When I Survey Life’s Varied Scene

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Anne Steele was born at Broughton, Hampshire in 1717. Her father was a timber merchant, and at the same time officiated as the lay pastor of the Baptist Society at Broughton. Her mother died when she was 3. At the age of 19 she became an invalid after injuring her hip. At the age of 21 she was engaged to be married, but her fiancé drowned the day of the wedding. This hymn was written after the death of her beloved. Caleb Evans, in his preface to Steele’s posthumous Miscellaneous Pieces in Verse and Prose (1780), noted that she had been bed ridden for “some years” before her death: “When the interesting hour came, she welcomed its arrival, and though her feeble body was excruciated with pain, her mind was perfectly serene. . . . She took the most affectionate leave of her weeping friends around her, and at length, the happy moment of her dismission arising, she closed her eyes, and with these animating words on her dying lips, “I know that my Redeemer liveth,” gently fell asleep in Jesus.”1


When I survey life’s varied scene,
Amid the darkest hours,
Sweet rays of comfort shine between,
And thorns are mix’d with flowers.
Lord, teach me to adore Thy hand,
From whence my comforts flow;
And let me in this desert land
A glimpse of Canaan know.

Is health and ease my happy share?
O may I bless my God;
Thy kindness let my songs declare,
And spread Thy praise abroad.
While such delightful gifts as these,
Are kindly dealt to me,
Be all my hours of health and ease
Devoted, Lord, to Thee.

When present suff’rings pain my heart,
Or future terrors rise,
And light and hope almost depart
From these dejected eyes,
Thy pow’rful word supports my hope,
Sweet cordial of the mind!
And bears my fainting spirit up,
And bids me wait resign’d.

And oh, whate’er of earthly bliss
Thy sov’reign hand denies,
Accepted at Thy throne of grace,
Let this petition rise:
“Give me a calm, a thankful heart,
From ev’ry murmur free;
The blessings of Thy grace impart,
And let me live to Thee.”

O May the hope that Thou art mine,
My path of life attend;
Thy presence through my journey shine,
And bless its happy end.
‘Til then, whate’er my days shall bring
On Thee my trust is stayed.
Thy Love shall tune my heart to sing
And draw eternal praise.

1gccsatx.com/hymns/when-i-survey-lifes-varied-scene/

O God, Thou Art My God Alone

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This hymn is based on Psalm 63 and was written by James Montgomery, who lived 1771-1854. The song below was written by Gregory Wilbur, who is the Chief Musician at Cornerstone Presbyterian Church. Enjoy!

O God, thou art my God alone;
Early to thee my soul shall cry,
A pilgrim in a land unknown,
A thirsty land whose springs are dry.

Yet through this rough and thorny maze
I follow hard on thee, my God;
Thy hand unseen upholds my ways;
I safely tread where thou hast trod.

Thee in the watches of the night
When I remember on my bed,
Thy presence makes the darkness light;
Thy guardian wings are round my head.

Better than life itself, thy love,
Dearer than all beside to me,
For whom have I in heaven above,
Or what on earth, compared with thee?

Praise with my heart, my mind, my voice,
For all thy mercy I will give;
My soul shall still in God rejoice;
My tongue shall bless thee while I live.

Christ the Lord is Risen Today

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This is one of the most popular and widely used of Charles Wesley’s hymns is an arrangement of the Easter hymn tune ‘Lyra Davidica’. It appeared in the Hymns and Sacred Poems, 1739, in 11 stanzas of 4 lines, with the heading “Hymn for Easter.” The “alleluia” responses, reflecting ancient Jewish and Christian practice, were added by later editors to fit the tune. The text contains some of the most familiar Easter themes: all creatures rejoice in Christ’s resurrection (st. 1); the work of redemption is complete (st. 2); death is vanquished (st. 3); we have new life in Christ now (st. 4); we praise the victorious Christ (st. 5)1. Our church always usually sing this around Easter time; enjoy!

Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia!
Earth and heaven in chorus say, Alleluia!
Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!
Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply, Alleluia!

Love’s redeeming work is done, Alleluia!
Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!
Death in vain forbids him rise, Alleluia!
Christ has opened paradise, Alleluia!

Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!
Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!
Once he died our souls to save, Alleluia!
Where’s thy victory, boasting grave? Alleluia!

Soar we now where Christ has led, Alleluia!
Following our exalted Head, Alleluia!
Made like him, like him we rise, Alleluia!
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!

Hail the Lord of earth and heaven, Alleluia!
Praise to thee by both be given, Alleluia!
Thee we greet triumphant now, Alleluia!
Hail the Resurrection, thou, Alleluia!

King of glory, soul of bliss, Alleluia!
Everlasting life is this, Alleluia!
Thee to know, thy power to prove, Alleluia!
Thus to sing, and thus to love, Alleluia!

1hymnary.org/text/christ_the_lord_is_risen_today_wesley

My Saviour Left His Throne Above

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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