Lo, He Comes

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In 1750 John Cennick, a friend of John and Charles Wesley, wrote an Advent hymn that began, “Lo! he cometh, countless trumpets blow before his bloody sign!” Cennick’s hymn was published in his Collection (1752). Charles Wesley completely rewrote the text and published his version in Hymns of Intercession for all Mankind (1758) with the title “Thy Kingdom Come” (changed to “The Second Advent” in other editions). Though later hymnals occasionally mixed Cennick’s lines with Wesley’s, the Psalter Hymnal includes most of Wesley’s original text1. Enjoy!

Lo he comes in clouds descending,
Once for helpless sinner slain!
Thousand, thousand saints attending
Swell the triumph of his train:
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah,
All the Angels cry amen.

Ev’ry eye shall now behold him,
Rob’d in dreadful majesty,
Those who set at nought and sold Him,
Pierc’d and nail’d gim to the tree.
Deeply wailing, deeply wailing, deeply wailing,
Shall the true Messiah see.

Ev’ry island, sea, and mountain,
Heav’n and earth, shall flee away;
All who hate him, must confounded,
Hear the trump proclaim the day;
Come to judgment, come to judgment, come to judgment,
Come to judgment come away.

Now redemption long expected,
See, in solemn pomp appear!
All his saints by man rejected,
Now shall meet him in the air!
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah,
See the day of God appear.

Answer thine own bride and Spirit,
Hasten Lord, the gen’ral doom,
The new heav’n and earth t’ inherit,
Take thy pining exiles home,
All creation, all creation, all creation,
Travails! groans! and bids thee come.

Yea, amen let all adore thee,
High on thine eternal throne!
Saviour, take the pow’r and glory;
Claim the kingdom for thine own.
O come quickly, O come quickly, O come quickly,
Hallelujah! come Lord, come.

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Hymn of the Day / Youtube / Logos of Grace Prints

1hymnary.org/text/lo_he_comes_with_clouds_descending_once

The Love of Christ Is Rich and Free

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In 1793, Gads­by joined the Bap­tist Church at Co­ven­try, and in 1798 be­gan to preach. In 1800, a cha­pel was built for him at Des­ford, Lei­ces­ter­shire, and two years lat­er an­o­ther in the town of Hinck­ley. In 1805, he moved to Man­ches­ter, be­com­ing min­is­ter of a cha­pel in Roch­dale Road, where he con­tin­ued un­til his death. His works in­clude: The Naz­a­rene’s Songs, Be­ing a Com­po­si­tion of Orig­in­al Hymns; A Se­lect­ion of Hymns for Pub­lic Wor­ship; Hymns on the Death of Princess Char­lotte, and Selection of Hymns for Sun­day Schools. Enjoy this version by Sandra McCracken.

The love of Christ is rich and free;
Fixed on his own eternally;
Nor earth, nor hell, can it remove;
Long as he lives, his own he’ll love.

His loving heart engaged to be
Their everlasting Surety;
’Twas love that took their cause in hand,
And love maintains it to the end.

Love cannot from its post withdraw;
Nor death, nor hell, nor sin, nor law,
Can turn the Surety’s heart away;
He’ll love his own to endless day.

Love has redeemed his sheep with blood;
And love will bring them safe to God;
Love calls them all from death to life;
And love will finish all their strife.

He loves through every changing scene,
Nor aught can him from Zion wean;
Not all the wanderings of her heart
Can make his love from her depart.

At death, beyond the grave, he’ll love;
In endless bliss, his own shall prove
The blazing glory of that love
Which never could from them remove.

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My Jesus I Love Thee

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The writer of today’s hymn, William Ralph Featherstone (1846-1873), is believed to have written “My Jesus I Love Thee” at the age of 16! Featherstone, a Weslyan Methodist from Montreal, wrote the text at the time of his conversion and sent it to his aunt in Los Angeles. Somehow, the poem made its way to England where it was published anonymously in The London Hymn Book two years later. Adoniram Judson Gordon (1836-1895), who was compiling a Baptist hymn book, liked Featherstone’s text, but decided it needed a better tune than the one that was used in The London Hymn Book, so he wrote a new tune for it which he published in The Service of Song for Baptist Churches1. enjoy this version by HeartSong at Cedarville University.

