A perfect platform for praying for people in distress: O sacred head sore wounded and Psalm 69

The powerful and much-loved hymn 'O sacred head so wounded' had already been around for centuries before Bach made it still more famous by harmonising it and incorporating it many times in his glorious Saint Matthew Passion. What depths it sounds and what heights it points to! As we listen to Sue Perks singing it here, and to Jacqui Galvin then going on to read from Psalm 69, arguably the most poignant of all the supplicatory psalms, let's make this hymn and the psalm a starting point for identifying with people – and even nations – who are going through times of intense strain and stress. The psalmist's prayers do not appear to have been immediately answered, for we find him crying out for the Lord to save him because the floodwaters had come right up to his neck.' Despite his physical and emotional agony, he continues to pray, confident that His cry for help will be heard. Taken together, this hymn and psalm make a perfect platform for praying for people who are really going through the mill. See who and what come to mind as you listen, and bring these people and situations to the Lord!  The music then plays on to another relevant track that exhorts us to 'Persevere to the glory beyond,' before concluding with the track 'Behold I am creating a new heaven and a new earth,' which celebrates the joy and power of music and much else besides.