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Today’s song
from Sing Praise is quite familiar, as it was a favourite of the Scargill
community when I was living there about twenty years ago (and of other churches
around that time). It’s “As the deer pants for the water” by Martin Nystrom,
and the copyright actually dates back to 1983.
Most of the words
are taken from the Psalms, though it’s not really a setting of any one
psalm. The opening lines of the first
verse are from Ps.42:1-2, the reference to wanting God “more than gold or
silver” seems to be from Ps.119:72, and “the apple of your eye” in the same
verse is from Ps.17:8 as well as being familiar from the service of Compline. The refrain, “You alone are my strength and
shield” again isn’t a direct quotation but may be inspired by the refrain of
Ps.115.
The last
verse, “You’re my friend and my brother, even though you are a king” doesn’t
seem to be from the Psalms at all, but is rather the Church’s understanding of
Christ, who is both the reigning power of the universe and at the same time
present as a companion and guide, and who calls all who follow him his sisters
and brothers.
What made it
such a hit, I think, is partly the memorable tune, but also the sense that in
singing his praises as one whose friendship and support are desirable, we are
drawn closer to Jesus. It’s a sort of love song without being too
sentimental.
Today’s song from Sing Praise is a cantor-and-chorus type, called “Athirst, my soul, for you, the God who is my life” (that’s the first line of the first chant). The chorus starts “As the deer longs for running streams”, but there are many hymns with that or similar titles, because Psalm 42/43 on which it’s based is very popular as a basis for sung versions.
“Deer drinking” by Winslow Homer
The appeal of
this psalm is in the opening lines, with the attractive image of the hunted deer
finding a refreshing stream in a hidden dip in the hills, out of sight of its
hunters, where it can drink and rest awhile.
The simile is that God will likewise offer us rest and refreshment in
prayer and meditation when we are stressed or frightened. That’s true, but not easy to achieve: I find
that the greater the pressures of life, the harder it is to find time for
prayer and the longer it takes to relax into it.
That’s why I
try to find opportunities offered for quiet time away from the usual routines
of life – a ‘quiet day’, teaching weekend or short retreat offered by one of
the many Christian communities, abbeys or retreat centres. In the present pandemic, I have one booked at
the end of next week on Zoom, and that will mean sessions on the screen in my
usual study, and finding a quiet space in the house for the personal meditation
times in between, where I won’t get distracted.
I am looking forward to it, but the experience will be different.
Back to the
song, and the verses remind us why we get so stressed and in need of God’s
protection and refreshing. Surprisingly, “All your mighty waters
sweeping over me” suggests that the feeling of being overwhelmed might actually
be the result of God’s intention, but it’s an accurate rendition of Ps.42:7. Perhaps it means the sense of being burdened
by the requirements of God’s law and commandments or the guilt of not keeping
them, which as we saw the other day has been relieved by Jesus taking us back
to the law’s true intentions.
“The foe
delights in taunting me”, on the other hand, puts the blame for my troubles firmly
on other people. The taunt given as an example is “where is your God”, a phrase
that is still used by those who don’t understand the nature of religious faith –
“what sort of God is it who allows this to happen?” (whatever “this”
is). The antidote to this is to turn
back to God and affirming that we do trust in him, whatever is happening around
us.
One verse in
the psalm (42:4) is not referred to in the song but is very relevant at this time
of church closures – in the Prayer Book psalter used at many an Evensong, “Now
when I think thereupon, I pour out my heart by myself : for I went with the
multitude, and brought them forth into the house of God; In the voice of praise
and thanksgiving : among such as keep holy-day.” As much as anything, it is the music and
ceremonial of church services that I miss – we can keep in touch by phone call
or maybe even Zoom meetings, but it’s not possible with those to chant a psalm or
sing a hymn together, or physically to process into or around the church
building as we might do on special occasions.
The last
verse, though, does look forward to a time when all the sadness and frustration
will be put behind us. “Then shall I go unto the altar of my God, praising you,
O my joy and gladness, I shall praise your name”. Let’s keep that in mind throughout the
lockdown.
