Monthly Archives: Jan 2023

Be Still, My Soul

Posted on by
Reply

Today’s hymn is a suggestion from a subscriber. Little is known about the author of this hymn. Katharina Amalia Dorothea von Schlegel was born in 1697 and the date of her death is unknown. Some hymnologists suggest that she may have become a Lutheran nun. We know her as the author of “Stille, mein Wille; dein Jesus hilft siegen” published in a collection entitled Neue Sammlung geistlicher Lieder (A new collection of spiritual songs) in 1752, one of several of her texts included there. This text appears at the time of German pietism, similar in spirit in many regards to the Wesleyan revival in England of the same era. Philipp Jacob Spener (1635-1705) led the German pietistic movement. Though not a hymn writer himself, he inspired a revival in German hymnody characterized by faithfulness to Scripture, personal experience, and deep emotional expression. Katharina von Schlegel is thought to be the leading female hymn writer of this period. The hymn comes to us via a translation by Jane L. Borthwick (1813-1897), a member of the Free Church of Scotland1.

Be still, my soul;
The Lord is on your side;
Bear patiently the cross
Of grief or pain;
Leave to your God
To order and provide;
In ev’ry change
He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul;
Your best, your heav’nly friend
Through thorny ways
Leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul;
Your God will undertake
To guide the future
As he has the past;
Your hope, your confidence,
Let nothing shake;
All now mysterious
Shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul;
The waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled
Them while he lived below.

Be still, my soul;
When dearest friends depart
And all is darkened
In the vale of tears,
Then you will better
Know his love, his heart,
Who comes to soothe
Your sorrows and your fears.
Be still, my soul;
Your Jesus can repay
From his own fullness
All he takes away.

Be still, my soul;
The hour is hast’ning on,
When we shall be
Forever with the Lord,
When disappointment,
Grief, and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot,
Love’s purest joys restored.
Be still my soul;
When change and tears are past,
All safe and blessed
We shall meet at last.

1umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-be-still-my-soul

Undivided

Posted on by
Reply

This song by Emu Music is based on both Psalm 86 and James 1. Depending on the version you read, Psalm 86:1 reads “Teach me your way, LORD, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.” May these words be all of our prayer.

Give me an undivided heart,
That I might fear Your name;
Teach me to walk in righteous paths,
And follow in Your ways.
For You are gracious and forgiving,
Hear O Lord and answer me.

Give me an undivided mind,
That I might love Your word;
Help me to hunger for Your voice,
And know Your Spirit’s sword.
For You are good, Your truth unchanging;
Life is found in serving You.

Undivided
I want to live for You;
Single minded,
All that I say all that I do.
Sanctify me,
Take me and make me new;
That I might live for Christ my Lord.

Give me an undivided love,
For all that You desire;
Make me a living sacrifice,
Ignite in me Your fire.
For You, O Lord, are God eternal,
All my ways are known to You.

Undivided,
Counting my gains as loss;
Single minded,
Whatever the pain, whatever the cost.
Sanctify me,
Help me take up my cross;
And live for Him who died for me.

How Deep the Father’s Love For Us

Posted on by
Reply

Stuart Townend has been writing since he was 22 and includes much beloved songs such as “Christ Alone”, “The Power of the Cross” and “Speak O Lord”. Writing this hymn, he says “The danger now is that we are so focused on the experience our worship can become self-seeking and self-serving. When all of our songs are about how we feel and what we need, we’re missing the point. There is a wonderful, omnipotent God who deserves our highest praise, and how we feel about it is in many ways irrelevant! I want to encourage the expression of joy, passion, and adoration, but I want those things to be the by-product of focusing on God – I don’t want them to become the subject matter. I’m trying to write songs that refer to us as little as possible, and to Him as much as possible!1“

How deep the Father’s love for us,
How vast beyond all measure,
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure.
How great the pain of searing loss –
The Father turns His face away,
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory.

Behold the man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders;
Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers.
It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished;
His dying breath has brought me life –
I know that it is finished.

I will not boast in anything,
No gifts, no power, no wisdom;
But I will boast in Jesus Christ,
His death and resurrection.
Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer;
But this I know with all my heart –
His wounds have paid my ransom.

1https://www.stuarttownend.co.uk/song/how-deep-the-fathers-love-for-us/

We Will Feast In the House of Zion

Posted on by
Reply

This song written by Sandra McCracken features on her ‘Psalms‘ album. The song includes allusions to Psalm 126:1–3: “When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.” The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad.”, as well as Isaiah 25:6-9: “On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”

Refrain
We will feast in the house of Zion,
We will sing with our hearts restored;
“He has done great things”, we will say together,
We will feast and weep no more.

