Psalm 42 - A Hymn of Hope

I was so blessed by the hymns we sang at church yesterday.  On the last Sunday of the month our worship service is built around traditional hymns, and typically at least one of the hymns is unfamiliar to me. 
This hymn - Psalm 42 - is new to me.  The words were written by Danna Hansen and the tune is O WALY WALY, a traditional English melody well known in the Appalachian region of the United States.

I think the music is beautiful and the words touched my heart in a powerful way.  I'm sure all of us know what it's like to mourn and toil...to grieve deep inside, wondering if we'll ever hope again. 
What a blessing to know that in the Bible verse this song is based on, the psalmist tells himself to hope in God because He is his salvation.
Even when our hope is dim we can praise God because He is our living hope!



As the deer longs for flowing streams,

so longs my soul for you, O God.

My soul does thirst for the living God,

when shall I come to see your face?

My tears have fed me day and night,

while some have said, "Where is your God?"

But I recall as my soul pours dry,

the days of praise within your house.

Why do I mourn and toil within,

when it is mine to hope in God?

I shall again sing praise to him.

He is my help; he is my house.

 

Text by Danna Harkin; based on Psalm 42
Written in 1975

"Why are you cast down, oh my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God."
Psalm 42:11