Hi friends – this is a quick note to say you can now find all the songs saved to a Youtube playlist here. The playlist will be updated every Sunday evening. Enjoy!
New Youtube Playlist
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Working for Good
Today’s song comes from Skye Peterson; she is the daughter of singer-songwriter and author Andrew Peterson, however her wonderful vocals and songwriting gives her the right to stand in her own identity. She has collaborated with various people including the Gettys, Steph Macleod, and of course her dad Andrew Peterson. She recently contributed to a project called “The Wood Drake Sessions”, and today’s song “was written as a reminder that God is always perfectly and lovingly at work, faithfully accomplishing his gracious purposes through our lives, even in the frustrations and limitations we experience1.” I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did!
Every dawn of my days
I awake to your mercy
You’re providing
Always guiding
Ever faithfully working
From the mornings of joy
To the evenings of gloom
You are working, you’re working for good.
Refrain
Hallelujah, You’re working for good
Hallelujah, You’re working for good
Take my labours of life
All the fruit and frustration
In my striving, be uniting
All of earth to your kingdom
Give me hope in my toil
Grant me faith to be still
For you’re working, you’re working your will
Refrain
At the dusk of my days
There’s a light ever rising
You are reigning, all sustaining
Never failing, nor tiring
So I’ll rest and rejoice
When I labour no more
For Your working, your working endures.
Refrain
Jesus, My Great High Priest
Today’s hymn comes from the father of English Hymnody, Isaac Watts (1674–1748). To confess, when I first came across this hymn, I did not realise it was originally from Watts; I came it across the song on Psallos’ latest project “The New and Better Way: Hymns of Hebrews”. If you have not heard of Psallos, in their own words “we exist to tell edifying stories through adventurous, artistic music that is rich in biblical theology. In our lyrics, we aim to communicate scriptural truth in a manner that is clear and builds up our listeners…We want the words that we sing to be distinctively Christian, saturated with Scripture, with depth that invites repeated listens. We recognize the benefit of presenting biblical passages in larger contexts to better understand the author’s intent and design1“, and so they are “focused primarily in our goal to set all 21 New Testament epistles to music1.” This rendition from Psallos comes from their project that is aimed at congregational singing. I’m sure you’ll be blessed by this one; enjoy!
Jesus, my great High Priest,
Offered his blood and died;
My guilty conscience seeks
No sacrifice beside.
His pow’rful blood did once atone,
And now it pleads before the throne.
To this dear Surety’s hand
Will I commit my cause;
He answers and fulfills
His Father’s broken laws.
Behold my soul at freedom set;
My Saviour paid the dreadful debt.
My Advocate appears
For my defense on high;
The Father bows his ears
And lays his thunder by.
Not all that hell or sin can say
Shall turn his heart, his love, away.
Should all the hosts of death
And pow’rs of hell unknown
Put forth their dreadful best
And lure my heart to roam,
I shall be safe, for Christ displays
His conqu’ring pow’r and guardian grace.
1psallos.com/mission
In Thy Name
Hi friends, just a note to say I have finally gotten round to updating the Youtube playlist with all the songs I have ever shared. You can find the link here and at the bottom of the page.
Today’s hymn was originally written by Charles Wesley in 1749, but has been slightly adapted by Erik Dewar from Glory & Gladness, whose rendition of the song I have included. It’s well documented that the Wesleys were very committed to glorifying God in all they did, dedicating their whole lives to pursuing Christlikeness. Whether or not you agree with their theology, their commitment to running the race set before them with zeal and single-mindedness is stirring, at least for me, in my own pursuit of God. This hymn reflects that zeal; first published in Hymns and Sacred Poems, Volume I, under the category of hymn for believers, with the heading “Before Work”1. This hymn is perfect to reflect on as we start a new week, remembering that all the tasks before us have been given to us by the Lord, and the greatest work we can do is offering everything up to Him in faith and making His glory known in all we do; enjoy!
Forth in Thy name, O Lord, we go,
Our daily labours to pursue,
Thee, only Thee, resolved to know,
In all we think, or speak, or do.
The tasks Thy wisdom hath assigned,
O, let us now with joy fulfill,
Thy presence in our work to find,
And prove Thy good and perfect will.
Refrain:
In Thy name, O Lord, we go;
Make Thy glory known.
Father, Son and Holy Ghost,
In Thy name we go!
Thee may we set at our right hand,
Whose eyes our inmost hearts can see,
And labour on at Thy command,
And offer all our works to Thee.
Refrain
Give us to bear Thy easy yoke,
And ev’ry moment watch and pray,
And still to things of Thee to look,
And hasten to Thy glorious day,
And with delight for Thee employ
Whate’er Thy bounteous grace hath giv’n,
And run our course, with all Thy joy,
And closely walk with Thee to heav’n.
