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.
Quiet Time
Quiet Time
A quiet time, O Lord,
when I can meet you face to face,
and have my inner self restored
by fresh reception of your grace:
I set aside this time, my God, for you, for you -
please meet me here, and do what you would do.
A time of praise, my Lord,
when I adore your loveliness
and give you thanks for all you've poured
in blessings on my worldly mess:
I set aside this time, my God, for you, for you -
please lift my heart in gratitude anew.
A time of sorrow, Lord,
for sins which I have done, and good
I've missed: they tie me down like cord,
yet Jesus cut them by his blood.
I set aside this time, my God, for you, for you -
please cleanse my guilt, forgive where I'm askew.
A time of scripture, Lord,
and pondering what it would say,
so you can highlight from your word
the truth I need to live today:
I set aside this time, my God, for you, for you -
please speak, O Lord, bring your insights to view.
A time of prayer, O Lord,
when I can lay before your throne
those cares which cut me like a sword -
I need not carry them alone:
I set aside this time, my God, for you, for you -
please answer my concerns, my fears subdue.
In dedication, Lord,
I need to come to you each day.
In conflict, when the lions roared
you shut their mouths, took them away.
I set aside this time, my God, for you, for you -
Release my heart, your presence here imbue.
Words and tune copyright © John Hartley 2006.
Story behind the song
I wrote these lyrics as a reminder to myself and others of the importance of setting aside a time to be apart with God each day. The old evangelical pattern of the "Quiet Time", and Cranmer's ordering of Morning and Evening Prayer (in the Book of Common Prayer), both had the central purpose that God's people should be renewed by a living encounter with him day by day. In the song I have tried to mention the specific purposes of such a time: to adore and thank God, to confess and receive his forgiveness, to read the bible with a view to it making a difference to my conduct, to pray about those things on my heart. I wanted to include the example of Daniel's recognition that he needed to come to God even when it was dangerous to do so, and God's hounouring and protecting him when he did. I wanted to set out for myself the benefits of putting aside this special time for God - partly that I may have a real agenda, but above all that he may work his agenda in me.
However, please don't think that I've "arrived" in this discipline! I have a long way to go.
For the tune, I owe a debt of gratitude to Sir Arthur Sullivan for his "Samuel" which is set to a hymn ("Hushed was the evening hymn") with a similar message. I was trying to do something similar in the way this tune starts and develops.
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.