Musical transformations

As much as I love contemporary worship songs, I also still love many of the old hymns.  My only issue with them is that they were often written about God rather than to Him.  One of my favorites (I confess I have a lot of ‘favorites’) is Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven, based on Psalm 103, and written by Henry Francis Lyte in 1834. This morning I turned the lyrics into the first person, which immediately ramped up the level of intimacy. The lyrics in various hymnals sometimes vary slightly, but using the version I learned as a child, here’s my personalized adaptation.  Try it yourself, if you know the tune...or just speak the lyrics as a prayer.

I praise You, Lord, the King of Heaven
To Your feet my tribute bring
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven
Evermore Your Praise I Sing
Alleluia, Alelluia, I praise You, my everlasting King

I praise You for Your grace and favor
To Your people in distress
I praise You still the same as ever
Slow to chide and swift to bless
Alleluia, Alleluia, glorious in Your faithfulness 

Fatherlike, You tend and spare us
Well our feeble frame You know
In Your hands You gently bear us
Rescue us from all our foes
Alleluia, Alleluia, widely yet Your mercy flows



Angels help us to adore You
They behold You face to face
Sun and moon bow down before You
Dwellers all in time and space
Alleluia, Alleluia, we praise You, Lord, the God of grace

Sometimes I find myself singing or humming secular songs whose lyrics are untrue, misleading, or deceptive.  So through the years, I’ve made my own versions.  For example, we used to live near the port in Cape Canaveral, from which the cruise ships departed.  Multiple times per week I’d hear “When You Wish  Upon a Star” emanating from the Disney ships. The tune got stuck in my head, and I ended up hollering to myself, “Why are you singing that song?!!!”  So I created this one. Go ahead and sing along:

When you pray to God above
You will meet a heart of love
When you pray to God above He’ll answer you

If your heart is in your prayers
You will  never need despair
When you pray to God above He’ll answer you

God is kind; He brings to those who love [Him]
The fulfillment of their deepest longings 

When you prayer to God above
You will meet a heart of love

When you pray to God above He’ll answer you

I also sing secular love songs to the Lord. Sometimes they don’t even need much adaptation. Like
Unforgettable or The Very Thought of You or, I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You... . See how many you can find and share them in the comments section for this post.

Julie