Monthly Archives: May 2023

Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah

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Another hymn written by Welshman William Williams in 1745, the text to Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah refers to many of the difficulties and hardships he experienced as a traveling minister along with imagery from the books of Exodus and Joshua, in the Old Testament1. The rendition below is from the congregation of Tabernacle Welsh Baptist Church in Cardiff, UK, who sound like a professional choir!

Guide me O Thou great Jehovah,
Pilgrim through this barren land.
I am weak, but Thou art mighty;
Hold me with Thy powerful hand.
Bread of Heaven, Bread of Heaven,
Feed me till I want no more;
Feed me till I want no more.

Open now the crystal fountain,
Whence the healing stream doth flow;
Let the fire and cloudy pillar
Lead me all my journey through.
Strong Deliverer, strong Deliverer,
Be Thou still my Strength and Shield;
Be Thou still my Strength and Shield.

Lord, I trust Thy mighty power,
Wondrous are Thy works of might;
Thou hast saved and freed helpless sinners,
“It is finished” ends our night:
Thou didst conquer, Thou didst conquer,
Sin, and Satan and the grave,
Sin, and Satan and the grave.

When I tread the verge of Jordan,
Bid my anxious fears subside;
Death of deaths, and hell’s destruction,
Land me safe on Canaan’s side.
Songs of praises, songs of praises,
I will ever give to Thee;
I will ever give to Thee.

Thinking on my Glorious Saviour,
Thinking on my heav’nly home,
Fills my soul with hungry longings:
Come, my Jesus, quickly come;
Vanity is all I see;
Lord, I long to be with Thee!
Lord, I long to be with Thee!

1dianaleaghmatthews.com/guide-me-o-thou-great-jehovah/#.ZEZt0OzMIbk

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What a Friend We Have In Jesus

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Son of a captain in the British Royal Marines, Joseph Scriven was born in Ireland in 1819. After receiving his university degree from Trinity College in London, he enrolled in a military college to prepare for an army career. However, poor health forced him to give up that ambition, where he became a teacher in his hometown instead. On the night before Scriven’s scheduled wedding, his fiancé drowned. In his deep sorrow, Joseph realised that he could only find the solace and support he needed in his dearest friend, Jesus. After starting a new life in Canada, Scriven experienced more death in his life, losing his second fiancée Eliza Rice. After this, he turned to his faith where he found not just solace, but a mission and he dedicated his life to serve the poor and needy. 10 years later when he found out his mother was ill but could not visit her, he wrote a comforting letter, enclosing the words of the below written poem, with the prayer that these brief lines would remind her of a never failing friend she had in Jesus1.

What a Friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden,
Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge, take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do your friends despise, forsake you?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In His arms He’ll take and shield you; you will find a solace there.

1centerbarnsteadcc.org/the-story-behind-what-a-friend-we-have-in-jesus/

Here Is Love

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The text of this hymn was originally in Welsh, “Dyma gariad fel y moroedd,” written by William Rees (1802–1883), first published in an addendum to a collection of hymns by William Williams (1717–1791.) By one account, Rees was “one of the most versatile and gifted Welshmen of the nineteenth century and exercised a powerful influence on politics, religion, poetry, and literature in Wales.” Rees’ text played a prominent role in the Welsh revival of 1904–1905, led by evangelist Evan Roberts (1878–1951) of Glamorganshire. As with any great evangelistic movement, its success was closely associated with music and musicians1.

Here is love, vast as the ocean,
Loving-kindness as the flood,
When the Prince of Life, our Ransom,
Shed for us His precious blood.
Who His love will not remember?
Who can cease to sing His praise?
He can never be forgotten
Throughout heav’n’s eternal days.

On the mount of crucifixion
Fountains opened deep and wide;
Through the floodgates of God’s mercy
Flowed a vast and gracious tide.
Grace and love, like mighty rivers,
Poured incessant from above,
And heav’n’s peace and perfect justice
Kissed a guilty world in love.

