. Or, I just forget.
A few weeks ago, I was scrolling through Instagram and came across these words: “If I don’t constantly fill my mind with prayer and the word of God, then I’m leaving room for anxiety, worry, stress, and resentment to fill it.” This is something I struggle with often. In fact, that same day I had spent almost 30 whole minutes sitting at my desk worrying about the future. Later that afternoon, a friend sent me a song with this line at the end of the chorus: As we labor until evening there's a message on the wind: be still and know your maker, be satisfied in Him (“All Your Works Are Good - Psalm 104,” - Sandra McCracken). In just four and a half minutes, the song brought a tangible sense of comfort to the room, moving me to stop and pray.
In the book of Ephesians, Paul urges the church to “be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Eph. 5:18b-20). Music has a unique way of taking my eyes off the present circumstances, reminding me of who God is and leading me to meditate on how he has been faithful in the past. If I need to shake off a bad day at the office, I often find myself alone in my room, cleaning or reorganizing things while singing along to a worship playlist. It brings a release, right? Proclaiming Scripture and praising God’s character always ushers truth to the front of my mind. It sticks with me long after the music stops.
Praying the Psalms is a powerful way to redirect our thoughts to Christ and lean in, trusting Him. Listening to music based on Scripture can be equally powerful. In this season of endless unknowns and widespread suffering, I’ve been drawn to more worship music, particularly albums based on the Psalms. This is not a new invention of our generation: since they were first transcribed (some dating earlier than 600 B.C.), musicians have been composing new melodies for these verses. The 150 Psalms span the full spectrum of human emotion: from the elation of praising God for his faithfulness through all generations to the grief and despair of feeling abandoned in the valley. Not all psalms were written as songs—some were poems or prayers—but many were written to be sung with instruments. Here in my kitchen, literally thousands of years of later, I’m singing along with David.
While feeling stranded in my apartment the past few months, God has brought much peace to my heart through psalm-songs. If you’re finding yourself in a similar place as the walls of your home seem to narrow with every passing day, here is a short list of my favorite, lesser-known artists who have put psalms to contemporary melodies:
#5. Red Rocks Worship
A collective of creatives and songwriters based out of Denver’s Red Rocks Church, this group crafted four songs on their “Living Liturgies” EP, each inspired by a psalm. If you’re a fan of Upperroom or Chris Renzema, or you enjoy modern sounds and flawless harmonies, take a listen here.
#4. Poor Bishop Hooper
On the first day of 2020, husband and wife duo, Jesse and Leah Roberts, began the EveryPsalm project. They are releasing one psalm-based song every week until they sing all 150 chapters. What a prime year to begin this endeavor, right? Subscribe for free here and have new songs delivered to your inbox weekly.
#3. The Verses Project: Various Artists
On their album titled “Psalm 139,” verses 1-24 are divided into ten tracks recorded by different artists. Contributors include Aaron Strumpel, Page CXVI, Rivers & Robots, and A Boy and His Kite. The “About” page of their website reads: “Though we might agree that memorization & meditation are important disciplines, they are much easier talked about than carried out practically in our busy rhythms of life. People start the journey of memorization off strong, but after 2 or 3 weeks, that gusto is often lost. Verses Project intends to make memorization and meditation sustainable, accessible, and even joyful.” Every week, Verses Project posts a memory verse, song and artwork for you to save as your phone or laptop wallpaper. As they hoped, it has helped me, “not only hear it, but also constantly see it, be reminded of it, and treasure it.” You can join their mailing list at the bottom of their webpage.
#2. Robbie Seay Band
If you remember “Song of Hope,” which rang out on Christian radio stations for months after its release in 2007, they are still making music together! Robbie Seay Band has released three EPs of psalm-based songs, which are now combined in one album, “Psalms LP.” My favorites are their tracks based on Psalm 3, 63 and 96.
#1. Sandra McCracken
Sandra made her way into my song rotation about a year ago: I was living an ocean away from my family while they were going through excruciating heartbreak within our family and in our church at the time. I felt helpless, burdened with their sorrow I could do nothing about. Being so far away, I couldn’t even help them bear the load.
Sandra’s song, “Fool’s Gold,” has a chorus that echoes: “But if it's not okay, then it is not the end. And this is not okay. So I know this is not, this is not the end.” The words look simple as I type them here, but she sings them with a faith and victory that lifted my heart often in that desperate season. Because the melodies of her songs are so moving, I find that her lyrics return to my mind most often. She has an entire album inspired by the psalms. The tracks on Psalms 42, 43 and 119 have blessed me most.
Honorable Mentions:
Many other songwriters and bands have produced albums or singles based on various psalms. Below are a few more to add to your playlist:
Shane & Shane - Psalms Vol. 1 and 2
Tori Kelly, The Sing Team - Psalm 42
Jonathan Ogden (of Rivers & Robots) - Psalm 91, 27 and 34:1-4
Joshua Sherman, Zach Winters - Psalm 23
Jenny & Tyler, Bifrost Arts - Psalm 46
Third Day, Ascend the Hill - Psalm 36
Paul Zack - Psalm 62 and 103
Keith Green - Psalm 8
For all the Spotify users out there, you can find a public playlist of all the tunes mentioned in this article here.
In these days marked by uncertainty and injustice, if we do not actively work to fill our minds with prayer and God’s words, then anxiety, fear and apathy will do it for us. In her song “Send Out Your Light (Psalm 43),” Sandra McCracken writes, “Why are you cast down low, O my soul? Why are you cast down low, and in turmoil? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him. Hope in God, for He is my salvation.”
No matter what happens in the final quarter of 2020, we can hope in God and by His grace, praise Him even in the lows. After all, didn’t most psalmists write from the valley?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Claire Zasso was born and raised in California with many books and mountain air. Currently, she works for a Christian international relief organization, supporting hurricane recovery programs. She loves coffee, scuba diving, leading worship with her guitar, hiking in the Sierra Nevadas, jamming to classic rock, and showing others the freedom found in knowing Jesus.