We will not be burned by the fire,
He is the Lord our God.
We are not consumed by the flood,
Upheld, protected, gathered up.

Refrain

In the dark of night before the dawn,
My soul, be not afraid.
For the promised morning, oh how long?
Oh, God of Jacob, be my strength.

Refrain

Every vow we’ve broken and betrayed,
You are the faithful One.
And from the garden to the grave,
Bind us together, bring shalom.

Refrain

Trust and Obey

Posted on by
Reply

Popular in Sunday School classes, worship services, revival meetings and other gatherings of the church, this hymn was inspired in 1886 when the composer of the music, Daniel B. Towner (1850-1919), was the music leader during one of Dwight L. Moody’s famous revivals. Towner provided the following account cited by Moody’s musical partner, Ira D. Sankey, in his biography, My Life and the Story of the Gospel Hymns: “One night a young man rose in a testimony meeting and said, ‘I am not quite sure—but I am going to trust, and I am going to obey.’ I just jotted that sentence down, and sent it with a little story to the Rev. J. H. Sammis, a Presbyterian minister. He wrote the hymn, and the tune was born.” Sammis is said to have composed the lines of the refrain upon receiving the letter: “Trust and obey—for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”1

When we walk with the Lord
In the light of his word,
What a glory he sheds on our way!
While we do his good will,
He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.

Refrain
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

Not a burden we bear,
Not a sorrow we share,
But our toil he doth richly repay;
Not a grief or a loss,
Not a frown or a cross,
But is blest if we trust and obey.

Refrain

But we never can prove
The delights of his love
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favor he shows,
For the joy he bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.

Refrain

Then in fellowship sweet
We will sit at his feet,
Or we’ll walk by his side in the way;
What he says we will do,
Where he sends we will go;
Never fear, only trust and obey.

Refrain

1umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-trust-and-obey

O Great God

Posted on by
Reply

This hymn written by Bob Kauflin of Sovereign Grace is based on a prayer from The Valley of Visions: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions called ‘Regeneration’. The prayer asks God to occupy and reign supreme in the heart, to lay low every rebel power, and to let no vile passion resist His holy war. Speaking of this hymn, Kauflin writes “I wanted to set that prayer to music because of how often I’m asking God to do whatever He needs to do to make me love and glorify Him more”1.

O great God of highest heaven
Occupy my lowly heart
Own it all and reign supreme
Conquer every rebel power
Let no vice or sin remain
That resists Your holy war
You have loved and purchased me
Make me Yours forevermore

I was blinded by my sin
Had no ears to hear Your voice
Did not know Your love within
Had no taste for heaven’s joys
Then Your Spirit gave me life
Opened up Your Word to me
Through the gospel of Your Son
Gave me endless hope and peace

Help me now to live a life
That’s dependent on Your grace
Keep my heart and guard my soul
From the evils that I face
You are worthy to be praised
With my every thought and deed
O great God of highest heaven
Glorify Your Name through me

1page 254 – Leeman, D. and Leeman, B., 2022. Our Hymns, Our Heritage: A Student Guide to Songs of the Church

His Robes for Mine

Posted on by
1

This hymn I heard a few months ago at a friend’s wedding and loved the words as soon as I heard it. I then recently listened to a podcast where the author of the hymn, Chris Anderson, talks about his book “Theology That Sticks – The Life Changing Power of Exceptional Hymns”. He discusses the importance of singing songs that are sound in theology, honouring to God and edifying for us. He’s a former pastor of 25 years and author of several well-known hymns, including this one1; I’m sure you’ll enjoy either of these versions this Lord’s Day!

His robes for mine: O wonderful exchange!
Clothed in my sin, Christ suffered ‘neath God’s rage.
Draped in His righteousness, I’m justified.
In Christ I live, for in my place He died.

Refrain
I cling to Christ, and marvel at the cost:
Jesus forsaken, God estranged from God.
Bought by such love, my life is not my own.
My praise—my all—shall be for Christ alone.

His robes for mine: what cause have I for dread?
God’s daunting Law Christ mastered in my stead.
Faultless I stand with righteous works not mine,
Saved by my Lord’s vicarious death and life.

Refrain

His robes for mine: God’s justice is appeased.
Jesus is crushed, and thus the Father’s pleased.
Christ drank God’s wrath on sin, then cried, “’Tis done!”
Sin’s wage is paid; propitiation won.

