Today is another modern song written by songwriter and worship pastor Ben Slee from the UK, and sung by Music Ministry. Ben is passionate about writing songs that let the gospel dwell richly in us, and training musicians help congregations to sing1. Enjoy!
Through all life’s sorrows and despairs, I will not be moved. When facing death, I need not fear – I have this hope secured:
Because Christ died at Calvary, sin has on me no claim. Because He overcame the grave, with Him I will be raised.
Refrain Where, O grave is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? Eternity is won for me By heaven’s eternal King.
On that glorious final day, I will not sleep or fade, But gazing on His nail-pierced hands, I’ll instantly be changed.
Refrain
Robed with immortality, Before His throne we’ll sing, At last reflecting perfectly The glory of our King.
Today’s hymn by Anglican churchman William Whiting was popularised by the Royal Navy and the United States Navy in the late 19th century, and variations of it were soon adopted by many branches of the armed services in the United Kingdom and the United States. Whiting grew up near the ocean on the coasts of England and at the age of thirty-five had felt his life spared by God when a violent storm nearly claimed the ship he was travelling on, instilling a belief in God’s command over the rage and calm of the sea. In 1860, as headmaster of the Winchester College Choristers’ School some years later, he was approached by a student about to travel to the United States, who confided in Whiting an overwhelming fear of the ocean voyage. Whiting shared his experiences of the ocean and wrote the hymn to “anchor his faith”. In writing it, Whiting is generally thought to have been inspired by Psalm 107, which describes the power and fury of the seas in great detail1. Enjoy!
Eternal Father, strong to save, Whose arm does bind the restless wave, Who bids the mighty ocean deep Its own appointed limits keep; O hear us when we cry to Thee For those in peril on the sea.
O Saviour, whose almighty word The winds and waves submissive heard, Who walked upon the foaming deep, And calm amid the rage did sleep; O hear us when we cry to Thee For those in peril on the sea.
O Holy Spirit, who did brood Upon the waters dark and rude, And bid their angry tumult cease, And give for wild confusion peace; O hear us when we cry to Thee For those in peril on the sea.
O Trinity of love and pow’r, Your children shield in danger’s hour; From rock and tempest, fire, and foe, Protect them where-so-e’er they go; Thus, evermore shall rise to Thee Glad hymns of praise from land and sea.
Today’s song comes from Boyce Worship Collective, the music ministry from Boyce College. Their core values are gospel-centrality, musical diversity, ministry-focus1. Enjoy!
Christ, my only trust and refuge True and sure as day and night Other helpers will betray me, But the Lord is on my side Kings enchant and princes promise These will charm and still are weak But the Lord of Jacob’s children Will fulfill His word indeed.
Christ, my only trust and refuge Mighty Sovereign of the spheres He who holds the starry masses Holds my life and stills my fears Should the terrors of the darkness Overwhelm my anxious soul Christ will keep me by His power He will never let me go
Christ, my only trust and refuge At the gates of righteousness On what grounds shall I, a sinner Enter doors of holiness Swing them wide, yes, I shall enter By the blood of Christ I come He the Spotless, He the Righteous Has become my Cornerstone
Christ, my only trust and refuge True and sure as day and night Other helpers will betray me, But the Lord is on my side Kings enchant and princes promise These will charm and still are weak But the Lord of Jacob’s children Will fulfill His word indeed. Verse 2 Christ, my only trust and refuge Mighty Sovereign of the spheres He who holds the starry masses Holds my life and stills my fears Should the terrors of the darkness Overwhelm my anxious soul Christ will keep me by His power He will never let me go Verse 3 Christ, my only trust and refuge At the gates of righteousness On what grounds shall I, a sinner Enter doors of holiness Swing them wide, yes, I shall enter By the blood of Christ I come He the Spotless, He the Righteous Has become my Cornerstone
Today’s song is a modern one from Kenwood Music, the music ministry of Kenwood Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky. Regarding their music ministry they explain “the primary instrument at Kenwood is the voice of the congregation, so the purpose of the Kenwood music ministry is to accompany God’s people in the singing of psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to the Lord and to one another, in hopes that the word of Christ will dwell in us richly (Col 3:16). Our corpus of songs at Kenwood comprises hymns that have been sung by Christians for centuries, psalm settings, and trustworthy songs that have been written recently — including some of our own. Our aim in all of them is to use a breadth of musical expression to give praise to our triune God.” I love it when churches write their own songs – I’m sure you’ll enjoy this one!
