Psalm 76 speaks of a God who breaks the bow, shatters the weapons of war, and brings peace where violence once reigned. It is a psalm of divine strength, but not strength expressed through domination. Instead, it is the strength that calms, restores, and reconciles.

As I reflected on the psalm, I found myself imagining these ancient words within an Irish landscape. The ringforts, mountains, bogs, and windswept coasts all bear witness to centuries of human striving, conflict, prayer, and hope. Yet beneath these histories lies something deeper: the enduring presence of God.

The hymn’s curlew, ash trees, peat-dark earth, and holy wells remind us that creation itself can become a witness to God’s peace. At first glance, such quiet imagery may seem far removed from the dramatic vision of Psalm 76, where God shatters bows and silences the weapons of war. Yet the hymn seeks to imagine what comes after the conflict has ended. When God breaks the bow, He is not merely disarming an enemy; He is clearing the ground for restoration. The thunder of judgment gives way to the stillness of peace, and the noise of conflict yields to the gentle witness of creation.

The God of Psalm 76 is not merely a God of the past. He remains our refuge today: present in parish and homestead, in prayer and pilgrimage, leading us through the hills and hollows of life toward the peace that only He can give.

The Glens Proclaim Your Holy Name

1. 
The glens proclaim Your holy name,
Where dawn breaks on the stone;
Your peace lies deep in peat-dark earth,
A strength long known alone.
The curlew’s cry becomes Your voice,
The ash and alder praise;
The winds that sweep the mountain paths
Bear witness to Your ways.

2.
You break the bow and still the strife,
And turn the heart to rest;
Along the pilgrim paths of peace
Your justice shines out west.
The meadowsweet in gentle breeze
Proclaims the hope denied;
And thunder softens at Your tread
As storm-clouds drift aside.

3.
Let all our vows be shaped with joy,
Like gifts beside the well;
In hearth and parish gathered here
Your mercy comes to dwell.
From Shannon’s shore to western isles
Your peace renews the land;
O God of hill and hollow, be
Our guide with steadfast hand.

Hymn Information

First line: The Glens Proclaim Your Holy Name
Text: Michael McFarland Campbell
Metre: DCM (86.86.86)
Suggested Tune: Kingsfold
Theme: God’s peace, creation as witness, pilgrimage, and the stilling of violence.
Scripture: Psalm 76; Isaiah 2:4; Mark 4:35–41

A note for the journey

When the world is loud and your mind feels crowded, look to the nearest fixed boundary—a rowan tree, a steady hill, or the walls of your own room. Trust that the God who holds this ancient landscape is holding you too, quietly calming the noise and steadying your heart.

Copyright

© Michael McFarland Campbell, 2026.

Permission granted for local church or parish use with attribution. Not for commercial reproduction.

Written in 2026 and shared here as part of the NeuroDivine hymn collection. This text is planned for inclusion in a future volume of A Pilgrim’s Psalter of Earth and Light.