{"id":16874,"date":"2026-01-05T19:53:55","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T18:53:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/?p=16874"},"modified":"2026-01-05T19:53:55","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T18:53:55","slug":"thank-you-for-new-songs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/2026\/01\/05\/thank-you-for-new-songs\/","title":{"rendered":"Thank you. For new songs"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

We will not keep silent<\/h3>\n

based on Psalm 96<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

We are people who must sing you,
\nfor the sake of our very lives.
\nYou are a God who must be sung by us,
\nfor the sake of your majesty and honour. <\/p>\n

And so we thank you,
\n for lyrics that push us past our reasons,
\n for melodies that break open our givens,
\n for cadences that locate us home, beyond all our safe places,
\n for tones and tunes that open our lives beyond control
\n and our futures beyond despair. <\/p>\n

We thank you for the long parade of mothers and fathers
\nwho have sung you deep and true;<\/p>\n

We thank you for the good company of artists, poets, musicians,
\ncantors, and instruments that sing for us and with us, toward you. <\/p>\n

We are witnesses to your mercy and splendor;
\nWe will not keep silent \u2026 ever again.   Amen<\/p>\n

 
\n\u2014 by Walter Brueggemann<\/strong>, from his Psalms class on January 20, 1999. Posted on the Gladly Listening<\/a> blog. <\/p>\n\n

Tip: 12 Song Challenge<\/a><\/strong>
\nIt’s not too late to join this international community of songwriters (including Irene Bom), working together to grow in their creative gifts and serve the local church.<\/p>\n

Also be inspired by Irene’s Make and do<\/a> website, a window into her creative projects, including new songs. The index<\/a> offers easy access to the songs and other creative projects that were featured in the her workshop on the Psalms, held in Lausanne (2022) and Budapest (2024).
\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We will not keep silent based on Psalm 96 We are people who must sing you, for the sake of our very lives. You are a God who must be sung by us, for the sake of your majesty and honour. And so we thank you, for lyrics that push us past our reasons, for … Continue reading “Thank you. For new songs”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,99,5,24],"tags":[199,276],"class_list":["post-16874","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-prayer","category-psalms","category-song","category-tip","tag-thank-you-for","tag-thanks"],"yoast_head":"\nThank you. 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For fruit-bearing trees","author":"Irene Bom","date":"October 9, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Apples ready for harvest \u00a0(Photo: Irene Bom) \u00a0 Then God said, \u2018Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.\u2019 And it was so. Genesis 1:11 \u00a0 Thanksgiving Litany For summer\u2019s passing and harvest home\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "bible"","block_context":{"text":"bible","link":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/bible\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/apples_for_harvest.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/apples_for_harvest.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/apples_for_harvest.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/apples_for_harvest.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16486,"url":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/2025\/07\/15\/pure-and-simple\/","url_meta":{"origin":16874,"position":1},"title":"Pure and simple","author":"Irene Bom","date":"July 15, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 Prayer For the gift of faith which sees beyond the present moment and looks to an eternity, we thank you. For the gift of faith small as a mustard seed, which has power within its simplicity, we thank you. For the gift of faith bestowed on those who would\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "prayer"","block_context":{"text":"prayer","link":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/prayer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/fern_in_wall.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/fern_in_wall.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/fern_in_wall.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/fern_in_wall.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13363,"url":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/2022\/09\/30\/thank-you-for-making-me-me\/","url_meta":{"origin":16874,"position":2},"title":"Thank you. For making me me","author":"Irene Bom","date":"September 30, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Mural by Joy Yamusangie (Artist in residence), London St Pancras \u00a0 A follow-up to yesterday's post ... \u00a0 Litany (inspired by Genesis 1) In the beginning God created all things and God saw that they were good. 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The theme this year is Cross talk. We will end the service as usual with a Tenebrae liturgy, recalling the 7 'words' of Jesus from the cross. I've\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "creativity"","block_context":{"text":"creativity","link":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/creativity\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/cross_talk_screen.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/cross_talk_screen.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/cross_talk_screen.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/cross_talk_screen.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7405,"url":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/2019\/05\/10\/theme-rejoice-in-the-lord-always\/","url_meta":{"origin":16874,"position":4},"title":"Theme: Rejoice in the Lord always","author":"Irene Bom","date":"May 10, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"PDF version \u00a0 This prayer sheet is inspired by a recurring theme in Scripture: the phrase, \u201cRejoice in the Lord\u201d. \u00a0 For personal use or to share. Joy is distinctly a Christian word and a Christian thing. It is the reverse of happiness. Happiness is the result of what happens\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "prayer sheet"","block_context":{"text":"prayer sheet","link":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/prayer-sheet\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":15790,"url":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/2024\/11\/18\/thank-you-for-taste-buds\/","url_meta":{"origin":16874,"position":5},"title":"Thank you. For taste buds","author":"Irene Bom","date":"November 18, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 In Hidden Art, Edith Schaeffer writes, \"God could have created all food as a bland mixture of proper nutrients: something like wheat-germ, yoghurt and honey in a cake form, or some sort of fruit that would have contained everything necessary to good health. However pleasant the mild flavour might\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "prayer"","block_context":{"text":"prayer","link":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/prayer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/joyful_apple.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/joyful_apple.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/joyful_apple.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/joyful_apple.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"rttpg_featured_image_url":null,"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"Irene Bom","author_link":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/author\/irenebom-com\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/prayer\/\" rel=\"category tag\">prayer<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/psalms\/\" rel=\"category tag\">psalms<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/song\/\" rel=\"category tag\">song<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/tip\/\" rel=\"category tag\">tip<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"We will not keep silent based on Psalm 96 We are people who must sing you, for the sake of our very lives. You are a God who must be sung by us, for the sake of your majesty and honour. And so we thank you, for lyrics that push us past our reasons, for…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16874","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16874"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16874\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16890,"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16874\/revisions\/16890"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16874"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16874"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16874"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}