Yearly Archives: 2023

Blessed Assurance 

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Fanny Crosby (1820-1915), blind at the age of six weeks, began composing hymns at age six. She became a student at the New York Institute of the Blind at age 15 and joined the faculty of the Institute at 22, teaching rhetoric and history. In 1885, Crosby married Alexander Van Alstyne, also a student at the Institute and later a member of the faculty. An author of more than 8,000 gospel hymn texts, she drew her inspiration from her own faith. When the tune composer Phoebe Palmer Knapp (1839-1908) played a melody to Fanny and asked, “What does the melody say to you?” Crosby replied that the tune said, “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!” and proceeded to recite the entire first stanza of the now-famous hymn1. I’m sure you have heard lots of versions of this hymn, but below is my favourite! What’s yours?

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Saviour, all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Saviour, all the day long.

Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels descending bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Saviour, all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Saviour, all the day long.

Perfect submission, all is at rest
I in my Saviour am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Saviour, all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Saviour, all the day long.

1umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-blessed-assurance

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Now Why This Fear and Unbelief (Faith Reviving)

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This hymn was originally written by August Toplady (1740), however has been updated and made popular by modern music group Sovereign Grace, with an added refrain and bridge. This is a great hymn to sing on days you take Communion at church to reflect on the sacrifice Christ made for our sins.

Now why this fear and unbelief?
Has not the Father put to grief
His spotless Son for us?
And will the righteous Judge of men
Condemn me for that debt of sin
Now canceled at the cross?

Refrain
Jesus, all my trust is in Your blood
Jesus, You’ve rescued us
Through Your great love

Complete atonement You have made
And by Your death have fully paid
The debt Your people owed
No wrath remains for us to face
We’re sheltered by Your saving grace
And sprinkled with Your blood

Refrain

Bridge
How sweet the sound of saving grace
How sweet the sound of saving grace
Christ died for me

Be still my soul and know this peace
The merits of your great high priest
Have bought your liberty
Rely then on His precious blood
Don’t fear your banishment from God
Since Jesus sets you free

Refrain

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Immanuel (When Once I Mourned A Load Of Sin)

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Today’s hymn was written by well known preacher in 1853, Charles Spurgeon. I found this version on Soundcloud that I’m sure you’ll enjoy!

When once I mourned a load of sin;
When conscience felt a wound within,
When all my works were thrown away;
When on my knees I knelt to pray,
Then, blissful hour, remembered well,
I learned Thy love, Immanuel.

When storms of sorrow toss my soul;
When waves of care around me roll;
When comforts sink, when joys shall flee;
When hopeless griefs shall gape for me,
0ne word the tempest’s rage shall quell–
That word, Thy name, Immanuel.

When for the truth I suffer shame
When foes pour scandal on my name;
When cruel taunts and jeers abound;
When “Bulls of Bashan” gird me round,
Secure within Thy tower I’ll dwell–
That tower, thy grace, Immanuel.

When hell enraged lifts up her roar
When Satan stops my path before;
When fiends rejoice and wait my end
When legioned hosts their arrows send,
Fear not my soul, but hurl at hell,
Thy battle cry, Immanuel.

When down the hill of life I go;
When o’er my feet death’s waters flow;
When in the deep’ning flood I sink;
When friends stand weeping on the brink,
I’ll mingle with my last farewell
Thy lovely name, Immanuel.

When tears are banished from mine eye;
When fairer worlds than these are nigh;
when heaven shall fill my ravished sight;
When I shall bathe in sweet delight,
One joy all joys shall far excel,
To see Thy face, Immanuel.

Praise My Soul, The King of Heaven

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Born in Scotland and educated at Enniskillen and Trinity College in Dublin, Henry Francis Lyte’s (1793-1847) most significant appointment was as Anglican curate at Lower Brixham, Devonshire, England, where he served for 24 years. Lyte’s poetry earned him several honours. He wrote “Praise, My Soul, The King of Heaven” for his congregation. The hymn was first published in 1834, among a collection of three hundred hymns entitled “Spirit of the Psalms.” Unlike translations of the Psalms-commonly used in Psalters of that time-or paraphrases like those written by Isaac Watts, “Spirit of the Psalms” contained hymns that were simply inspired by the Psalms. A part of this collection, “Praise, My Soul, The King of Heaven” captured the “spirit” of Psalm 1031.

Praise, my soul, the King of heaven;
To His feet thy tribute bring.
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
Who like me His praise should sing?
Praise Him, praise Him,
Praise Him, praise Him,
Praise the everlasting King.

Praise Him for His grace and favour
To our fathers in distress.
Praise Him still the same forever,
Slow to chide, and swift to bless.
Praise Him, praise Him,
Praise Him, praise Him,
Glorious in His faithfulness.