Let me, all Thy love accepting,
Love Thee, ever all my days;
Let me seek Thy kingdom only,
And my life be to Thy praise;
Thou alone shalt be my glory,
Nothing in the world I see;
Thou hast cleansed and sanctified me,
Thou Thyself hast set me free.

In Thy truth Thou dost direct me
By Thy Spirit through Thy Word;
And Thy grace my need is meeting
As I trust in Thee, my Lord.
Of Thy fullness Thou art pouring
Thy great love and pow’r on me
Without measure, full and boundless,
Drawing out my heart to Thee.

1hymnologyarchive.com/here-is-love-vast-as-the-ocean

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O God, Beyond All Praising

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Michael Perry (1942-1996) was born in Beckenham, Kent, England and was a Church of England clergyman and one of the leading British hymnodists of the 20th century. He worked as editor and director of Jubilate Hymns until an inoperable brain tumour led to his untimely death in December 1996. Perry used the tune for the British stately song “I Vow To Thee My Country” (which is often sung at Remembrance Day services, and Princess Diana requested it for her wedding in 1981) and created a majestic hymn of praise that is biblically rooted1. I really love the words to this hymn, and you could easily use it to begin your church services, or your time of devotion with the Lord.

O God, beyond all praising,
We worship you today
And sing the love amazing
That songs cannot repay;
For we can only wonder
At every gift you send,
At blessings without number
And mercies without end:
We lift our hearts before you
And wait upon your word,
We honour and adore you,
Our great and mighty Lord.

Then hear, O gracious Saviour,
Accept the love we bring,
That we who know your favour
May serve you as our king;
And whether our tomorrows
Be filled with good or ill,
We’ll triumph through our sorrows
And rise to bless you still:
To marvel at your beauty
And glory in your ways,
And make a joyful duty
Our sacrifice of praise.

1umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-o-god-beyond-all-praising

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Psalm 23

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This last version of Psalm 23 by Stuart Townend is the version I often find myself humming. It has a very catch melody, and I’m sure it will leave you humming too! Have a blessed Lord’s Day.

The Lord’s my shepherd, I’ll not want;
He makes me lie in pastures green.
He leads me by the still, still waters,
His goodness restores my soul.

Refrain
And I will trust in You alone,
And I will trust in You alone,
For Your endless mercy follows me,
Your goodness will lead me home.

He guides my ways in righteousness,
And He anoints my head with oil,
And my cup, it overflows with joy,
I feast on His pure delights.

Refrain

And though I walk the darkest path,
I will not fear the evil one,
For You are with me, and Your rod and staff
Are the comfort I need to know.

Refrain

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Shepherd

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This penultimate song is from CityAlight and draws on many of the themes from Psalm 23; enjoy!

Though I walk through the valley
And I can’t see the way;
When the shadows surround me
I will not be afraid.

For I know You are with me,
You will always provide;
Though the path may be lonely,
You will stay by my side.
I will rest my soul;
I’ll trust in You alone.

Refrain
For the Lord my Shepherd
Leads me, leads me
And He is all I need
In the darkest valley
I know, I know
My Shepherd is all I need

Lord I know that You seek me,
When I’m trying to hide;
And Your love it pursues me,
All the days of my life.
I will rest my soul
I’ll trust in You alone

Refrain

I rest my soul
In You alone
You light my way
You lead me on

Refrain

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The King of Love My Shepherd Is

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Sir Henry Williams Baker (1821-1877), the author of this hymn and also the vicar of Monkland Priory Church in Herefordshire, England. He wrote many hymns of fine emotion and intellect, and yet his lyrical transcription of the 23rd Psalm was what came to him as he approached “death’s dark vale.” He died in 1877 in the parsonage of the church where he had served for more than thirty years – he is said to have spoken stanza three of this hymn as his last words before dying1.

The King of love my shepherd is,
Whose goodness faileth never.
I nothing lack if I am his,
And he is mine forever.

Where streams of living water flow,
My ransomed soul he leadeth;
And where the verdant pastures grow,
With food celestial feedeth.

