My Saviour Left His Throne Above

Posted on by
Reply

This modern hymn was written by Julie Anne Vargas and Zac Hicks in 2015, and beautifully tells of all our Saviour Jesus Christ did for us, and what that means for us. What a gracious gift of this great salvation we have! Enjoy this acoustic version 🙂

My Saviour left His throne above
Exchanged His wealth for poverty
He took my hate and gave His love
All this and more He did for me

Because He chose the lowly way
And bowed before His Father’s will
I can with all assurance say
My God is near and loves me still
My God is near and loves me still

He felt the storms of human pain
He felt temptation’s whelming seas
He felt the tears of sorrow’s rain
All this and more He felt for me

Because He knows my every strife
And is acquainted with my grief
I can’t be shaken in this life
The Friend of Sinners walks with me
The Friend of Sinners walks with me

He kept His Father’s every word
The Law He followed perfectly
So all God’s pleasure He secured
All this and more He earned for me

Because His righteous life is mine
And all His merits now I own
I am a child of God on high
I am adopted, loved, and known
I am adopted, loved, and known

When Jesus left His heavenly home
His face was set on Calvary
The steepest hill He climbed alone
All this and more He did for me

Because He died once for all time
And bore the curse of death and hell
Final forgiveness here is mine
So it is finished, all is well
Yes, it is finished, all is well

Let Us Love and Sing and Wonder

Posted on by
Reply

This hymn is written by another prolific hymn writer, John Newton. I love the call to worship and sing to the Lord. This hymn is full of the gospel and would be a great song to meditate on today. Below is the traditional tune labelled “ALL SAINTS OLD”. as well as modern retune by Indelible Grace… Enjoy!

Let us love, and sing, and wonder,
Let us praise the Saviour’s name!
He has hushed the law’s loud thunder,
He has quenched Mount Sinai’s flame.

Let us love the Lord, who bought us,
Pitied us when enemies;
Called us by his grace, and taught us,
Gave us ears, and gave us eyes.

Let us sing, though fierce temptations
Threaten hard to bear us down!
For the Lord, our strong salvation,
Holds in view the conqueror’s crown,

Let us wonder, grace and justice
Join and point to mercy’s store;
When we trust in Christ our fortress,
Justice smiles, and asks no more.

Let us praise and join the chorus
Of the saints enthroned on high;
Here they trusted him before us,
Now their praises fill the sky.

Help Me, My God, To Speak

Posted on by
Reply

Another hymn by renowned Scottish churchman Horatius Bonar, this one falls under the category of repentance and confession. A prayer for God to help us speak as we ought, confess as we ought, and pray as we ought, this is a good hymn to start the week with, ensuring we are bringing all our sins and needs to the Lord. Enjoy!

Help me, my God, to speak
True words to thee each day;
Real let my voice be when I praise,
And trustful when I pray.

Thy words are true to me;
Let mine to thee be true,
The speech of my whole heart and soul,
However low and few.

True words of grief for sin,
Of longing to be free,
Of groaning for deliverance,
And likeness, Lord, to thee.

True words of faith and hope,
Of godly joy and grief.
Lord, I believe, oh hear my cry;
Help thou mine unbelief!

All Hail the King of Heaven

Posted on by
Reply

Enjoy and meditate on this song by Matt Boswell and Matt Papa on this Lord’s Day as you worship together with your church.

All hail the king of heaven, Christ the Lord of all
Whom thund’ring angels circle ‘round, ablaze with all
Let now the Hallelujah of Earth in glad refrain
Ascend the throne, to him belongs immortal praise

Refrain
All hail the king of heaven
Creation join together
Let endless praises crown his name
All hail the king of heaven

All hail the great redeemer, who so humbly came
The Lamb of our salvation, O for sinners slain
Now let the loud hosanna resound from shore to shore
You nations say, “His kingdom reigns forever more!”

Refrain

Let praise of nNations rise now as a symphony
to sound the endless wonders of his Majesty
Let every heart adore him, the great and small the same
Through generations ever let his anthem ring

Refrain

Hallelujah

Posted on by
Reply

This song from Emu was written by Liv Chapman for their “Creation Awaits” album, and it was filmed in the beautiful church 12th Century church St Aldates in Oxford, UK. This song has a really simple tune that congregations will catch quickly, and I love the crescendo at the end of each verse of hallelujah. It reminds me that at the end of the ages, when all is said and done and Christ returns, those who have waited for him, from every tribe and tongue will sing together “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns!” Enjoy!

Come and hear the wondrous love
The mighty God who reigns above
Has entered in to dwell with us
Hallelujah

On the earth, our saviour lived
The Son of Man, the servant king
And by his death, he bore our sin
Hallelujah

Refrain
The fight is over, the battle done
The victory of life is won
The song of triumph has begun
Hallelujah

The powers of hell had seemed to win
But Christ has conquered death and sin
Let’s raise our voices for our King!
Hallelujah

Refrain

For very soon, he will return
And place all things beneath his throne
And take us to our heav’nly home
Hallelujah

Refrain

So now by faith we persevere
And in His strength, we will not fear
For as we meet, our God is here
Hallelujah

O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing

Posted on by
Reply

A bout of pleurisy while studying under Peter Bohler led to the renewal of Charles Wesley’s faith on May 21, 1738. One year after this renewal, he decided to write a hymn to commemorate this event. The result was an 18 stanza long poem. The seventh verse, which says, “O for a thousand tongues to sing” has become the first verse of the shorter hymn we know today. The reference for these words is most likely from Peter Bohler who said, “Had I a thousand tongues, I would praise Him with them all.” The hymn was placed first in John Wesley’s A Collection of Hymns for the People Called Methodists published in 1780. The music to which we traditionally sing these words was composed by Lowell Mason in 1839. Mr. Mason was the first music teacher hired by an American public school. He wrote music for over 1600 hymns and is said to be the “Father of American Church Music.”1

O for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King,
The triumphs of his grace!