Refrain
1umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-forth-in-thy-name-o-lord
True Happiness
Hello friends, old and new! I know it has been a while since I have posted but finally I have been able to sit down and make it a priority to share some hymns with you all. For long-term subscribers, you know my favourite hymn writer is John Newton for his picturesque pastoral prose, and so to get the ball rolling again I wanted to share this one about happiness from the famous hymn writer. I hope you feel the same joy and happiness when you think of how our Saviour died for you; enjoy!
Fix my heart and eyes on Thine!
What are other objects worth?
But to see Thy glory shine,
Is a heaven begun on earth:
Trifles can no longer move,
Oh, I tread on all beside,
When I feel my Saviour’s love,
And remember how He died.
Now my search is at an end,
Now my wishes rove no more.
Thus my moments I would spend—
Love, and wonder, and adore.
Jesus, source of excellence!
All Thy glorious love reveal!
Kingdoms shall not bribe me hence,
While this happiness I feel.
Take my heart, ‘tis all Thine own,
To Thy will my spirit frame;
Thou shalt reign, and Thou alone,
Over all I have, or am.
If a foolish thought shall dare
To rebel against Thy Word,
Slay it, Lord, and do not spare;
Let it feel Thy Spirit’s sword.
Making thus the Lord my choice,
I have nothing more to choose,
But to listen to Thy voice,
And my will in Thine to lose.
Thus, whatever may betide,
I shall safe and happy be;
Still content and satisfied,
Having all in having thee.
Fix My Heart and Eyes on Thine
Whenever I’m unsure what hymn to go to next, I always turn to my old faithful friend, John Newton, who’s pastoral insight and honest prose always turns my heart toward the Lord; I hope you enjoy this one!
Fix my heart and eyes on thine!
What are other objects worth?
But to see thy glory shine,
Is a heaven begun on earth:
Trifles can no longer move,
Oh, I tread on all beside,
When I feel my Saviour’s love,
And remember how he died.
Now my search is at an end,
Now my wishes rove no more!
Thus my moments I would spend,
Love, and wonder, and adore:
Jesus, source of excellence!
All thy glorious love reveal!
Kingdoms shall not bribe me hence,
While this happiness I feel.
Take my heart, ’tis all thine own,
To thy will my spirit frame;
Thou shalt reign, and thou alone,
Over all I have, or am:
If a foolish thought shall dare
To rebel against thy word,
Slay it, Lord, and do not spare,
Let it feel thy Spirit’s sword.
Making thus the Lord my choice,
I have nothing more to choose,
But to listen to thy voice,
And my will in thine to lose:
Thus, whatever may betide,
I shall safe and happy be;
Still content and satisfied,
Having all, in having thee.
Valley of Vision – The Spirit of Jesus
As mentioned before, the line between a prayer, a hymn, and a poem is very blurred, and more often than not, a piece can fall in to all three categories. With that in mind, I wanted to share this prayer from Banner of Truth’s “The Valley of Vision”1. If you’re unaware what this is, it’s a collection of prayers from or inspired by the Puritan movement (since some prayers from Spurgeon are included, which stretches to around 1890). The Puritans have a particular flavour that is characteristic of that time period including a holy aspiration to grow in and attain Christlikeness, a rightful hate of their sinful flesh, a devotion to God, and an absolute need for God and his Spirit shown through continuous confession, repentance and prayer. This prayer is one of my favourites and hope it’s a good introduction for any readers who have never read anything by the Puritans.Enjoy!
LORD JESUS CHRIST,
Fill me with thy Spirit
that I may be occupied with his presence.
I am blind—send him to make me see;
dark—let him say, ‘Let there be light’!
May he give me faith to behold
my name engraven in thy hand,
my soul and body redeemed by thy blood,
my sinfulness covered by the life of pure obedience.
Replenish me by his revealing grace,
that I may realise my indissoluble union with thee;
that I may know thou hast espoused me to thyself for ever,
in righteousness, love, mercy, faithfulness;
that I am one with thee,
as a branch with its stock,
as a building with its foundation.
May his comforts cheer me in my sorrows,
his strength sustain me in my trials,
his blessings revive me in my weariness,
his presence render me a fruitful tree of holiness,
his might establish me in peace and joy,
his incitements make me ceaseless in prayer,
his animation kindle in me undying devotion.
Send him as the searcher of my heart,
to show me more of my corruptions and helplessness
that I may flee to thee,
cling to thee,
rest on thee,
as the beginning and end of my salvation.
May I never vex him by my indifference and waywardness,
grieve him by my cold welcome,
resist him by my hard rebellion.
Answer my prayers, O Lord, for thy great name’s sake.