Verse 1 Here I sojourn as a stranger In a land that’s not my own, To that fair and better country, To my rest and final home. Through the valley, Toward the promise, Let Your word alight my way; When I wander guard my steps, Lord, Never let me go astray.
Refrain Oh Christ my guide stands at my side, Praise the Lord, He’s won the night! Our blessed hope will keep His own to the end, So we wait for Him alone.
Verse 2 Here I sojourn, here in exile Through a world of pleasures vain, Never far from sin and sorrow; Deepest joys yet marred with pain. In the fire You will not leave me, Ev’ry need Your grace will fill. He who bore my cross is with me And He bears my burden still.
Refrain
Verse 3 Here I sojourn ‘neath Your shelter, All my days are in Your hand, Till I come to see the river, And to gaze the promised land. Christ my shepherd – mine forever, He will bring me safely home; there my eyes will see the Saviour O take heart He’s overcome.
“I am Thine, O Lord” is one of many hymns written by Fanny Crosby, a prolific American hymn writer. The melody was composed by William Howard Doane. The former was talking with the latter one night about the proximity of God and penned the words before retiring for the night. It has also been reported that Fanny Crosby, though blind, had a sunset described to her in words before writing the lyrics. Hebrews 10:22 is reported as being a source of inspiration for the hymn1. Enjoy!
I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice And it told Thy love to me But I long to rise in the arms of faith And be closer drawn to Thee
Consecrate me now to Thy service Lord, By the power of grace divine; Let my soul look up with steadfast hope And my will be lost in Thine.
Refrain Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord To the cross where Thou hast died Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord To Thy precious, bleeding side
There are depths of love that I cannot know Just a measure of your grace; There are heights of joy that I yet may reach Til I see you face to face.
Today is another hymn written by Isaac Watts, who is known as the “father of English hymnody” and credited with over 500 songs, including “Joy to the World! The Lord Is Come,” “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross,” and “At the Cross (Alas, and Did My Savior Bleed).” Today’ we’ll worship with one of his lesser known but oh so good songs.’s hymn is called “How Sweet and Awful Is the Place”, written in 1707 and set it to an unnamed ancient Irish melody. Enjoy!
How sweet and aweful is the place with Christ within the doors, while everlasting love displays the choicest of her stores.
While all our hearts and all our songs join to admire the feast, each of us cries, with thankful tongue, “Lord, why was I a guest?
“Why was I made to hear Thy voice, and enter while there’s room, when thousands make a wretched choice and rather starve than come?”
‘Twas the same love that spread the feast that sweetly drew us in; else we had still refused to taste, and perished in our sin.
Pity the nations, O our God, constrain the earth to come; send Thy victorious Word abroad, and bring the strangers home.
We long to see Thy churches full, that all the chosen race may, with one voice and heart and soul, sing Thy redeeming grace.
Thomas Kelly (1769-1855), born in Lellyville, Ireland, was a fine poet and musician. He was known for giving away his substantial wealth to help the poor and to build churches. The son of a judge, he trained to be a lawyer. Convicted of his sin by The Life, the Walk, and the Triumph of Faith, treatises by William Romaine (1714-1795), he became an ordained minister in the Church of Ireland. Because of his powerful preaching and support of the rising evangelical movements, Kelly was banned from preaching in the Church of England and joined the ranks of “dissenting” ministers. Kelly, who was considered a good musician, wrote 765 hymns. This hymn text is based on Hebrews 2:9-10 which speaks of Christ’s glory and the message of grace that is available because of Christ’s suffering. Kelly may have been inspired by a poem composed by John Bunyan in the poetic collection One Thing is Needful, or Serious Meditations upon the Four Last Things, Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell (1664)1. Included below is a choral version and a modern retake – enjoy!
