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How does this psalm piece interpret the psalm?
We live in difficult times marked by fear and uncertainty as we face countless struggles in our homes, churches, and communities. For many of us, life seems harder now than ever. Often it feels like the ground underneath us is shaking.
The song “Trust in You” interprets and applies the words of Psalm 9:7–11, which speak of the Lord’s sovereignty over creation. It is worth noting that the image of the Lord’s throne recurs throughout the psalms. For example, the assurance of God’s sovereignty (specifically, God’s “throne”) is repeated in Psalms 45, 89, 93, and elsewhere.
Because this theme recurs throughout Psalms, this song gathers consolation from the many psalms that speak of God’s sovereignty. Verse 1 reminds that sovereignty is not a distant theological concept, but a reality that should inspire us to worship. Verse 2 depicts the expanse of creation to remind us, as Colossians 1 does, that there’s nothing outside of God’s control. The chorus speaks of our confidence in the Lord, who remains faithful even when everything around us feels unstable.
The song was composed during a time of discouragement, while one of the songwriter’s friends underwent brain surgery. In the years after, many other personal difficulties followed, ranging from unemployment to ovarian cancer. Yet through all of life’s sorrows and disappointments, the words of this song continue to comfort. While the words are simple and straightforward, during life’s greatest difficulties simple truths can bring untold comfort.
The song feels more relevant now than ever as we face immense health and economic crises around the globe. The hope is that this song will comfort listeners and guide believers to our ultimate source of hope: our sovereign Lord.
This song can be used in congregational worship to express trust in the Lord. It is especially fitting in a congregational setting after a scripture reading, a sermon about struggles, or hearing difficult news.
Text and Music: Psalm 9; Joel Jupp, © Joel Jupp
Why and how did psalm singing become such a hallmark of Reformed worship? Join Dr. Karin Maag for a fascinating journey through time, from Reformation Geneva to Scotland and from the Netherlands to New England, exploring the roots and impact of metrical psalm singing. Along the way, we will hear the voices of early modern Christians as they learned how to sing the psalms, both in unison and in harmony.
Vinroy D. Brown Jr.—conductor, musicologist, educator, and minister of creative worship and music at the historic Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City—explores the vibrant intersection of Black sacred music and the psalms. He talks about Black composers and how they have reimagined the psalms through choral music, spirituals, and the gospel tradition for the benefit of everyone.
John Goldingay, an Anglican priest and the senior professor of Old Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary, posits the psalms are the densest material in the entire Old Testament. They expound the nature of God as the compassionate, faithful, and committed one, but also as the one who makes demands upon us. The psalms help us talk to God, even about difficult things—and when we do, we are talking to someone who is in a position to do something about it.
Why and how did psalm singing become such a hallmark of Reformed worship? Join Dr. Karin Maag for a fascinating journey through time, from Reformation Geneva to Scotland and from the Netherlands to New England, exploring the roots and impact of metrical psalm singing. Along the way, we will hear the voices of early modern Christians as they learned how to sing the psalms, both in unison and in harmony.
Vinroy D. Brown Jr.—conductor, musicologist, educator, and minister of creative worship and music at the historic Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City—explores the vibrant intersection of Black sacred music and the psalms. He talks about Black composers and how they have reimagined the psalms through choral music, spirituals, and the gospel tradition for the benefit of everyone.
John Goldingay, an Anglican priest and the senior professor of Old Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary, posits the psalms are the densest material in the entire Old Testament. They expound the nature of God as the compassionate, faithful, and committed one, but also as the one who makes demands upon us. The psalms help us talk to God, even about difficult things—and when we do, we are talking to someone who is in a position to do something about it.
Sister Kathleen Harmon of the community of the Ohio province of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in Dayton, invites us to be transformed by the psalms and experience them as the whole story God is revealing to us. As we keep praying and singing them, the psalms interpret us, and that’s when the transformation comes.
