Give to the Wind Your Fears

I tend to draw on different sources of inspiration as I write music. Anything from other artists to conversations to reading material can be the an important piece of the puzzle in the early stages of a song. Several years ago I picked up a few old hymnals with a variety of songs for just such a reason.

A few months ago I came across the hymn "Give to the Wind Your Fears" by Paulus Gerhardt and translated by John Wesley. The first verse really captured my attention and was the springboard for expressing some things that had been on my heart for awhile. Over the last year I've had friends and family going through struggles of many different kinds including hospitalization, divorce and death. I am thankful for the ways that God has ministered to each of these and continue to pray for His peace and healing. This song is just an extension of that.

The first verse spoke so beautifully what I would have wanted to express that I used it verbatim and simply reset it to a new tune. I then wrote new material for the chorus and second verse that I thought better represented what I wanted to say. I would not say that it's one of my best songs, but I'm pleased with the outcome and wanted to share it in case it might minister to someone who needs to hear it.

You can check out a rough video of it here.