Frail as summer’s flower we flourish
Blows the wind and it is gone
But while mortals rise and perish
God endures unchanging on
Praise Him, praise Him,
Praise Him, praise Him,
Praise the high eternal One

Fatherlike He tends and spares us;
Well our feeble frame He Knows.
In His hands He gently bears us,
Rescues us from all our foes.
Praise Him, praise Him,
Praise Him, praise Him,
Widely as His mercy goes.

Angels help us to adore Him;
Ye behold Him face to face;
Sun and moon, bow down before Him,
Dwellers all in time and space.
Praise Him, praise Him,
Praise Him, praise Him,
Praise with us the God of grace.

1songsandhymns.org/hymns/detail/praise-my-soul-the-king-of-heaven

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Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness

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This hymn was composed by Nicolaus Ludwig, Graf von Zinzendorf in 1739 and translated into English by John Wesley in 1740. This song speaks of the benefit of double imputation we have as Redeemed Christians – not only that Christ takes our sin, but that Christ’s righteousness is credited to us. As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:21″ for our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God”. I’ve included a modern version, as well as a traditional version for you to enjoy, but the words alone will bring much joy in your heart!

Jesus, Thy blood and righteousness
My beauty are, my glorious dress;
’Midst flaming worlds, in these arrayed,
With joy shall I lift up my head.

Bold shall I stand in Thy great day;
For who aught to my charge shall lay?
Fully absolved through these I am
From sin and fear, from guilt and shame.

Thus Abraham, the friend of God,
Thus all the armies bought with blood,
Saviour of sinners, thee proclaim,
Sinners, of whom the chief I am.

This spotless robe the same appears
When ruined nature sinks in years;
No age can change its glorious hue.
The robe of Christ is ever new.

The holy, meek, unspotted Lamb,
Who from the Father’s bosom came,
Who died for me, e’en me to atone,
Now for my Lord and God I own.

Lord, I believe Thy precious blood,
Which, at the mercy seat of God,
Forever doth for sinners plead,
For me, e’en for my soul, was shed.

Lord, I believe were sinners more
Than sands upon the ocean shore,
Thou hast for all a ransom paid,
For all a full atonement made.

When from the dust of death I rise
To claim my mansion in the skies,
Ev’n then this shall be all my plea,
Jesus hath lived, hath died, for me.

Jesus, the endless praise to Thee,
Whose boundless mercy hath for me—
For me a full atonement made,
An everlasting ransom paid.

Thou God of power, Thou God of love,
Let the whole world Thy mercy prove!
Now let Thy word o’er all prevail;
Now take the spoils of death and hell.

O let the dead now hear Thy voice;
Now bid Thy banished ones rejoice;
Their beauty this, their glorious dress,
Jesus, Thy blood and righteousness.

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It Is Well With My Soul

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By 1870, Horatio Spafford was a successful Chicago lawyer with every reason to be thankful and faithful to God. A supporter of preachers Dwight L. Moody and Ira Sankey, prominent Christian evangelists formed part his circle of friends. In 1871, his four year old son died. While struggling with this personal tragedy, the Great Chicago Fire of the same year reduced the family’s property investments and financial security to ashes. To give the family time and space to recover, Horatio made plans for him, his wife and four daughters to join and encourage Moody and Sankey on one of their European preaching tours. On boarding the ship, a business emergency forced Horatio to remain in Chicago while the family went on ahead. But in mid Atlantic, the ship had collided with another ship, sinking in 12 minutes with the loss of 226 of the 307 passengers. Several days later Spafford received a telegram from his wife in Wales, Anna: “Saved Alone”; all four of their daughters were lost. Horatio immediately set off for Wales to bring his wife home. On the crossing to Wales, the ship’s captain summoned Horatio to the bridge informing him that they believe they were now passing the place where the ship was wrecked. Spafford returned to his cabin and that night wrote the words which became the hymn1.

When peace, like a river,
Attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot,
Thou has taught me to say,

Refrain
It is well, with my soul.
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet,
Though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded
My helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

Refrain

My sin, oh, the bliss
Of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross,
And I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

Refrain

And Lord, haste the day
When my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound,
And the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

Refrain

1eden.co.uk/blog/it-is-well-with-my-soul-story-behind-the-hymn-p11427

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Eternal Shepherd, God Most High

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As mentioned, my idea for Hymn of the Day is for saints to use these as not only songs, but prayers and meditations. This hymn in my hymnal is under the category of “for a church seeking a pastor”. Perhaps your church, or a church you know, is looking for a pastor – why don’t you use this text as a prayer for the Lord to provide a shepherd that will glorify His name and care for His sheep?

