How I Wrote A Song for Psalm 25 teaches you a simple approach to writing a song using scripture.
Identify what verses to use as lyrics
Read over the verses till you are familiar with them. Most of Psalm 25 is a prayer where the writer would like to be forgiven, depending on the holiness of God to make a way. Requesting God to lead and transform the writer’s life is a wonderful pattern for all of us to consider. But in verse 12, things change. He asks a question. The text moves from a prayer of supplication to a more conversational tone. That’s where I settled on the words to this song.
Desire to memorize specific verses – you can add to it later. I settled on verses 12-15 because I see a question and a response – something to hang onto. Verses 12-15 describe what a person who fears the Lord does He looks to the Lord for guidance, and for life overall,
Identify characteristics of the words – how I wrote a song for Psalm 25
Do they suggest a rhythm? If so, a melody may be easier to find. You want the melody and the rhythm to complement each other. This can take a little more work than if you were writing the lyrics yourself.
What are the words you want to emphasize? This can make the whole song easier to learn and memorize – that’s our goal!
Write a singable melody.
It makes the words easier to memorize and sing. Put keywords where the melody peaks as a way to draw them out musically
Spend the time to make it simple and easy to learn. For Psalm 25 I came up with a melody that moves up and down the scale sequentially. For the chorus which is higher in pitch I followed the same pattern.
Keep Learning. Learning from others is always helpful to you and your audience.