My Jesus, I love thee, I know thou art mine;
for thee all the follies of sin I resign;
my gracious Redeemer, my Savior art thou;
if ever I loved thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

I love thee because thou hast first loved me
and purchased my pardon on Calvary’s tree;
I love thee for wearing the thorns on thy brow;
if ever I loved thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

I’ll love thee in life, I will love thee in death,
and praise thee as long as thou lendest me breath,
and say when the deathdew lies cold on my brow:
If ever I loved thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

In mansions of glory and endless delight,
I’ll ever adore thee in heaven so bright;
I’ll sing with the glittering crown on my brow:
If ever I loved thee, my Jesus, ’tis now. 

1hymnary.org/text/my_jesus_i_love_thee_i_know_thou_art_mi

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God of Every Grace

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Writing about the story of this hymn, Keith and Kristyn Getty explains “the new hymn “God of Every Grace” began with a melody and some lyrics from our friend Bryan Fowler. The song spoke of walking through struggle with faith. It spoke of God as the God of every grace, calling us to see even our trials as somehow, mysteriously, serving God’s good purposes according to his good plans. It resonated with us. Alongside Bryan and Matt Boswell, we continued to shape the verses and add the chorus over a couple of months. We felt strongly about keeping the lyric directed to the Lord, personal and honest. The line “all your children home together” was a very moving thought for me as a mother—that desire for a family to be all together again. Only in Christ is this possible.”1 Enjoy!

O let not this world of sorrows
Steal my only hope away
For the power of Your gospel
Shines within this jar of clay

In affliction, You bring wisdom
That my comforts can displace
How my true and greatest treasure
Is in You, the God of grace

Refrain
Now to the God of every grace
Who counts my tears, who holds my days
I sing through sorrows, sing with faith
O praise the God of every grace

Weary with the weight I carry
Give me wings of faith to rise
For You know each grief that lingers
Through the watches of the night

Surely, You have borne our sufferings
At the cross took up our pain
And You lead us on to glory
As we trust You, God of grace

Refrain

There’s a dawning hope before us
That I know is soon to break
As I wait upon Your mercy
Which will swallow every ache

Cries of joy and songs of victory
When we enter heaven’s gates
All Your children home together
All with You, the God of grace

Refrain

O praise the God of every grace
O praise the God of every grace

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1gettymusic.com/godofeverygrace

Commit Thou All That Grieves Thee

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The original writer of this hymn was Paul Gerhardt (1607-1676), a famous author of Lutheran evangelical hymns who studied theology and hymnody at the University of Wittenberg and then was a tutor in Berlin. He was deposed of office in 1666 because he refused to subscribe to certain edicts trying to unite Lutheran and Evangelical churches. After being banished and wanting to comfort his wife, he read Psalm 37 to her. This made a great impression on both their hearts, and he spent time in meditation and prayer, and from that this hymn was born1. This translation was written by Herman H. Brueckner, however the most famous translation probably comes from John Wesley. Enjoy!

Commit thou all that grieves thee
Into the faithful hands
Of Him Who never leaves thee,
Who heaven and earth commands;
For He, the clouds’ Director,
Whom winds and seas obey,
Will be thy king Protector
And will prepare thy way.

2 Rely on God, thy Savior,
So shalt thou safe go on;
Build on His grace and favor,
So shall thy work be done.
Thou canst make no advances
By self-consuming care;
But He His help dispenses,
When called upon by prayer.

3 My soul, then, with assurance
Hope still, be not dismayed;
He will from each encumbrance
Again lift up thy head;
Beyond thy wish extended
His goodness will appear,
When He hath fully ended
What caused thy needless fear.