Perverse and foolish, oft I strayed,
But yet in love he sought me;
And on his shoulder gently laid,
And home, rejoicing, brought me.

In death’s dark vale I fear no ill,
With thee, dear Lord, beside me;
Thy rod and staff my comfort still,
Thy cross before to guide me.

And so through all the length of days,
Thy goodness faileth never;
Good Shepherd, may I sing thy praise
Within thy house forever.

1umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-the-king-of-love-my-shepherd-is

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The Lord’s my Shepherd (1650 Scottish Psalter)

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This song is a versification of the Authorized (King James) Version of the Bible (1611), now often ascribed to Cornish nobleman Francis Rous (1580–1659); it appeared only four decades after the KJV and remains one of the most assuring versions of Psalm 23 nearly four centuries later. I have included 2 modern versions below.

The Lord’s my shepherd, I’ll not want
He makes me down to lie;
In pastures green: He leadeth me
the quiet waters by.

My soul He doth restore again
and me to walk doth make;
Within the paths of righteousness
ev’n for His own name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk in death’s dark vale
Yet will I fear no ill;
For Thou art with me, and Thy rod
and staff, my comfort still.

My table Thou hast furnished
In presence of my foes;
My head Thou dost with oil anoint
And my cup overflows.

Goodness and mercy all my life
Shall surely follow me;
And in God’s house for evermore
My dwelling-place shall be.

1worship.calvin.edu/resources/resource-library/michael-hawn-ten-favorite-hymns-on-psalm-23/

He Leadeth Me

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This hymn based on Psalm 23 was written during the American Civil War by Joseph Gilmore (1834–1918), a New England seminary professor and Baptist minister. Preaching at First Baptist Church in Philadelphia, Gilmore described the hymn’s origins: “I set out to give the people an exposition of the twenty-third psalm, which I had given before on three or four occasions, but this time I did not get further than the words ‘He leadeth me.’ Psalm 23:2, ‘he leadeth me beside the still waters,’ became the theme of the song.” The hymn lyrically follows the flow of the psalm and is anchored in the refrain added by composer William Bradbury (1816–1868), which states the theme “He leadeth me” four times, offering abiding assurance1.

He leadeth me: O blessed thought!
O words with heavenly comfort fraught!
Whate’er I do, where’er I be,
still ’tis God’s hand that leadeth me.

Refrain:
He leadeth me, he leadeth me;
by his own hand he leadeth me:
his faithful follower I would be,
for by his hand he leadeth me.

Sometimes mid scenes of deepest gloom,
sometimes where Eden’s flowers bloom,
by waters calm, o’er troubled sea,
still ’tis God’s hand that leadeth me.

Refrain

Lord, I would clasp thy hand in mine,
nor ever murmur nor repine;
content, whatever lot I see,
since ’tis my God that leadeth me.

Refrain

And when my task on earth is done,
when, by thy grace, the victory’s won,
e’en death’s cold wave I will not flee,
since God through Jordan leadeth me.

Refrain

1worship.calvin.edu/resources/resource-library/michael-hawn-ten-favorite-hymns-on-psalm-23/

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Jesus the Shepherd of My Soul

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The next song based on Psalm 23 is this song from Sovereign Grace’s latest album; I’m sure you’ll enjoy this one!

Jesus the shepherd of my soul,
All of my needs supplies;
By living waters gives me rest,
Keeping me by His side.
Bringing my wandering spirit back,
When I forsake His ways;
Leading me for His mercy’s sake,
In paths of truth and grace.

Jesus the shepherd of my soul,
When in the valley deep;
Death like a shadow hides my way,
Still You are leading me.
I will not fear the darkest hour,
Faithful You will remain;
Comforting with Your rod and staff,
Driving my fears away.

Jesus the shepherd of my soul,
Keeping me from all harm;
Ever until He leads me home,
Safely into His arms.
When I behold Him face to face,
Then I will look and see;
Goodness and mercy from His hand,
Surely have followed me.

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