Deep Within
Deep within I will plant my law,
Theologically, "Deep Within" is rooted in the prophetic new covenant theology of Jeremiah 31 and Ezekiel 36, texts that form a bridge between the Hebrew scriptures' covenantal framework and their New Testament fulfillment in Christ. The central image — God writing the law not on tablets of stone but on the human heart — carries profound Lutheran resonance, as it speaks to the interior transformation of the human person that Luther consistently distinguished from mere external religious observance. In Lutheran terms, the text operates primarily on the Gospel side of the Law/Gospel dialectic: it is God who acts, God who plants, God who heals, God who forgives, and God who gives a new heart. The human posture is one of receptivity and return, not of meritorious achievement. At the same time, the repeated call to 'return to me with all your heart' carries a Law dimension — it confronts the hearer with the reality of estrangement and the need for genuine repentance, which connects naturally to Ash Wednesday themes of mortality, contrition, and turning. Lutheran preachers and musicians will recognize in this the classic Lenten rhythm of Law (we have wandered, we are mortal, we need to return) and Gospel (God is the one who restores, forgives, and gives the new heart). The text thus functions as a sung proclamation of the new covenant, making explicit that the transformation it promises is entirely God's gracious initiative. For ecumenical Lutheran use, this text fits naturally alongside Lutheran Lenten emphases on grace, the interior life of faith, and the eschatological renewal of the human person through Christ. The absence of explicitly Catholic doctrinal content (Marian theology, purgatory, intercession of saints) makes it theologically transparent for Lutheran contexts. The new heart language of Ezekiel 36 resonates with baptismal and regeneration themes central to Lutheran sacramental theology, and the text can serve as a sung meditation on the baptismal covenant renewed in Lenten disciplines.
History & Background
"Deep Within" was composed by David Haas in 1987 as a responsorial-style hymn drawing primarily from the prophetic and covenantal texts of Jeremiah 31:33 and Ezekiel 36:26-28. The text was created to serve the penitential and renewal themes of the Lenten season, particularly suited to Ash Wednesday and the early weeks of Lent when the lectionary features the new covenant passages. It was published by GIA Publications and quickly became a staple of the post-Vatican II Catholic repertoire, appearing widely in parish Lenten worship across North America. The text is structured so that the refrain — 'Deep within I will plant my law, not on stone, but in your heart' — functions as a repeated ostinato or congregational response, while the verses unfold the broader covenantal promise. This antiphonal structure reflects the influence of the Taizé and contemporary Catholic renewal movements on Haas's compositional aesthetic. The hymn has been included in successive editions of the GIA publication Gather, cementing its role as a standard Lenten resource in Catholic parishes. Ecumenically, the hymn has found use beyond Catholic contexts, appearing in Protestant contemporary worship settings and ecumenical Lenten services. Its grounding in prophetic scripture rather than explicitly doctrinal Catholic formulation makes it highly portable across traditions, and Lutheran musicians have incorporated it particularly for midweek Lenten services and Ash Wednesday liturgies where the themes of interior renewal and covenantal return resonate strongly.
Hymnal Appearances
- Gather 3rd Edition — 461
- Gather 4th Edition — 468
Bulletin Note
Text and music by David Haas (b. 1957), based on Jeremiah 31:33 and Ezekiel 36:26-28. Published by GIA Publications, 1987.
Preaching Connection
When the prophet announced that God would write the law on human hearts rather than on stone, he was proclaiming the end of religion as external performance and the beginning of grace as interior transformation — a word that cuts to the heart of Lenten self-examination and the gospel promise that God's mercy goes deeper than our sin. This text gives the congregation a way to sing their way into that covenantal promise before and after the sermon.
Catechism & Confessional Connections
- The Definition & Command of Baptism Small Catechism — Holy Baptism
Themes
new covenant interior renewal repentance and return God's initiative in salvation Lenten conversion the new heart divine forgiveness covenant faithfulness Ash Wednesday prophetic promise