Refrain

His robes for mine: such anguish none can know.
Christ, God’s beloved, condemned as though His foe.
He, as though I, accursed and left alone;
I, as though He, embraced and welcomed home!

Refrain

1thechristianworldview.org/topic-principles-for-selecting-christian-music-part-1-of-2/

Jesus, Lord of Life and Glory (By Thy Mercy)

Posted on by
Reply

Written by James John Cummins, this hymn is a sweet and musical litany, which appeared in his Poetical Meditations and Hymns, 1839, in 7 stanzas of 4 lines, with the refrain, “By Thy mercy, 0 deliver us, Good Lord.” In 1819, it was reprinted in his Hymns, Meditations, and Other Poems in 18391. Enjoy the below version 🙂

Jesus, Lord of life and glory,
bend from heav’n thy gracious ear;
while our waiting souls adore thee,
Friend of helpless sinners, hear:

Refrain:
By thy mercy, O deliver us, good Lord.

From the depth of nature’s blindness,
from the hard’ning pow’r of sin,
from all malice and unkindness,
from the pride that lurks within.

Refrain

When temptation sorely presses,
In the day of Satan’s pow’r,
In our times of deep distresses,
In each dark and trying hour.

Refrain

When the world around is smiling,
in the time of wealth and ease,
earthly joys our hearts beguiling,
in the day of health and peace.

Refrain

In our weary hours of sickness,
in our times of grief and pain,
when we feel our mortal weakness,
when the creature’s help is vain.

Refrain

In the solemn hour of dying,
in the awful Judgment Day,
may our souls, on thee relying,
find thee still our rock and stay:

Refrain

1https://hymnary.org/text/jesus_lord_of_life_and_glory_bend_from_h

Nothing But The Blood of Jesus

Posted on by
Reply

Robert Lowry (1826-1899) has provided us with many of the most venerable nineteenth-century texts and tunes from the United States. The Philadelphia-born author and composer of this hymn was a popular Baptist preacher and educator who served churches in Pennsylvania, New York City, Brooklyn, and Plainfield, New Jersey. He became known for his gospel songs while ministering in Brooklyn, collaborating often with William H. Doane in producing some of the most popular Sunday school song collections of his day. Traditionally sung as a call and response, Lowry adapts a call-response pattern in the stanzas that immediately engages the singer. Stanza one begins with a question: “What can wash away my sin?” The answer is resounding and definitive: “Nothing but the blood of Jesus.” This is followed by a second question: “What can make me whole again?” Once more, the answer is unequivocal, “Nothing but the blood of Jesus.” This call-response pattern, along with the sturdy, almost martial rhythms of the music, gives the effect of cheerleading1.

What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Refrain:
Oh! precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

For my pardon, this I see,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
For my cleansing this my plea,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Refrain

Nothing can for sin atone,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
Naught of good that I have done,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Refrain

This is all my hope and peace,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
This is all my righteousness,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Refrain

Now by this I’ll overcome—
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
Now by this I’ll reach my home—
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Refrain

Glory! Glory! This I sing—
Nothing but the blood of Jesus,
All my praise for this I bring—
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Refrain

1umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-nothing-but-the-blood

This Is My Father’s World

Posted on by
Reply

This wonderful hymn was sent through as a suggestion on the contact page, and for good reason. This is My Father’s World” was written by Maltbie Davenport Babcock and was published after his death in 1901. It was originally written as a poem containing sixteen verses of four lines each. Franklin L. Sheppard set the poem to music in 1915 and selected three verses for the final hymn. Babcock, who was a minister from Lockport, New York, would often take walks overlooking a cliff, where he would enjoy the view of beautiful Lake Ontario and the upstate New York scenery. As he prepared to leave for his walks he would often tell his wife that he was “going out to see my Father’s world.”1 Don’t forgot you too can suggest a hymn for me to post via the “Suggest A Hymn Page”!.

This is my Father’s world,
And to my listening ears
All nature sings, and round me rings
The music of the spheres.
This is my Father’s world:
I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas–
His hand the wonders wrought.

This is my Father’s world:
The birds their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white,
Declare their Maker’s praise.
This is my Father’s world:
He shines in all that’s fair;
In the rustling grass I hear Him pass,
He speaks to me everywhere.

This is my Father’s world:
O let me ne’er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the Ruler yet.
This is my Father’s world:
Why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is King: let the heavens ring!
God reigns; let earth be glad!

1thetabernaclechoir.org/articles/this-is-my-fathers-world.html#:~:text=Babcock%2C%20who%20was%20a%20minister,to%20see%20my%20Father’s%20world.%E2%80%9D