Book II of begins with a set of two psalms, 42 and 43, expressing a longing for God and a longing to be in his presence in the sanctuary. They share a common refrain: "Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God" (Psalms 42:5, 42:11, 43:5).
The opening of Psalm 42 is familiar to many through Martin Nystrom's lovely song, "As the Deer" (©1984 Universal Music). To sing Psalm 42 we wrote additional lyrics to Martin Nystrom's melody.
This recording features Alyssa Foss and Willy Shelton on vocals, Joel Stamoolis and Sean Tracy on guitar, and Ruth Schwartz on cello.
Psalm 42
Psalm 42
More from
Psalms Project
Psalm 119:169-176 (Taw)
Psalm 119:169–176
Psalm 119 is an acrostic prayer song celebrating God's word. Psalm 119 was written as 22 eight verse stanzas, one for each of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The first eight verses of Psalm 119 all begin with the Hebrew letter Aleph. The next eight verses begin with the Hebrew letter Beth. This pattern continues through the rest of the psalm. Each verse of this stanza begins with the Hebrew letter Taw. To sing the final stanza of Psalm 119 we set lyrics by Joel Stamoolis to the melody "Old Hundredth," by Louis Bourgeois (1551). This recording features Joel Stamoolis on vocals and guitar, Naomi Stamoolis and Willy Shelton on vocals, and Anne-Renee Gumley on piano.
Psalm 119:161-168 (Shin)
Psalm 119:161–168
Psalm 119 is an acrostic prayer song celebrating God's word. Psalm 119 was written as 22 eight verse stanzas, one for each of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The first eight verses of Psalm 119 all begin with the Hebrew letter Aleph. The next eight verses begin with the Hebrew letter Beth. This pattern continues through the rest of the psalm. Each verse of this stanza begins with the Hebrew letter Shin (or Sin). To sing the twenty-first stanza of Psalm 119 we set lyrics by Sing Psalms (©Free Church of Scotland) to a melody by Joel Stamoolis. This recording features Joel Stamoolis on vocals and guitar, Willy Shelton on vocals, Naomi Stamoolis on English horn, and Anne-Renee Gumley on piano.
Psalm 119:153-160 (Resh)
Psalm 119:153–160
Psalm 119 is an acrostic prayer song celebrating God's word. Psalm 119 was written as 22 eight verse stanzas, one for each of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The first eight verses of Psalm 119 all begin with the Hebrew letter Aleph. The next eight verses begin with the Hebrew letter Beth. This pattern continues through the rest of the psalm. Each verse of this stanza begins with the Hebrew letter Resh. To sing the twentieth stanza of Psalm 119 we adapted lyrics by the 1912 Psalter and set them to a melody by Joel Stamoolis. This recording features Joel Stamoolis on vocals and guitar, Willy Shelton on vocals, Naomi Stamoolis on English horn, and Anne-Renee Gumley on piano.