Many congregations unknowingly sing the last stanza each Sunday by Thomas Ken (1637-1710). What numerous congregations commonly call “The Doxology” (“Praise God from whom all blessings flow…”) is actually the final stanza of Ken’s hymn, All Praise to Thee, My God, This Night. A native of Hertfordshire, England, Ken was orphaned at age 9 and raised as the ward of Izaak Walton, the husband of his sister, Ann. After his education at Winchester College and Hart Hall, Oxford, he became a fellow of New College in 1657, where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Ken was ordained in 1662 and was rector of Little Easton. Ken was among the bishops imprisoned in the Tower of London for refusing to sign James II’s 1687 “Declaration of Indulgence.” The author of many hymns, Ken wrote three hymns that framed the day—morning, evening and midnight. The two that are still in common use are “Awake my soul, and with the sun” and “All praise to thee, my God, this night.” All three hymns conclude with his famous “doxology” stanza¹.

All praise to Thee, my God, this night,
For all the blessings of the light!
Keep me, O keep me, King of kings,
Beneath Thine own almighty wings.

Forgive me, Lord, for Thy dear Son,
The ill that I this day have done,
That with the world, myself, and Thee,
I, ere I sleep, at peace may be.

O may my soul on Thee repose,
And with sweet sleep mine eyelids close,
Sleep that may me more vigorous make
To serve my God when I awake

Teach me to live, that I may dread
The grave as little as my bed.
Teach me to die, that so I may
Rise glorious at the judgment day.

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

¹umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-all-praise-to-thee-my-god-this-night

John Berridge was born in 1716, and educated at Clare Hall, Cambridge. In 1749 he was ordained as curate to the parish of Stapleford, near Cambridge, and in 1755 he was give the Vicarage of Everton, where he died Jan. 22, 1793. His epitaph, written by himself for his own tombstone, is an epitome of his life. It reads: ” Here lies the remains of John Berridge, late Vicar of Everton, and an itinerate servant of Jesus Christ, who loved his Master and His work; and after running on His errands for many years, was caught up to wait on Him above. Reader! art thou born again? (No salvation without a new birth.) I was born in sin, February, 1716; remained ignorant of my fallen state till 1730; lived proudly on faith and works for salvation till 1754; was admitted to Everton Vicarage, 1755; fled to Jesus for refuge, 1755; fell asleep in Jesus, January 22,1793.”¹ This hymn was a rewriting of Charles Wesley’s hymn “Lord, that I may learn of thee.”

Jesus cast a look on me,
Give me sweet simplicity
Make me poor and keep me low,
Seeking only Thee to know.

All that feeds my busy pride,
Cast it evermore aside
Bid my will to Thine submit,
Lay me humbly at Thy feet.

Make me like a little child,
Of my strength and wisdom spoiled
Seeing only in Thy light,
Walking only in Thy might.

Leaning on Thy loving breast,
Where a weary soul can rest
Feeling well the peace of God,
Flowing from His precious blood.

In this posture let me live,
And hosannas daily give
In this temper let me die,
And hosannas ever cry!

¹hymnary.org/text/jesus_cast_a_look_on_me

As mentioned, my idea for Hymn of the Day is for saints to use these as not only songs, but prayers and meditations. This hymn in my hymnal is under the category of “for a church seeking a pastor”. Perhaps your church, or a church you know, is looking for a pastor – why don’t you use this text as a prayer for the Lord to provide a shepherd that will glorify His name and care for His sheep?

Eternal Shepherd, God most high,
In mercy hearken as we cry,
And send us, in our time of need,
A pastor wise, Thy flock to lead.

Be his, like Thee, O Jesus meek,
To heal the bruised, to stay the weak,
And, in Thy might made brave and strong,
To war with sin, to right the wrong.

So leading where Thyself hast trod,
So guiding with Thy staff and rod,
May he Thy sheep in safety bring
To those green pastures of the King.

And when at last, O gracious Lord,
Thou shalt bestow his full reward,
Let those whom he hath led aright
Be jewels in his crown of light. Amen.

This next song is written and performed by CityAlight, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this one!

Your will be done, my God and Father
As in Heaven, so on earth.
My heart is drawn to self exalting,
Help me seek Your kingdom first.

