NOW IN THE HOUR OF DEEP DISTRESS, a Palm Sunday Hymn from the Psalter, 8 April 2025 Anno Domini, the Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide
1 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? Psalms 1:1
This is a beautiful hymn paraphrased summary of Psalms 22 put to music by the great Isaac Watts (1674-1748) who mastered Latin at the age of four years and was writing verse at six years of age. The tune is Hurlbut. Psalm 22 is a Messianic Hymn of Christ’s suffering on the cross (verses 1-21) followed by the joy of His resurrection (verses 22-31). It is an appropriate Psalm to be sung on Palm Sunday. It is a psalm of the excruciating pain our Lord suffered in His sacrifice of Redemption, as well as the joy of His resurrection to follow.
NOW IN THE HOUR OF DEEP DISTRESS
1 "Now in the hour of deep distress,
My God, support thy Son.
When horrors dark my soul oppress,
O leave me not alone!"
2 Thus did our suff'ring Saviour pray,
With mighty cried and tears.
God heard him in that dreadful day,
And chas'd away his fears.
3 Great was the vict'ry of his death:
His throne exalted stands;
And all the nations of the earth
Shall bow to his commands.
4 The meek and humble souls shall see
His table richly spread;
And all, that seek the Lord, shall be
With joys immortal fed!
1 "Now in the hour of deep distress, My God, support thy Son. When horrors dark my soul oppress, O leave me not alone!" The 22nd Psalms picks up where His arraignment before the High Priest and trial before Pontius Pilate ended with a pronunciation of innocence and, yet, followed by a sentence of death by crucifixion. The human nature of Christ yearned for relief, yet His Divine Person demanded He endure to the end a terrible and humiliating time of intense pain and suffering. As the son of Glory hung naked upon the cross, He could barely see through the blood flowing from the wounds made by the crown of thorns the multitudes of cursing onlookers who ridiculed Him with inexcusable, wicked utterances. His first utterance, He cried out in sorrow and pain, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken Me,’ (vs 1 and Matthew 46). He hung between heaven and earth as His tormentors reviled Him there.
2 Thus did our suff'ring Saviour pray, With mighty cried and tears. God heard him in that dreadful day, And chas'd away his fears. We find an exact description of the crucifixion suffering recorded in this Psalm. “They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots. 36 And sitting down they watched him there.” (Matthew 27:35-36 & Psalm 22:18) The pain of the Son is indeed beyond the dimensions of our comprehension; however, consider the pain of a loving Father at the sight of His Son so rudely mistreated by the very ones He came to redeem! Of course, the Father heard Him in great sorrow. The darkness at noonday was evidence of that grief. Even in the pains of death, the Lord still was full of love and forgiveness evidenced in His reception into paradise by the penitent thief on the cross next to Him. But now comes the soothing reality of the very portico of death and finality in His great sacrifice. As He surrendered the Ghost, he uttered those monumental words that echo down the annals of all time and eternity – “It is finished!” It was at this point that the Veil of the Temple was torn from top to bottom making our approach to God through our Eternally ruling High Priest - Jesus Christ – the only portal of intercession with God the Father.
3 Great was the vict'ry of his death: His throne exalted stands; And all the nations of the earth Shall bow
to his commands. The details of our Lord’s suffering recorded in Psalms 22 concludes at verse 21 – then begins the absolute joy of His resurrection and His completed work of Redemption at verse 22. “I will declare thy name unto my brethren: In the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.” His death brought relief, but His resurrection brought assurance of the resurrection of His elect who follow bearing their crosses to the end. Every knee shall bow at His return and every lip shall profess Him as Lord. He has earned the crown of King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
4 The meek and humble souls shall see His table richly spread; And all, that seek the Lord, shall be With joys immortal fed! Whether we serve the bread from His Table, or else beg the crumbs thereof as the poor and destitute of riches, it is still the Bread of Life of which we partake. Quite often it is the beggar who becomes host, and the host, beggar. It is such a joy to know the security of election in Christ. We are His children and the sheep of His pasture. No better Shepherd was ever appointed to be Shepherd and Master of the flock of His ownership. We shall all be fed with the Bread of Heaven in abundance, and the Waters of Life ever flowing from the gushing Fountain of Life.