1youtube.com/watch?v=YOu7ZynXBYg&t=33s

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Come, O Sinner

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This song by Sovereign Grace can be described as a lament or confession of sin. The eerie notes and the words of mourning are rightly magnifying what Christ has done on the cross for us: taking the punishment that we deserve, so that in Him we have peace with God and are free from the debt and slavery of sin. Some people suggest listening to up-beat, happy songs before getting ready for church. Perhaps what you need is something that draws you to the suffering of Christ’s sacrifice, and pardon of sin you have because of it. If so, this one is for you. Listen to this to prepare your heart to worship with God’s people. Enjoy!

Come, O sinner, come and see
Christ, the Lord upon a tree
See the crown of thorns, adorn the King
Who labours to breathe in agony
Come, O sinner, come and see
What our God became to set us free

Come, O sinner, come and mourn
For He calls your sin, His own
Do you feel the weight of justice served?
He suffers the wrath that you deserve
Come, O sinner, come and mourn
For He bears the curse for all you’ve done

Refrain
Oh, the wonder of this awesome scene
Where our Saviour bleeds
Oh, the power of the love of God
Come and stand in awe

Come, O sinner, come rejoice
Mercy fills this place of scorn
For He dies to save His enemies
That all who draw near may know His peace
Come, O sinner, come rejoice
Through the death of Christ, death is destroyed

Refrain

Psalm 139 (LORD, You Have Searched Me)

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I mentioned previously that my husband started a project to gather a song for every Psalm, as close to the ESV translation as possible. Along the way, we discovered Brain Sauvé, who is committed to Psalm singing and makes great songs for you to do the same. I love this one of Psalm 139 and often find myself humming it. Psalm 139 typically has been hijacked by women’s ministries, using verse 14 as their tag line. But this Psalm has so much rich theology that David wants to somehow convey – not about how wonderful we are, but how fearful and great God is. Enjoy!

LORD You have searched me, and you know
Me when I rest, where’re I go
My thoughts You know, even from afar
My path You search, my lying down
You altogether know my ways
Before a word, is on my tongue
Behold O LORD, You know it all
You hem me in before, behind

On me You rest Your mighty hand
So wondrous is, Your knowledge and
Your ways Your thoughts, so lofty are
I cannot grasp, nor reach so far

Where can I from, Your spirit flee
Or from Your presence ever be
In Heaven no, it is Your own
As well the depths of dark Sheol

If I the wings, of dawn could take
And in the deeps, my dwelling make
Even there Your mighty hand would lead
And Your right hand, take hold of me
If I should say the darkness shall
O’er take the light and cover me
The dark it is, not dark to You
With you the dark is as the day

Within the womb, You knitted me
My God You formed, my inward parts
So fearfully, and wondrously
My soul well knows Your wondrous heart
I was not hidden from Your sight
When in the depths of earth was wrought
My frame in secret woven there
Your eyes beheld me yet unformed

In all the days, You formed for me
Were written in Your Book’s decree
Before there had, been even one
O God, how vast, is all the sum
Of all Your wondrous thoughts, O God
How precious to me every one
They number more than all the sand
When I awake, I’m in your hand

O men of blood, from me depart
O that You would, the wicked slay
They speak of You, with ill intent
And take Your Holy Name in vain
Do I not hate Your haters LORD
Those loathing You, I have abhorred
I hate them with, a perfect hate
I count them as my enemies
Search me O God, and know my heart
Try me and know, each of my thoughts
And lead me, Lord, if I should stray
Away the everlasting way

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By Grace I’m Saved, Grace Free and Boundless

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This hymn was written by German court counsellor and lib­ra­ri­an Christian Ludwig Scheidt in the 1700s and translated by Matthias Loy. Loy was the President of the Capital University, Columbus, Ohio, and contributed several original hymns, and translations from the German, to the Evangelical Lutheran Hymnal. I love this one which continuously tells of God’s grace, and even giving answer to some questions someone may ask. No song for this one, but I’m sure the words alone will bless you. Enjoy!

By grace I’m saved, grace free and boundless;
My soul, believe and doubt it not.
Why stagger at this word of promise?
Has Scripture ever falsehood taught?
No; then this word must true remain:
By grace you too shall heav’n obtain.

