Psalm 139
Psalm 139 is among those which are addressed to the "leader" or "choirmaster". The language assures us that God knows us thoroughly and in all situations, doing so by employing contrasting ideas: 'when I sit / when I rise'; 'if I go up to the heavens / if I make my bed in the depths'; 'If I rise on the wings of the dawn / surely the darkness of night will hide me.'
This musical interpretation of this Psalm strives to be a joyful, confident response, with melodic lines that rise, then fall, only to rise again even higher. The central section explores the relative minor key, reflecting on the final two verses of the Psalm which invite God to inventory our defects and lead us to higher ground.