Back in 2012 I set these words by Doug Chaplin:
From the Jordan to the desert,
from the crowd to barren place,
Spirit-driven, Satan-tempted,
Lord, you sought the Father’s grace:
show us now your pow’r, in weakness,
presence in the empty space.Out of Egypt with God’s people,
freedom brings its testing stress:
what is right and what is truthful,
how the name of God confess?
Jesus, be our journey’s leader,
guide us through the wilderness.Lack of food for empty stomach,
offered only cold hard stone;
scripture used to tempt and strengthen;
easy route to grasp the throne:
Bread of life, and Word incarnate
help us worship God alone.In the search for loving justice,
in the quest for truth and right,
Jesus walk beside, before us,
hold your Cross of love in sight;
keep us in your Father’s presence,
guide us to your risen light.
Thanks to the London Festival of Contemporary Church Music, there is now a recording:
Doug Chaplin’s text is CC BY-NC — you can use it, but not for profit. The music is CC BY-SA as is my usual practice: this means you can download the sheet music and use this hymn in your church at Lent, should you so wish. Or at some other time of year, but it is really a Lent hymn when you get right down to it.
I’m not averse to a tierce de Picardie at the end of the last verse, if that’s your kind of thing.
There are more LFCCM recordings; do have a listen, it’s well worth it.