As Jesus walked, so I shall walk,
Held by Your same unchanging love.
Be still my soul
Oh, lift your voice and pray,
Father not my will but Yours be done.

How in that garden he persisted,
I may never fully know.
The fearful weight of true obedience,
It was held by him alone.

What wondrous faith, to bear that cross,
To bear my sin, what wondrous love.
My hope was sure
When there my Saviour prayed,
Father not my will but Yours be done.

When I am lost, when I am broken,
In the night of fear and doubt.
Still I will trust in my good Father
Yes, to one great King I bow!

As Jesus rose, so I shall rise,
In ransomed glory at the throne.
My heart restored
With all your saints I sing,
Father, not my will but Yours be done.

As we go forth, our God and Father,
Lead us daily in the fight.
That all the world might see Your glory,
And Your Name be lifted high.

And in this Name we overcome,
For You shall see us safely home.
Now as your church
We lift our voice and pray,
Father, not my will but Yours be done.

According to mythology, when St. Patrick was a missionary in Ireland in the 5th century, King Logaire of Tara decreed that no one was allowed to light any fires until a pagan festival was begun by the lighting of a fire on Slane Hill. In a move of defiance against this pagan ritual, St. Patrick did light a fire, and, rather than execute him, the king was so impressed by his devotion that he let Patrick continue his missionary work. Three centuries later, a monk named Dallan Forgaill wrote the Irish poem, “Rop tú mo Baile” (“Be Thou my Vision), to remember and honor the faith of St. Patrick. Forgaill was martyred by pirates, but his poetry lived on as a part of the Irish monastic tradition for centuries until, in the early 20th century, Mary Elizabeth Byrne translated the poem into English, and in 1912, Eleanor Hull versified the text into what is now a well-loved hymn and prayer that at every moment of our lives, God would be our vision above all else¹. There are lots of versions of this song it’s hard to pick one!

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
naught be all else to me, save that thou art.
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.

Be thou my wisdom, be thou my true word;
I ever with thee, and thou with me, Lord.
Born of thy love, thy child may I be,
thou in me dwelling and I one with thee.

Be thou my buckler, my sword for the fight.
Be thou my dignity, thou my delight,
thou my soul’s shelter, thou my high tow’r.
Raise thou me heav’nward, O Pow’r of my pow’r.

Riches I heed not, nor vain empty praise;
thou mine inheritance, now and always.
Thou and thou only, first in my heart,
Ruler of heaven, my treasure thou art.

“*True Light of heaven, when vict’ry is won
may I reach heaven’s joys, O bright heav’n’s Sun!
Heart of my heart, whatever befall,
still be my vision, O Ruler of all.

*Alternate phrase: “High King”

¹hymnary.org/text/be_thou_my_vision_o_lord_of_my_heart

This hymn is rewritten by Matthew Smith, and based on a text written by Joachin Neander. Neander was born in Germany in 1650. Grandson of a mu­si­cian and son of a teach­er, Ne­an­der stu­died the­ol­o­gy at Bre­men Un­i­ver­si­ty (1666-70), moved his stu­dies to Hei­del­berg in 1671, and in 1673 he moved to Frank­furt, where he met Pi­e­tis­tic schol­ars Phil­ipp Ja­kob Spen­er (1635-1705) and Jo­hann Schütz (1640-90). From 1674-79, Ne­an­der was prin­ci­pal of the Re­formed La­tein­schule (gram­mar school) in Düs­sel­dorf. Dur­ing these years, he used to wan­der the se­clud­ed Düs­sel Riv­er val­ley, which was, un­til the 19th Cen­tu­ry, a deep ra­vine be­tween rock fac­es and for­ests, with num­er­ous caves, grot­tos and wa­ter­falls. Prob­ab­ly, Ne­an­der wrote and sang ma­ny of his po­ems there, but al­so held ga­ther­ings and ser­vices. In the ear­ly 19th Cen­tu­ry, a large cave was named Ne­an­der­höhle af­ter him. In 1679, Ne­an­der moved to Bre­men and worked as as­sist­ant preach­er at St. Mar­ti­ni church. The next year he be­came ser­i­ous­ly ill and died, pre­sum­a­bly of the plague¹. He also wrote the words the popular hymn “Praise To The Lord, The Almighty”.