How Can I Keep From Singing
Today’s hymn is one that should be a question every Christian rhetorically asks as they ponder on the mystery of the gospel and the amazing grace freely given to them. The words to this hymn first appeared in The New York Observer in 1868 titled “Always Rejoicing,” and it was attributed to ‘Pauline T’. William B. Bradbury (1816–1868) in his collection of songs called “Bright Jewels for the Sunday School: A new collection for Sunday School songs” with the designation “R. L.” for Robert Lowry (who also wrote “Nothing But The Blood of Jesus”), in the upper right corner of the score, who likely only contributed the tune. I hope you enjoy this one!
My life flows on in endless song
Above earth’s lamentation
I catch the real though far-off hymn
That hails a new creation
Through all the tumult and the strife
I hear that music ringing
It finds an echo in my soul
How can I keep from singing?
Refrain
No storm can shake my inmost calm
While to that rock I’m clinging
Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth
How can I keep from singing?
What though my joys and comforts die
I know my Saviour liveth
What though the darkness gather ’round
Songs in the night He giveth
Refrain
The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart
A fountain ever springing
All things are mine since I am His
How can I keep from singing?
Refrain
How Great Is the Greatness of God
Today’s hymn has been a favourite in our household lately, and it’s written by modern hymn writers Matt Boswell, Bryan Fowler and Matt Papa. It’s based on Psalm 145:2-3 “every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.” I hope this song encourages you to sing about the greatness of our great God… enjoy!
Refrain
How faithful the Father above
How wondrous the works of the Son
How sweet is the Spirit given to us
How great is the greatness of God
Morning by morning, with every dawn
My soul with a new song awakes
Even in evening my praise goes on
Forever my God is the same
Refrain
When my heart gazes on Calvary
At all of Your mercies arrayed
Oh, that my Saviour would die for me
I sing out with infinite thanks
Refrain
Oh, what a comfort in every trial
His presence is all that I need
Power that brought resurrection life
That power is living in me
Oh, that power is living in me
He Is Mine
Hello friends, old and new. Apologies for the quiteness over here on the blog for the last few weeks. Home life has rightly, and delightfully, taken up much of my time which has not left much margin for much else – but Christ is still on His throne whether or not I post! And this takes away any guilt I feel. But from next week, you can expect me to get back to my regular weekly posts.
I wanted to share this hymn with you from Indelible Grace’s new album. If you’re not aware of who they are, they really are one of the leading voices in popularising hymns to a new generation of Christians through retuning popular hymns, and bringing to light those that are not as well-known. I do owe my gratitude to them for introducing me to some of my now favourite hymns! This one was originally written by Benjamin Boddome (1717-1795), a Baptist minister in England. He sought to write a hymn weekly to be used after his Sunday morning sermon; a few of these were published during his lifetime, but in 1817, a posthumous collection of his hymns was published containing 830 pieces1. I’m sure you’ll enjoy this one!
If Christ is mine, then all is mine
And more than angels know;
Both present things and things to come
And grace and glory, too.
If He is mine, then, though He frown
He never will forsake;
His reprimands all work for good
And of His love bespeak.
Refrain
He is mine. I am His and He is mine
If He is mine, I need not fear
The rage of earth and hell;
He will support my feeble frame
And all their power repel.
If He is mine, let friends forsake
And earthly comforts flee;
He, the Dispenser of all good
Is more than these to me.
Refrain
If He is mine, I’ll fearless pass
Through death’s tremendous vale;
He’ll be my comfort and my stay
When heart and flesh shall fail.
Let Jesus tell me He is mine
I nothing want beside:
My soul shall at the Fountain live
When all the streams are dried.
Refrain
The Castle of the Human Heart
Those who are long time subscribers know that one of my favourite hymn writers is John Newton. His theological insights and pastoral care through his words are a dagger to my heart, a balm to my soul, and an encouragement in my race to press onto Christlikeness. This week leading up to Easter, as we hopefully are aiming to set our hearts on the glory of our Saviour Jesus dying on the cross and being raised again in victory, I hope this hymn will have you consider how trapped and dead we were in our own sin before Christ came to set us free. Enjoy!
The castle of the human heart
Strong in its native sin,
Is guarded well, in every part,
By him who dwells within.
For Satan there, in arms, resides,
And calls the place his own;
With care against assaults provides,
And rules, as on a throne.
Each traitor thought on him, as chief,
In blind obedience waits;
And pride, self-will, and unbelief,
Are posted at the gates.
Thus Satan for a season reigns,
And keeps his goods in peace;
The soul is pleased to wear his chains,
Nor wishes a release.
But Jesus, stronger far than he,
In His appointed hour
Appears, to set His people free
From the usurper’s power.
“This heart I bought with blood,” He says,
“And now it shall be Mine.”
His voice the strong one armed dismays,
He knows he must resign.
In spite of unbelief and pride,
And self, and Satan’s art;
The gates of brass fly open wide,
And Jesus wins the heart.
The rebel soul that once withstood
The Saviour’s kindest call;
Rejoices now, by grace subdued,
To serve Him with her all.
