Stopford - Do Not Be Afraid

A tuneful, melodic, and deeply moving choral song.

This choral song with words by Gerard Markland is based on four verses from the Book of Isaiah, Chapter 43. The song was a commission that Stopford took in 2010 from Andrew and Kathryn Radley on the occasion of the baptism of their daughter at St Peter and St Paul's Church, Uplyme. It is – like Stopford’s other music – tuneful, melodic, memorable and deeply moving.

The lyrics are:

Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you.
I have called you by your name;
you are mine.
When you walk through the waters,
I'll be with you;
you will never sink beneath the waves.
When the fire is burning all around you,
you will never be consumed by the flames.
When the fear of loneliness is looming,
then remember I am at your side.
When you dwell in the exile of a stranger,
remember you are precious in my eyes.
You are mine, O my child,
I am your Father,
and I love you with a perfect love.