A new Psalm to sing
No! Don't worry I'm not adding to Scripture!
My musical skills consist of banging out a few chords on the old guitar. I long to have a pianist at Church and I'm fairly confident my Church mutters under their breath how long O Lord, how long, especially when I ruin a perfectly good song.
Nevertheless over the last two years of Pandemic I have been singing the Psalms on my own and introducing a few at Church. It's difficult because I don't want to overwhelm them with new material so it's a few at a time.
But lets be honest, many of us like the new tunes! We've got some talented composers out there I just wish they would write a few more metrical tunes to encourage folk to sing the metrical psalms. How great would that be?
But I came across a Church that were singing Psalms and writing a few to familiar modern tunes. https://www.northlondonchurch.org/
And I thought I can do that!
After a few attempts I realised it's not as easy as it looks, a few have ended up with me cramming a few lines into one so we can sing it all but it is doable.
So here is one that I think works. I can't read music too well and my method is to use someone's instrumental version online, so it might not work too well although I think this one does. It's to Stuart Townend's How deep the Father's love for us and clearly at the end you repeat the last half of the tune. I hope you like it and better still I hope you sing it!
Psalm 65 How deep the Father's love
1 In Zion praise awaits for you
O God our vows completed
2 To you all people will come near
Our prayers will be regarded
3 When we were overwhelmed by sins
Forgiveness it was given
4 How blesséd are those whom you choose
To live within your temple
We're filled with good things from your house,
With good things of your temple
5 You answer us with awesome deeds
O God our righteous Saviour
Our hope unto earth’s farthest ends
The seas beyond earth’s limits
6 You formed the mountains by your power
Your arm has strength within it
7 You stilled the crashing of the seas,
The waves and all their fury
The turmoil of the nations stilled
8 Those farthest fear your glory
Where morning dawns and evening fades
Your songs of praise and joy heard
9 You love and care for all Your land
You water and enrich it
The streams of God are filled afresh
For corn, you have ordained it
10 You drench and level all the land
Your showers bring your blessing
11 You crown the year, a harvest great
The wagon tracks they o'erflow
The grasslands of the desert green
The hills are clothed with gladness
13 The meadows rich covered with flocks
The valleys decked with ripe corn;
They shout aloud and sing as one.
They shout and sing for joy
Well done ✔.
ReplyDeleteThanks John!
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