This is probably the quickest a song has gone from first draft to up on the site. I started it on Tuesday morning and here it is on Thursday night, lead sheet, demo, and all. Check it out here.
I don’t expect to hear this one on Sunday morning because Psalm 6 is a hard lament to sing. The vivid, heart-wrenching imagery does not sit well with my Evangelical upbringing. Even posting this I wonder if people are going to say “Wow, that’s some messed up stuff to sing to God” or “Is this anyway for a church leader to be presenting himself?” but then I remind myself, this is what David, the King of Israel and God’s anointed, gave his people to sing as a communal song. God’s people were meant to sing this song together.
And I think we were meant to find solace in that communal lament. Sort of a “Hey, you’re singing this with the same passion that I am feeling… I guess I’m not alone”. Or perhaps we find comfort by saying “God, right now all I have is brokenness” and then resting in the assurance that He hears us.
In a way, it is refreshing to sing Psalm 6. Too often have I lied while singing happier songs. Then, after going through the motions, I just feel guilty because I’m not as happy as the songwriter wants me to be. Suddenly, my lack of happiness is also a source of spiritual guilt. I don’t get that when singing Psalm 6. Instead, going through the journey of Psalm 6 helps move me to a place where I’m ready to sing something like Phil Whickham’s “Great Things” or Fee’s “All Because of Jesus”.
So maybe you’re at a place where its hard to be happy. If so, this is a modern rendition of an ancient lament that has been guiding God’s people through their brokenness for around 3000 years. God hears our cries and that alone is reason enough for our foes to flee.