Isaac Watts (1674-1748) was one of the world’s most prolific and revered hymn writers to ever live, he is credited with over 750 hymns! Kind of makes my 150 or so hymn arrangements seem measly by comparison :)
Once as a child he displayed his propensity for clever rhymes when asked why he had kept his eyes open when praying, saying:
“A little mouse for want of stairs ran up a rope to say its prayers.”
When punished severely for this, he responded with:
“O father, father, pity take, and I will no more verses make.”
Obviously a great hymn writer in the making, not to mention possessing a splendid sense of humor.
He is best known for the classics you’ve no doubt heard of and sung: Joy to the World, When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed, and many, many more.
But upon doing a deeper dive into his work, I came across My Shepherd Will Supply My Need, an interpretation of Psalm 23. Now, I’ve composed a tune for Psalm 23 before, The Lord My Shepherd, with the lyric lifted from the 1912 Psalter, it’s one of my personal favorites. But something about the lyric for Watt’s version spoke to me in a new way.
My Shepherd will supply my need, Jehovah is His name,
In pastures fresh He makes me feed beside the living stream;
He brings my wandering spirit back when I forsake His way,
And leads me for His mercy's sake in paths of truth and grace.
When I walk through the shades of death His presence is my stay,
One word of His supporting grace drives all my fears away;
His hand in sight of all my foes doth still my table spread,
My cup with blessings overflows, His oil anoints my head.
The sure provisions of my God attend me all my days;
Oh, may Thy house be my abode and all my work be praise;
There would I find a settled rest, while others go and come;
No more a stranger nor a guest, but like a child at home.
It is the last line that gets me…No more a stranger nor a guest, but like a child at home.
The thought of finally being home, truly at home, not a stranger or even a guest…but as a child in the presence of my true heavenly Father.
It struck a deep chord of longing, of resting in the hope of the Lord preparing a place for me to live and abide in Him forever.
The last line of the Psalm itself says: “I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (NIV)
But I love how Watts takes the line and somehow makes it more personal, more comforting, more viewed through the lens of having a relationship with Jesus as Savior, and resting in faith as a child would. Just as Jesus commanded us to come to him in Matthew 18:3:
"Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (NIV)
This arrangement is only available on my patreon site, Woodshed Hymns. If you’d like to become a subscriber and support my work, check it out there and get access to all my latest recordings plus many extras, like chord / lead sheets, lyric videos, song archive, and much more! I sincerely appreciate your patronage, it is going a long way towards my goal of getting this music out to the world. Your patronage also benefits the Mill City Disaster Response, as a percentage of contributions will go towards that fund.
Enjoy this demo clip from the new tune below, and I look forward to hearing what you think of it!
— Matt