The book of Psalms and Paul Simon’s spiritual journey
Famed music icon, Paul Simon, formerly of Simon and Garfunkel has been on a spiritual journey of his own after what some are coining a ‘prophetic dream.’
“On Jan. 15, 2019, I had a dream that said, ‘You’re working on a piece called 7 Psalms.'” shared Simon on a recent video trailer for his ‘7 Psalms’ project. “The dream was so strong that I got up and I wrote it down, but I had no idea what that meant.”
Since the dream, it’s clear Simon has been on a spiritual journey, seeking to understand what the dream meant and how to flesh out the vision for a Psalms-inspired project. The Psalms, a 150 chapter of the Bible, were written mostly by King David of Israel and have been put to music in various ways over the last thousands of years.
Ongoing dreams about Psalms
“Gradually, information would come. I would start to wake up two or three times a week between 3:30 and 5 in the morning, and words would come. I’d write them down, then start to put it together,” Simon continued.
Simon grew up in a Jewish family but never considered himself religious, yet he acknowledges how often God has come up in his music. Now the 7 Psalms album is taking his journey toward faith to a whole new level. While not yet a confessing believer, he senses the struggle and perhaps the call of God on his life, “This is a journey, for me, to complete,” Simon shared. “This whole piece is really an argument I am having with myself about belief, or not.”
God is at work
While he clearly hasn’t committed to Jesus yet, it seems clear God is at work in Simon’s life and perhaps the music industry as a whole. The Biblical references in the new project are clear. While not overtly referencing Jesus, Simon acknowledges the Biblical inspiration in his work. Simon sings about themes including forgiveness, praise, heart ablaze, and references the Lord as his engineer and producer.
- “The sacred harp, that David played to make his songs of praise, we long to hear those strings, that set His heart ablaze.”
- “Yesterday’s boys go on, driving through darkness, searching for Your forgiveness.”
- “The Lord is my engineer; the Lord is my record producer; the Lord is the music I hear; deep in the valley…the Lord is the train I ride on.”
- “Is sorrow a beautiful song, lives in the heart and sings for all, Your forgiveness.”
- “And I, the last in the line, hoping the gates won’t be closed before Your forgiveness.”
