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This setting of Psalm 71, written and submitted by Ken Michell, focuses on the rich connection between hope and praise.
Psalm 71
How does this psalm piece interpret the psalm?
Psalm 71 paints a picture of hope in the Lord that is both cause and effect of God-honoring worship. The psalmist draws our attention to this relationship through a series of petitions and affirmations—questions and answers—that resolve in the declaration of verse 14: “As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more” (NIV).
This psalm relates the rich interconnection between everlasting hope (I will ALWAYS have hope) and ongoing praise (I will praise you MORE and MORE). These are time-related qualifiers. We can know God’s hope in every time of our lives – in the good times, bad times, and for all time!
In the good times, when we can say with confidence that God is sovereign (v. 5), the praise we offer pours out of us from the hope that we experience (vs. 5, 8). In the bad times, when we struggle with fear and doubts, when we feel as if God is far away and distant (vs. 9, 12), the beautiful work of praise and worship draws us deeper into the hope to which God has called us. God’s gift of hope doesn’t change. God’s hope is for all time. But our experience of this gift is deeply connected to the God-honoring work of worship that the psalmist expands on in the later verses. Worship tells of God’s righteous and saving acts (v. 15). Worship proclaims God’s mighty and marvelous deeds (vs. 16–17). In worship, we declare the power of God to the next generation and to all who are to come (v. 18).
This psalm setting invites us to read, pray, and sing Psalm 71 through the lens of verse 14 (sung refrain), which reminds us that God’s gift of hope is an “always” hope that leads us to gratitude and praise. And the gift of faithful praise that we offer more and more leads us into a deeper experience of God’s undiminishing hope.
This psalm setting may be used within the praise section of the service or in a time of response. In either section, we pay attention to what God has done (giving us hope) and what we are called to do (praise more and more) and the rich connection therein.
Text and Music: Psalm 71; Ken Michell, © 2020 Ken Michell
Used by permission.
Contact: Ken Michell, kenmichell@gmail.com
Join us after the University worship service (chapel) for a conversation with worship leader Kimberly Williams. We will explore topics related to worship leading and planning for diverse congregations, leading teams, songwriting and recording, and mentoring women in ministry.
In this session Terry Wildman will share the vision, process, and outcomes of the First Nations Version (FNV) New Testament. Why was this translation needed? Who was involved in the translation? What were some of the cultural challenges faced by the translation council? What does it say about the translations done in Native languages in the past? How did the translation council decide on more than 185 key words and terms? What are some of the unique qualities of the FNV versus other English versions? How has the FNV affected the worship expressions of some Native believers? What is the future of the FNV?
How does one think about diversity as a Christian or as the church? How might working with and among—or even just thinking about—migrant neighbors contribute to our ecclesial identity? The language of catholicity allows us to imagine the unity of the church not in a monocultural way, but rather as a community inclusive of people of all languages and ethnicities. Migration and migrants today especially remind the church of its own catholic identity. How does the church's identity as a migrant church foster a healthy catholicity in the church's worship? This session will include the use of salsa music to invite participation in a more catholic way of life, asking what multicultural, cross cultural, and intercultural ways of being a church on the move might look like in worship.
Join us after the University worship service (chapel) for a conversation with worship leader Kimberly Williams. We will explore topics related to worship leading and planning for diverse congregations, leading teams, songwriting and recording, and mentoring women in ministry.
In this session Terry Wildman will share the vision, process, and outcomes of the First Nations Version (FNV) New Testament. Why was this translation needed? Who was involved in the translation? What were some of the cultural challenges faced by the translation council? What does it say about the translations done in Native languages in the past? How did the translation council decide on more than 185 key words and terms? What are some of the unique qualities of the FNV versus other English versions? How has the FNV affected the worship expressions of some Native believers? What is the future of the FNV?
How does one think about diversity as a Christian or as the church? How might working with and among—or even just thinking about—migrant neighbors contribute to our ecclesial identity? The language of catholicity allows us to imagine the unity of the church not in a monocultural way, but rather as a community inclusive of people of all languages and ethnicities. Migration and migrants today especially remind the church of its own catholic identity. How does the church's identity as a migrant church foster a healthy catholicity in the church's worship? This session will include the use of salsa music to invite participation in a more catholic way of life, asking what multicultural, cross cultural, and intercultural ways of being a church on the move might look like in worship.
As inhabitants of the modern age, we are deeply marked by skewed ways of thinking that thwart our humanness, our involvement with the world, and our spirituality. This is a philosophical tune-up that directly challenges and dispels modernity’s implicit philosophy. My philosophical proposals in my 2023 book Doorway to Artistry target the creative process, but they positively affect and bring healing to all arenas of life and work and worship. I pose that we as human persons are meant to live out a joyous “yes” to the real, and our involvement with the real takes the form of intimate encounter and communion. My approach reflects especially on God’s creative act and God’s created things. It taps epiphany, the redemptive encounter, and the Eucharist as paradigms for our knowing, our artistry, and all our everyday involvement with the world, so it should make us better at our stewardly dominion and voicing creation’s praise in worship.
