O My People, Turn to Me

Versifier: Marie J. Post

Marie (Tuinstra) Post (b. Jenison, MI, 1919; d. Grand Rapids, MI, 1990) While attending Dutch church services as a child, Post was first introduced to the Genevan psalms, which influenced her later writings. She attended Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she studied with Henry Zylstra. From 1940 to 1942 she taught at the Muskegon Christian Junior High School. For over thirty years Post wrote poetry for the Grand Rapids Press and various church periodicals. She gave many readings of her poetry in churches and schools and has been published in a number of journals and poetry anthologies. Two important collections of her poems are I Never Visited an Artist Before (1977) and the posthumous Sandals, Sails, and Saints (1993). A member… Go to person page >

Scripture References:
st. 1 = Hos. 14:1, 4-5a
st. 2 = Hos. 14:1, 5b-7

Based on Hosea 14, "O My People" is a call for repentance which, if sincerely made, will bring blessings–portrayed beautifully in images of fruitfulness. Marie J. Post (PHH 5) wrote this paraphrase in 1981 as a memorial to her mother; this passage was marked in her mother's Bible.

Liturgical Use:
Service of confession and forgiveness; evangelistic services.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook, 1988