Eternal Shepherd, God most high,
In mercy hearken as we cry,
And send us, in our time of need,
A pastor wise, Thy flock to lead.

Be his, like Thee, O Jesus meek,
To heal the bruised, to stay the weak,
And, in Thy might made brave and strong,
To war with sin, to right the wrong.

So leading where Thyself hast trod,
So guiding with Thy staff and rod,
May he Thy sheep in safety bring
To those green pastures of the King.

And when at last, O gracious Lord,
Thou shalt bestow his full reward,
Let those whom he hath led aright
Be jewels in his crown of light. Amen.

Take My Life and Let It Be

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Frances Ridley Havergal (1836-1879) was an unusually gifted and passionate saint. The daughter of a church rector, she was raised in Worcester, England and attended schools in England and Germany. In her love of learning, she grew to become an able scholar, and a talented singer and pianist. She expended the majority of her life’s labours in writing prose and poetry that would be spiritually beneficial to the saints. Havergal suffered poor health and was taken by the Lord at just 42 years of age. But the Lord prospered her ministry. In her own words, the hymn is a “consecration hymn” in which the singer commits all of her possessions and being to the Lord for his purposes. It expresses what each of us ought to feel and long for, even if at times we see so much disparity between the words and our actual state that we have to sing most of it in hope and faith1.

Take my life, and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take my hands, and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love;
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee,
Swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice, and let me sing
Always, only, for my King;
Take my lips, and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee,
Filled with messages from Thee.

Take my silver and my gold;
Not a mite would I withhold;
Take my intellect, and use
Every power as Thou shalt choose,
Every power as Thou shalt choose.

Take my will, and make it Thine;
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart; it is Thine own;
It shall be Thy royal throne,
It shall be Thy royal throne.

Take my love; my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure-store.
Take myself, and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee,
Ever, only, all for Thee.

1challies.com/articles/hymn-stories-take-my-life-and-let-it-be/

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Journey’s End

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Written alongside this song is a quite by J.C. Ryle: “no man ever need despair of reaching his journey’s end if he has once committed his soul to Christ’s keeping.” This quote is based on Mark 4:35-41 when travelling with his disciples in a boat, Jesus calms a strong storm, leaving the disciples to exclaim “who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”1.

Come weary traveller fix your hope
Upon your journey’s end,
When unrestrained, his grace will pay
For every labour spent.
Though now you toil soon shall you rest;
Though now you must contend,
You soon shall be forever blessed
Upon your journey’s end

See Christ, his journey’s end in mind,
Ascending Calvary’s hill;
For heaven’s joy endured the cross
And bears your burdens still;
See perfect love and innocence
By all the world condemned;
Yet gladly bore the shame that you
Might reach your journey’s end

Refrain
Praise to the God of grace!
O what a sure and glorious hope!
He all our strength and praise
As we make our journey home

What storms you’ll weather, trials endure,
Lie far beyond your sight;
Yet anxious traveller rest secure:
You’ll soon be home with Christ!
He walks with you through fearful days,
Your sure and faithful friend;
And soon you’ll see his smiling face
Upon your journey’s end

Refrain

Come weary traveller fix your hope
Upon your journey’s end;
When crowds of angels cheer you home,
And God himself descends:
‘My good and faithful servant come
You journeyed long and hard;
Now everlasting joy is yours
My child you’re home at last.’

Refrain

1joyfulnoise.uk/our-music/

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Have Thine Own Way, Lord

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This Christian hymn was born out of the author’s profound trust in her Maker. In 1906 Adelaide A. Pollard was inspired to write the hymn’s lyrics after visiting a prayer ceremony where she heard a woman say “it doesn’t really matter what you do with us, Lord, just have your own way with our lives.” Prior to that, Pollard had a disheartening experience. She had a great wish to pay a missionary visit to Africa. However, she found herself unable to raise the fund needed for the journey. After hearing those encouraging words from that woman, she fell into deep contemplation of the potter’s story found in the book of Jeremiah 18:3. When she went home that evening, she wrote down the words based on what she reflected on was able to complete all the four stanzas. The outcome was the famous hymn “Have Thine Own Way, Lord.1”

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Thou art the Potter, I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after Thy will,
While I am waiting, yielded and still.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Search me and try me, Master, today!
Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just now,
As in Thy presence humbly I bow.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Wounded and weary, help me, I pray!
Power, all power, surely is Thine!
Touch me and heal me, Savior divine.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Hold o’er my being absolute sway!
Fill with Thy Spirit ’till all shall see
Christ only, always, living in me.

1countrythangdaily.com/have-thine-own-way-lord-pollard-potter/

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