Yearly Archives: 2023

Lord, It Belongs Not To My Care

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This hymn I came across during my daily devotional as I was reading an old hymnal a friend lent to me. This hymn was written by well known Puritan pastor Richard Baxter in 1681. This hymn expresses the reliance and confidence believers place in Christ for their earthly and spiritual lives. Its simple but eloquent verses remind us of God’s love and provision for His children, the joy of living under His lordship, and the expectation of eternal happiness in Christ1. Enjoy reading the words to this hymn as a prayer today.

Lord, it belongs not to my care
Whether I die or live:
To love and serve thee is my share,
And this thy grace must give.

Christ leads me through no darker rooms
Than he went through before;
He that into God’s kingdom comes
Must enter by this door.

Come, Lord, when grace hath made me meet
Thy blessed face to see;
For if thy work on earth be sweet,
What will thy glory be!

Then shall I end my sad complaints
And weary, sinful days,
And join with the triumphant saints
That sing my Saviour’s praise.

My knowledge of that life is small,
The eye of faith is dim;
But ’tis enough that Christ knows all,
And I shall be with him.

1engagemagazine.net/starting-blog/entertainment/rediscovering-lord-it-belongs-not-to-my-care/

Every Promise

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Songs are a great way of remembering and meditating on the great truths of the faith during the 6 days and 22 hours of the week when we are not at church. This song, written by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend, reminds us that when we fall into sin, when we are faced with difficult decisions, we can rely on God’s promises to forgive, to guide, to strengthen us just when we need it. Jesus Himself said we are to live not by bread alone, but by the word of God – perhaps songs like this can help us to do that!1

From the breaking of the dawn
To the setting of the sun,
I will stand on every promise of Your word.
Words of power, strong to save,
That will never pass away,
I will stand on every promise of Your word.
For Your covenant is sure,
And on this I am secure,
I can stand on every promise of Your word.

When I stumble and I sin,
Condemnation pressing in,
I will stand on every promise of Your word.
You are faithful to forgive,
That in freedom I might live,
So I stand on every promise of Your word.
Guilt to innocence restored:
You remember sins no more!
So I’ll stand on every promise of Your word.

When I’m faced with anguished choice,
I will listen for Your voice,
And I’ll stand on every promise of Your word.
Through this dark and troubled land
You will guide me with your hand
As I stand on every promise of Your word.
And you’ve promised to complete
Every work begun in me,
So I’ll stand on every promise of Your word.

Hope that lifts me from despair,
Love that casts out every fear,
As I stand on every promise of Your word.
Not forsaken, not alone,
For the Comforter has come,
And I stand on every promise of Your word.
Grace sufficient, grace for me,
Grace for all who will believe,
We will stand on every promise of Your word.

1stuarttownend.co.uk/song/every-promise/

Drawn To The Cross, Which Thou Hast Blest

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Genevieve Mary Irons, daughter of Dr. W. J. Irons, and granddaughter of J. Irons, was born at Brompton, Dec. 28, 1855. This hymn, “Drawn to the Cross which Thou hast blessed” (Consecration of Self to Christ) was written in 1880, and printed the same year in the Sunday Magazine. It was afterwards included in her Corpus Christi, 1884. Alluding to this hymn (which was included in the Primitive Methodist Hymnal, 1881) after converting to Catholicism, Miss Irons has written “I always feel that hymn is part of me … I am interested and gratified in knowing that the hymn speaks to the hearts of many who would probably differ from me on most points of doctrine.”1 Enjoy the words as a prayer below, and a piano piece to accompany 🙂

Drawn to the Cross which Thou hast blest,
With healing gifts for souls distressed,
To find in Thee my Life, my Rest,
Christ crucified, I come.

Stained with the sins which I have wrought
In word and deed and secret thought;
For pardon which Thy Blood hath bought,
Christ crucified, I come.

Weary of selfishness and pride,
False pleasures gone, vain hopes denied,
Deep in Thy wounds my shame to hide,
Christ crucified, I come.

Thou knowest all my griefs and fears,
Thy grace abused, my misspent years;
Yet now to Thee, for cleansing tears,
Christ crucified, I come.

I would not, if I could, conceal
The ills which only Thou canst heal;
So to the Cross, where sinners kneel,
Christ crucified, I come.

Wash me, and take away each stain,
Let nothing of my sin remain;
For cleansing, though it be through pain,
Christ crucified, I come.

To share with Thee Thy life divine,
Thy very likeness to be mine,
Since Thou hast made my nature Thine,
Christ crucified, I come.

To be what Thou wouldst have me be,
Accepted, sanctified in Thee,
Through what Thy grace shall work in me,
Christ crucified, I come.

1hymnary.org/text/drawn_to_the_cross_which_thou_hast_blest

Take Me To That Ancient Hill

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“ …and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them” – John 19:17-18. The classic hymn ‘There is a green hill far away’ takes us in our mind’s eye to Golgotha, the hill where Jesus died. Taking up the theme, this song expresses our daily need to be taken to the cross as the place where our guilt and shame are taken away, and our enemy, Satan, is defeated: “But there my wounded victor stood and crushed the serpent’s head that day”1. I hope you enjoy this hymn by Joyful Noise UK 🙂

Take me to that ancient hill
For towering waves of guilt engulf;
But there your steadfast mercy still
Is certain as your wounds of love.

Take me to that sacred tree,
For weary loads of shame oppress’
But there you bore it all for me,
And gave me life and joy and rest.

Refrain
There I stand in awe
At your love for me.
Give my life and all
At the cross of Calvary.

Take me to that splintered wood,
For still the Tempter leads astray;
But there my wounded victor stood
And crushed the serpent’s head that day.

Refrain

Take me to that ancient hill
And stay there all my earthly days.
Rejoicing in your love until
I join with heaven’s eternal praise.

Refrain

1youtube.com/watch?v=ZlSHDRVzsGA

Give to Our God Immortal Praise

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What better way to start the year than with a hymn of praise? The text, based on Psalm 136, was written by Isaac Watts (1674-1748). It is thought to be the best of his three paraphrases of the Psalm published in his 1719 work The Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament. Many tunes have been used with it, notably one (Warrington) by Ralph Harrison that in our books is most commonly associated with Henry F. Lyte’s “Sweet Is the Solemn Voice That Calls.” Another one that fits well with it was composed by Herbert Sidney Oakeley, who was born on July 22, 1830, at Ealing in Middlesex, near London, England, the son of a Anglican minister named Herbert Oakeley1.

Give to our God immortal praise;
mercy and truth are all his ways:
wonders of grace to God belong;
repeat his mercies in your song.

Give to the Lord of lords renown;
the King of kings with glory crown:
his mercies ever shall endure,
when lords and kings are known no more.

He built the earth, he spread the sky,
and fixed the starry lights on high:
wonders of grace to God belong;
repeat his mercies in your song.

He fills the sun with morning light;
he bids the moon direct the night:
his mercies ever shall endure,
when suns and moons shall shine no more.

He sent his Son with pow’r to save
from guilt and darkness and the grave:
wonders of grace to God belong;
repeat his mercies in your song.

Through this vain world he guides our feet,
and leads us to his heav’nly seat:
his mercies ever shall endure,
when this vain world shall be no more.

1https://hymnstudiesblog.wordpress.com/2009/09/25/quotgive-to-our-god-immortal-praisequot/