SONGWRITING
THE SONGS THAT ARE FOR ME | Kevin MacDougall
When I remember You on my bed , I meditate on You in the night watches , For You have been my help , And in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy . — Psalm 63:6 , 7
If I set out to write a song for the church , I might approach the task of songwriting from a standpoint or perspective that ’ s something like this : “ What does the church need to express right now ? How might I supplement what we ’ re already singing with what we could be singing ? Is there anything we ’ ve neglected to pray ? What new sounds might move us ? What themes , subjects and poetic language are we missing ?”
Essentially , “ What needed song is absent in us ?”
But sometimes , the only needed song that ’ s absent is the one that ’ s just from me . A song that ’ s not something “ we ” need to sing , but I still need to sing it .
The Psalms are considered the Bible ’ s own
“ worship collection ,” but many of them are strikingly personal in what they have to express . Rather than being a corporate or collective statement , many come from a more private place in their meditation , devotion , and intimacy with God . Anyone who reads the Psalms can see that the writers aren ’ t always writing with the mindset of others joining in or singing along . They aren ’ t always concerned with what ’ s “ accessible ,” or what speaks for everyone . Sometimes , what they have to say is strictly personal . Strictly for them .
Do we still value holding space for this dynamic in our own writing ?
Or do we assume everything we ’ re working on needs to be positioned as a song for everyone ?
It can be stifling to my creative output in general when I lose sight of those questions . I might have things on my heart and mind that simply don ’ t need a collective outlet , and trying to force them into that world is like trying to force a square peg into a round hole …
It doesn ’ t work .
And then I feel like something broke , and I ’ m a bad songwriter who can ’ t write in general .
But it should go without saying that it ’ s much easier to have a conversation with someone you love without everyone else needing to participate . And that applies to worship music too , because not all worship is corporate . Not all prayer is collective . And if everyone else is involved every time I need to talk to someone I love , it won ’ t be long before that relationship feels less personal .
Some songs are for the whole church to sing .
And some songs are just for me .
So really , I need to be at peace with the songs that are just for me . Or just from me , anyway . The songs that aren ’ t positioned to be from all of us and aren ’ t written with church congregations in mind . In our fast-paced world , and in a society that is always pressuring us to “ produce ” and “ bring content " to the table ,