The head that once was crowned with thorns is crowned with glory now; a royal diadem adorns the mighty Victor’s brow.
The highest place that heav’n affords is His, is His by right, the King of kings and Lord of lords, and heav’n’s eternal Light.
The joy of all who dwell above, the joy of all below, to whom He manifests His love, and grants His name to know.
To them the cross with all its shame, with all its grace, is giv’n, their name, an everlasting name, their joy, the joy of heav’n.
They suffer with their Lord below, they reign with Him above, their profit and their joy to know the myst’ry of His love.
The cross He bore is life and health, tho’ shame and death to Him: His people’s hope, His people’s wealth, their everlasting theme.
This is another song written by Matt Searles here in the UK, as well as Matt Merker. As mentioned previously he has written songs specifically with congregational singing in mind. I really appreciate this since a lot of modern songs sound great when your favourite band plays them, but very difficult for congregations to sing due to the key, how complicated it is to play, or the array of instruments needed. This simple, catchy song based on Psalm 146 featuring Sovereign Grace’s Lacy Condy would be a great addition to any church’s weekly song list.
Refrain Praise the Lord, O my soul Praise him all my days Praise him with my every breath All glory to his name
Do not trust in earthly power Mortal men who cannot save For their strength will soon depart And like the grass they fade away
Rather we shall hope in God O how blessed to know his grace Who made earth and sky above Whose faithfulness shall never fail
Refrain
He gives justice for the poor To the hungry brings relief Opens up the blinded eyes And he will set the captives free
He restores the weary soul Yet defeats all wickedness Crowns the widow with his love A Father to the fatherless
Refrain
He has come to walk with us Making known the heart of God Christ our life our only hope And he shall reign forevermore
In his own words, Stuart Townend describes this song as “it a great, fun song of praise that will work in a number of different contexts. It’s based on Psalm 147, a Psalm which explores the dynamic image of God’s power and might expressed in the words of Scripture and creation, but married to His care and concern for the weakest and the most vulnerable among us. To see His power expressed in the icy blast (Psalm 147 v17) and power of creation, and to recognise simultaneously that He cares for the orphan and the refugee (expressed as the ‘exiles’ in the Psalm) is a profound and wonderful message for all of us, and encourages everyone to put their hope fully in God1.” Enjoy this upbeat one!
How good it is to sing, To bring our praise to Him Whose love and mercy knows no end. He brings the sun and rain, He calls each star by name, The universe resounds with praise.
Refrain O shout for joy to God and sing a new song, Extol the Lord of life for His provision, And He delights in those who love and fear Him, All those who put their hope in God.
He gathers families, Orphans and refugees, And binds the wounds of those who mourn; The humble lifted high, The proud He casts aside, His justice faithful as the dawn.
Refrain
What friend or foe can last Before His icy blast? The winds and waves obey His voice. Yet mercy will prevail, His love will reconcile The nations of the earth to Him.
Near the end of 1876, Philip P. Bliss and his wife were traveling to Chicago to sing for the evangelistic services led by Daniel W. Whittle at Dwight L. Moody’s Tabernacle. But a train wreck and fire en route claimed their lives. Their trunk, which was spared, contained this hymn text by Bliss. The text was set to a gospel tune by James McGranaham, who subsequently succeeded Bliss as song leader for Whittle. The text and McGranaham’s tune were published in Welcome Tidings, a New Collection far Sunday School, compiled by Robert S. Lowry, William H. Doane, and Ira D. Sankey in 18771. Enjoy!
I will sing of my Redeemer and his wondrous love to me; on the cruel cross he suffered, from the curse to set me free. Sing, O sing of my Redeemer! With his blood he purchased me; on the cross he sealed my pardon, paid the debt, and made me free.
I will tell the wondrous story, how my lost estate to save, in his boundless love and mercy, he the ransom freely gave. I will praise my dear Redeemer, his triumphant power I’ll tell: how the victory he gives me over sin and death and hell.
I will sing of my Redeemer and his heavenly love for me; he from death to life has brought me, Son of God, with him to be. Sing, O sing of my Redeemer! With his blood he purchased me; on the cross he sealed my pardon, paid the debt, and made me free.
Hymn of the Day 