Lord, I turn my hope to You. My God, I trust in You. Do not let me be disgraced; do not let my enemies gloat over me....Make Your ways known to me, Lord; teach me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; I wait for You all day long. (Psalm 25:1-2, 4-5)(HCSB)It's hard to believe that it's been over 20 years since I wrote this song. I took much of the verses straight from the NKJV translation of Psalm 25. We played it quite a bit in the contemporary christian band, Ransom, that I was in at that time. It was fun for me, because I usually got to play my saxophone on this song which had a kind of a pop/smooth-jazz feel to it. But as I think of the song, the most remarkable thing about it wasn't the lyrics or the melody; it was the young lady who sang the lead. Her name was Becky Norwood, and she was a good friend, a great singer and a strong christian. She was an inspiring person for our young audiences to see, especially considering her physical handicap. She had a severe case of rheumatoid arthritis and could barely get around. She could stand, but usually depended on her husband (Clay, our bass player) to carry her or wheel her around in her wheelchair. But that didn't stop her, she fought and endured the pain in order to minister in song. She was a perfect example of someone who willingly gave all she had for God. Her life was cut way too short in a fatal car wreck in the early 90s. But the impact she made on me and many others still carries on to this day. I hope that the lyrics to one of the songs she sang so well will minister to you in some way:
You're My All
To You O Lord I lift up my soul
Oh my God I trust in You
Show me Your ways, teach me Your paths
You are the God of my salvation
I want to know You more, I long to be with You
My soul thirsts for You Lord
I love You more each day, I just can't get enough
Lord lead me in Your ways, Oh Jesus You're my all
(chorus)
You are my all 'cause You gave all You had for me
You gave Your very best so that I could be set free
It's my turn now, I want You to take all that I have
You gave me my life, now I want to give it back
Jesus You're my all
Eternal King, the Rock of all ages, You're the strength of my life
You took my sins and washed them away, I want to live my life in gratitude
I want to know You more, I long to be with You
My soul thirsts for You Lord
I love You more each day, I just can't get enough
Lord lead me in Your ways, Oh Jesus You're my all
(repeat chorus)
copyright 1989 Joey Culpepper/Heart of Praise Music
As we look to and put our trust in God, thinking of all He has done for us at the cross and through the blood of Christ, we all should feel a desire to give all that we can in His service. He gave us life and new life through the death of His Son, so we should respond by living our life for Him!
Singing His Praises,
Joey Culpepper