This page is provided so that you can hear the tunes of items which we use in church. Mostly they are written by the vicar. Please note that they are copyright - we are very happy to give permission to you to use them, but we would like to hear about it. Please include any use on your Christian Copyright Licence returns.
Down this page:
- the words,
- the story,
- the sheet music,
- media player.
God is our refuge and strength
God is our refuge and strength
God is our refuge and strength:
he's there when catastrophe looms.
Earthquakes may shake us at length,
volcanos may belch forth their fumes,
the waters may surge
with a primeval urge,
but God the Almighty is with us
and saves us and helps us through Jesus.
God gives his city a stream
to gladden, delight and refresh.
All those who live there are cleaned,
protected and strengthened and blessed.
The nations may strive
and the kingdoms may writhe,
but God the Almighty is with us
and saves us and helps us through Jesus.
Come, see the works of the Lord
and tremble at his desolations:
He breaks the weapons and swords,
the tanks and the guns of the nations.
Be still and perceive,
trust the Lord and believe,
for God the Almighty is with us
and saves us and helps us through Jesus.
Words and tune copyright © John Hartley 2007.
Based on Psalm 46.
Story behind the song
This song was inspired by Richard Bewes' setting of Psalm 46 as a hymn: "God is our strength and refuge" (to the tune of the Dambusters' March, Mission Praise 188), and it uses the same structure of three verses each of which ends with the psalm's chorus (verses 7 and 11 of the psalm). I freely admit that his is better than mine. But I always feel there is room for alternative ways of singing the psalms, and that's why I wrote it.
After I'd written a tune (you can find the first tune here), Michael Lehr challenged me to find a tune which was more competitive with the "Dambusters March" which Richard Bews used. So here's my attempt, which I'm naming the "Dambreakers March". After all, the sincerest form of flattery is imitation! (In verse 3 the small notes marked at the ends of lines 1 and 2 are accented passing notes: they each occupy a full crotchet and the main note begins on the second beat of the bar and lasts a beat less. The dissonance with the marching bass is intended.)
John Hartley.
Windows Media Player. When you click the left-hand "play" button your computer should have started to play the tune. If it didn't, you might be able to get the tune by clicking here, or by right-clicking the link, choosing "save target as", saving it onto your computer, and then opening it with a music-playing program.
Please remember that a midi file of a tune isn't supposed to be a state-of-the-art musical arrangement - it is only supposed to give a basic idea of how the tune goes. Any reasonable organist / keyboard player / music group could make it sound far better.