The LORD, My Shepherd, Rules My Life

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Source: Lift Up Your Hearts: psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs #732

Versifier: Christopher M. Idle

Christopher Martin Idle (b. Bromley, Kent, England, 1938) was educated at Elthan College, St. Peter's College, Oxford, and Clifton Theological College in Bristol, and was ordained in the Church of England. He served churches in Barrow-in-­Furness, Cumbria; London; and Oakley, Suffolk; and recently returned to London, where he is involved in various hymnal projects. A prolific author of articles on the Christian's public responsibilities, Idle has also published The Lion Book of Favorite Hymns (1980) and at least one hundred of his own hymns and biblical paraphrases. Some of his texts first appeared in hymnals published by the Jubilate Group, with which he is associated. He was also editor of Anglican Praise (1987). In 1998 Hope Publishing… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: The LORD my shepherd rules my life
Title: The LORD, My Shepherd, Rules My Life
Versifier: Christopher M. Idle (1977)
Meter: 8.6.8.6
Language: English
Copyright: © 1982, Hope Publishing Co.

Notes

A profession of joyful trust in the LORD as the good Shepherd-King.

Scripture References:
st. 1 = vv. 1-2
st. 2 = v. 3
st. 3 = v. 4
st. 4 = v. 5
st. 5 = v. 6

Psalm 23's tranquil confession of faith and hope builds on the common ancient Near East and Old Testament metaphor of the king as shepherd of his people. God is the true Shepherd-King, providing his people their every need (st. 1-2), protecting them against every danger (st. 3), and welcoming them to a banquet of bounty and fellowship at the LORD's royal table in the face of their enemies (st. 4). The people thus have the sure hope of God's unfailing care and of ready access to God's presence (st. 5). Jesus' use of the shepherd image (John 10) has further endeared this psalm to Christians everywhere.

The 1977 versification by Christopher M. Idle (PHH 20) was first published in Jesus Praise (1982). He wrote it, he said, "to provide a version of the twenty-third Psalm in familiar meter which would avoid the archaisms and inversions of the established sixteenth-century version from the Scottish Psalter" (161). Other settings of Psalm 23 include 161, 162, and 550.

Liturgical Use:
As an expression of trust, Psalm 23 is appropriate for many liturgical uses, including baptism, the Lord's Supper, weddings, and funeral services.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook

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BROTHER JAMES' AIR

BROTHER JAMES' AIR was composed by James Leith Macbeth Bain (b. Scotland, c. 1840; d. Liverpool, England, 1925), the healer, mystic, and poet known simply as Brother James. The tune was first published in his volume The great peace: being a New Year's greeting ... (1915). Born in a devout Christian…

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BEDFORDSHIRE MAY-DAY CAROL


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Instances

Instances (1 - 11 of 11)
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Catholic Book of Worship III #489

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Lift Up Your Hearts #732

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Psalms for All Seasons #23B

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Psalter Hymnal (Gray) #23

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The Irish Presbyterian Hymbook #99

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