The Lord is our shepherd

Our worship service this week in Madison is based on the 23rd Psalm and is divided into four sections:

• "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want"
• "He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness"
• "I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me"
• "I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever"

All of the hymns we will sing are paraphrases of the psalm. The 1650 Scottish Psalter version twice, once to CRIMOND, and, at the end of the service, to BROTHER JAMES' AIR. We will also use Isaac Watts' "My Shepherd Will Supply My Need." Today, coincidentally, the blogger at Conjubilant With Song celebrates the author of our fourth hymn, Sir Henry Williams Baker:

Sir Henry remained with Hymns Ancient and Modern until his death in 1877, seeing it through supplements and new editions. He had contributed his own texts, several translations of Latin hymns, and even some tunes. This original hymn, yet another paraphrase of Psalm 23, is probably his most well-known.

The God of love my Shepherd is,
Whose goodness faileth never,
I nothing lack if I am thine
And thou art mine forever.

Where streams of living water flow
My ransomed soul thou leadest,
And where the verdant pastures grow,
With food celestial feedest.

Perverse and foolish oft I strayed,
But yet in love thou sought'st me,
And on thy shoulder gently laid,
And home, rejoicing, brought'st me.

In death’s dark vale I fear no ill
With thee, dear God, beside me;
Thy rod and staff my comfort still,
Thy cross before to guide me.

Thou spread’st a table in my sight;
Thy unction grace bestoweth;
And O, what transport of delight
From thy pure chalice floweth!

And so through all the length of days
Thy goodness faileth never;
Good Shepherd, may I sing thy praise
Within thy house forever.

We will be singing the original tune, DOMINUS REGIT ME.