Short song: Who can say what the Lord will do?

Today I finished a short song/chant I began writing a couple of months ago while on Iona. I had written the melody and various verses, which wrestled with the uncertainty of the future, but never could quite find the right shape or direction of the song. I ended up keeping it simple with just one verse, since the melody seemed to suggest going in that direction.

Who can say what the Lord will do?
Every day is a gift anew.

Trust in God and do not be afraid.

Green woods near Carsaig on the isle of Mull

I didn't appreciate short songs until I went to Iona. Every Tuesday there is a service of prayers for healing, and throughout the service, between the prayers, we would repeat a short chant, usually a few lines long. Some of those chants have grown in me and continue speaking to me.

As a musician assistant, once a week I helped lead a Taizé service. If you don't know, Taizé is a community in France where thousands of people come each week to worship and work with each other (kind of like Iona, but with more people. I also hear the food's better on Iona). The community is known for its original chants, hundreds of them, which they sing over and over again in their simple, meditative services. These Taizé chants too have become very meaningful to me.

Once I was talking with a guest from the Netherlands, who had been to Taizé, and who compared the music: Taizé chants are sung inwardly, to oneself, whereas Iona Community songs are sung outwardly, to the world. I liked that distinction; the Taizé chants that I know seem to be focused on personal devotion to God, and the Iona Community is known for its commitment to living out the gospel, particularly through seeking peace and justice, and this is reflected in many of its songs. However, the Iona Community has written some powerful songs and chants that speak to me inwardly, too.