My gracious Master and my God,
Assist me to proclaim,
To spread thro’ all the earth abroad
The honours of your name.

Jesus! the name that charms our fears,
That bids our sorrows cease,
’tis music in the sinner’s ears,
’tis life and health and peace.

He breaks the power of cancelled sin,
He sets the prisoner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean;
His blood availed for me.

To God all glory, praise, and love
Be now and ever given
By saints below and saints above,
The Church in earth and heaven.

1hymnswelove.blogspot.com/2012/06/story-behind-o-for-thousand-tongues-to.html

Jesus Shall Reign

Posted on by
Reply

Isaac Watts grew up singing only metrical Psalms. He would continually complain to his father about how boring and meaningless they were to him. His father tired of his complaints, challenged him to write something better. The following week, the adolescent Isaac presented his first hymn to the church. Watts did not reject metrical Psalms; he simply wanted to see them more impassioned. “They ought to be translated in such a manner as we have reason to believe David would composed them if he had lived in our day” he wrote. This is one of the most popular hymns and was given in his Psalms of David, 1719, as Pt 2. of his version of Psalm 721.

Jesus shall reign where’er the sun
does its successive journeys run,
his kingdom stretch from shore to shore,
till moons shall wax and wane no more.

To him shall endless prayer be made,
and praises throng to crown his head.
His name like sweet perfume shall rise
with every morning sacrifice.

People and realms of every tongue
dwell on his love with sweetest song,
and infant voices shall proclaim
their early blessings on his name.

Blessings abound where’er he reigns:
the prisoners leap to lose their chains,
the weary find eternal rest,
and all who suffer want are blest.

Let every creature rise and bring
the highest honors to our King,
angels descend with songs again,
and earth repeat the loud amen.

1page 114 – Leeman, D. and Leeman, B., 2022. Our Hymns, Our Heritage: A Student Guide to Songs of the Church

Happy The Man Who Finds the Grace

Posted on by
Reply

I came across this hymn when looking for hymns related to Proverbs 9, and the personification of Wisdom and Folly.This hymn by Charles Wesley appeared in Hymns for those that seek and those that have Redemption, 1747. It tells of the joys that are had for those who gain wisdom, and ultimately gain Christ.

Happy the man who finds the grace,
The blessing of God’s chosen race,
The wisdom coming from above,
The faith that sweetly works by love.

Wisdom divine! who tells the price
Of wisdom’s costly merchandise?
Wisdom to silver we prefer,
And gold is dross compared to her.

Her hands are filled with length of days,
True riches, and immortal praise,
Riches of Christ on all bestowed,
And honour that descends from God.

To purest joys she all invites,
Chaste, holy, spiritual delights;
Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
And all her flowery paths are peace.

Happy the man who wisdom gains;
Thrice happy, who his guest retains;
He owns, and shall for ever own,
Wisdom, and Christ, and heaven, are one.

And Can It Be That I Should Gain

Posted on by
Reply

According to the editor of The Oxford Edition of the Works of John Wesley (Oxford: Clarendon, 1975-1983, vol. 7), “And Can It Be” was written immediately after Charles Wesley’s conversion (May 21, 1738). Wesley knew his Bible well prior to this time, but had not yet experienced assurance of new birth or the fulness of grace in his life. The editor also that it was probably this hymn, or “Where Should My Wond’ring Soul Begin?” that was sung late on the evening of his brother John’s Aldersgate Street conversion just three days later on May 241.

And can it be that I should gain
An int’rest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain?
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! how can it be
That Thou, my God, should die for me?

Refrain:
Amazing love! how can it be
That Thou, my God, should die for me!

‘Tis mystery all! Th’Immortal dies!
Who can explore His strange design?
In vain the firstborn seraph tries
To sound the depths of love divine!
‘Tis mercy all! let earth adore,
Let angel minds inquire no more.

Refrain

He left His Father’s throne above,
So free, so infinite His grace;
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam’s helpless race;
‘Tis mercy all, immense and free;
For, O my God, it found out me.

Refrain

Long my imprisoned spirit lay
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quick’ning ray,
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free;
I rose, went forth and followed Thee.

Refrain

No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in Him is mine!
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach th’eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.

1thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justin-taylor/charles-wesleys-and-can-it-be-background-and-scriptural-allusions/

Fairest Lord Jesus

Posted on by
Reply

There are several accounts as to the origin of the beautiful hymn “Fairest Lord Jesus.” The best known legend is that it was sung by the twelfth century German Crusaders, as they made their long, weary way to the Holy Land. Another, more credible account is that it was sung by the followers of John Hus, who were driven out of Bohemia in 1620 in the anti-Reformation purge, who settled in Silesia, now part of Poland. They had to keep their faith secret, yet had a strong tradition of hymn singing. I like the below version sung by Emu Music with updated words; enjoy!

Fairest Lord Jesus,
Ruler of all nature,
O thou of God and man the Son,
Thee will I cherish,
Thee will I honour,
Thou, my soul’s glory, joy, and crown.

Fair are the meadows,
Fairer still the woodlands,
Robed in the blooming garb of spring:
Jesus is fairer,
Jesus is purer
Who makes the woeful heart to sing.

Fair is the sunshine,
Fairer still the moonlight,
And all the twinkling starry host:
Jesus shines brighter,
Jesus shines purer
Than all the angels heaven can boast.

Beautiful Saviour!
Lord of all the nations!
Son of God and Son of Man!
Glory and honour,
Praise, adoration,
Now and forevermore be thine.

1songsandhymns.org/hymns/detail/fairest-lord-jesus