Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
– Philippians 4.6–7
Un-metered and sparse, Resignation is an exploration of the simplicity on the far side of the complex. A single three-chord motive runs through the whole movement and is accompanied by simple and unassuming lines. It stands in stark contrast to the complexity and activity of the rest of the set, and especially the flanking movements.
The hymn accompanying this in the Southern Harmony is a paraphrase of the 23rd Psalm. The focus here is on the transcendent, incomprehensible peace that is the release from bondage to material treasure and needs, and freedom which can only come from a faith in God's daily provision even when no means are in sight.
My Shepherd will suppy my need;
Jehovah is his name;
In pastures fresh he makes me feed,
Beside the living stream.
He brings my wandering spirit back,
When I forsake his ways,
And leads me, for his mercy's sake,
In paths of truth and grace.When I walk through the shades of death
Thy presence is my stay;
One word of thy supporting breath
Drives all my fears away.
Thy hand, in sight of all my foes,
Doth still my table spread;
My cup with blessings overflows,
Thine oil anoints my head.The sure provision of my God
Attend me all my days;
O may thy house be mine abode,
And all my work be praise!
There would I find a settled rest,
(While others go and come,)
No more a stranger, nor a guest;
But like a child at home.