Today’s hymn from Sing Praise is ‘God beyond earth’s finest treasures’ by Martin Leckebusch. It’s a paraphrase of Psalm 16, and a good one at that.
The words are addressed in the first person (I/me) to God, so this is a devotional hymn – in verse 1, ‘you alone shall have my praise’, and in verse 2 ‘countless gifts your love has planned’, ‘safe within your care I stand’. But it’s also a declaration of commitment: ‘I will love your cherished people, I will serve you all my days’. The final verse looks forward to the promise of eternal life: ‘When my earthly days are over, fresh delights remain in store’.
The words fit the suggested tune ‘St Helen’ well, but it was a bit of a surprise, as this tune is usually associated with the Catholic eucharistic hymn ‘Lord enthroned in heavenly splendour’. The present words are very different in tone, but it works.