By grace! None dare lay claim to merit;
Our works and conduct have no worth.
God in his love sent our Redeemer,
Christ Jesus, to this sinful earth;
His death did for our sins atone,
and we are saved by grace alone.

By grace God’s Son, our only Saviour,
Came down to earth to bear our sin.
Was it because of your own merit
that Jesus died your soul to win?
No, it was grace, and grace alone,
That brought him from his heav’nly throne.

By grace! O mark this word of promise
When you are by your sins oppressed,
When Satan plagues your troubled conscience,
And when your heart is seeking rest.
What reason cannot comprehend
God by his grace to you will send.

By grace to timid hearts that tremble,
In tribulation’s furnace tried,
By grace, in spite of fear and trouble,
The Father’s heart is open wide.
Where could I help and strength secure,
if grace were not my anchor sure?

By grace! On this I’ll rest when dying;
in Jesus’ promise I rejoice;
for though I know my heart’s condition,
I also know my Saviour’s voice.
My heart is glad, all grief has flown,
Since I am saved by grace alone.

By grace! This ground of faith is certain;
So long as God is true, it stands.
What saints have penned by inspiration,
What in his Word our God commands,
What our whole faith must rest upon,
Is grace alone, grace in his Son.

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Hymn of the Day / Youtube / Logos of Grace Prints

O Church of Christ, Invincible

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Hi friends! I am now back to regular posting. I recently heard this song and loved the triumphant melody and words. I love these lines: “For though the hordes of hell may rage, Their power will not endure; Our times are in the Father’s hand, Our anchor is secure. Isn’t this the truth we need during tough times? Enjoy this one from Matt Boswell!

O Church of Christ invincible,
The people of the Lord;
Empowered by the Spirit’s breath,
And nourished by His word.
His covenant of grace will be
Our portion evermore;
For he who called us will not change,
Our help and our reward.

O chosen people called by grace,
The sons of Abraham,
Who walk by faith in things unseen
And on His promise stand,
That every nation of the earth
Will hear of boundless love
That causes broken hearts to heal
And pays our debts with blood.

O Church of Christ in sorrow now,
Where evil lies in wait,
When trials and persecutions come
This light will never fade.
For though the hordes of hell may rage,
Their power will not endure;
Our times are in the Father’s hand
Our anchor is secure.

O Church of Christ upon that day,
When all are gathered in,
When every tear is wiped away
With every trace of sin;
Where justice, truth and beauty shine,
And death has passed away;
Where God and man will dwell as one,
For all eternity!

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Thou Hidden Source of Calm Repose

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It seems over the past few weeks I’ve gained some more followers – Welcome! If you didn’t know I’m taking a break from the daily updates as I recently had a baby (you can see more info in my previous post). I am however hoping to resume the posts again after the Summer!

I wanted to send this post about a hymn I came across while reading the Crossway ESV Devotional Psalter. It’s a hymn by Charles Wesley, writing about the peace and joy he has from Christ despite circumstances. This is a reminder to myself to remember that God’s peace is available to me through this new and challenging season; I hope it’s an encouragement to you. I have also included a short reflection video from Alistair Begg. Enjoy!

Thou hidden source of calm repose,
Thou all-sufficient love divine,
my help and refuge from my foes,
secure I am, if Thou art mine;
from sin and grief and shame I hide me,
Jesus, in Thy name.

Thy mighty name salvation is,
and keeps my happy soul above;
comfort it brings, and pow’r and peace,
and joy and everlasting love;
to me, with Thy dear name, are giv’n
pardon and holiness and heav’n.

Jesus, my all in all Thou art;
my rest in toil, my ease in pain,
the healing of my broken heart,
in war my peace, in loss my gain,
my smile beneath the tyrant’s frown,
in shame my glory and my crown.

In want my plentiful supply,
in weakness my almighty pow’r,
in bonds my perfect liberty,
my light in Satan’s darkest hour,
my help and stay whene’er call,
my life in death, my heav’n, my all.