Behold me here, in grief draw near,
Pleading at Thy throne oh King.
To Thee each tear, each trembling fear,
Jesus Son of Man I bring.
Let me find Thee, Let me find Thee.
Let me find Thee,
Lord of mercy King of grace.

Look down in love, and from above,
With Thy Spirit satisfy.
Thou hast sought me, Thou hast bought me,
And thy purchase Lord am I.
Let me find Thee, Let me find Thee.
Let me find Thee,
Here on earth and then on high.

Hear the broken, scarcely spoken,
Longings of my heart to thee
All the crying, all the sighing,
Of Thy child accepted be.
Let me find Thee, Let me find Thee.
Let me find Thee,
Wounded healer, suffering Lord.

¹hymnbook.igracemusic.com/people/joachim-neander

This song from Sovereign Grace based on Psalm 13 is song I’m sure we have all felt at times. How long will the Lord not answer us? How long will the evil in our midst continue to have the upper hand? How long will we suffer? But just like David in this Psalm, it’s important we reach the truth that will keep us until Jesus returns for us, or we return to him: “But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me.” Enjoy this one!

O Lord, our God, to You we come
Will You still hide Your face?
We cry before You and on our knees we pray
How long, O Lord, how long?

Our sorrows leave us weak and worn
Surrounded by our fears
We look to heaven through feeble faith and tears
How long, O Lord, how long?

Refrain
Till Your glory fills our eyes,
And our faith is turned to sight.
Till our thirsty souls are satisfied
How long, O Lord, how long?

Our foes and enemies rejoice
Injustice seems to reign.
Lord, we are shaken and we are losing strength;
How long, O Lord, how long?

Refrain

But we will trust Your steadfast love,
Your grace will be our song.
You bring new mercies with ev’ry rising sun;
How long, O Lord, how long?

Refrain

This hymn I came across as I was reading my hymnal; it’s written by Charles Wesley and included in the Wesley brother’s Hymns and Scared Poems collection in 1742. Why don’t you use this as your prayer today to draw near to Christ.

Jesus, my strength, my hope,
On thee I cast my care,
With humble confidence look up,
And know thou hearest prayer.
Give me on thee to wait,
Till I can all things do,
On thee, almighty to create,
Almighty to renew.

I want a sober mind,
A self-renouncing will,
That tramples down and casts behind
The baits of pleasing ill;
A soul inured to pain,
To hardship, grief and loss,
Bold to take up, firm to sustain,
The consecrated cross.

I want a godly fear,
A quick-discerning eye,
That looks to thee when sin is near,
And sees the tempter fly;
A spirit still prepared
And armed with jealous care,
For ever standing on its guard,
And watching unto prayer.

I rest upon thy word;
The promise is for me;
My succour and salvation, Lord,
Shall surely come from thee.
But let me still abide,
Nor from my hope remove,
Till thou my patient spirit guide
Into thy perfect love.

The words to this hymn were written by Annie Sherwood Hawks (1836-1918) and the chorus was added by Robert Lowry (1826-1899). When this hymn was first published in 1873, this Bible verse was included underneath the title: “Without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5 KJV). Speaking of the hymn, Annie wrote “I remember well the morning, many years ago, when in the midst of the daily cares of my home, then in a distant city, I was so filled with the sense of nearness to the Master that, wondering how one could live without Him either in joy or pain, these words “I need thee every hour” were ushered into my mind, the thought at once taking full possession of me…For myself, the hymn was prophetic rather than expressive of my own experience at the time it was written, and I do not understand why it so touched the great throbbing heart of humanity. It was not until long years after, when the shadow fell over my way—the shadow of a great loss—that I understood something of the comforting in the words I had been permitted to write and give out to others in my hours of sweet security and peace.¹” I found a lot of versions of this hymn and couldn’t pick one! Do you have a favourite? Please send my way 🙂

I need Thee ev’ry hour,
Most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine
Can peace afford.

Refrain
I need Thee, oh, I need Thee;
Ev’ry hour I need Thee;
Oh, bless me now, my Saviour,
I come to Thee.

I need Thee ev’ry hour,
Stay Thou nearby;
Temptations lose their pow’r
When Thou art nigh.

Refrain

I need Thee ev’ry hour,
In joy or pain;
Come quickly and abide,
Or life is vain.

Refrain

I need Thee ev’ry hour,
Teach me Thy will;
And Thy rich promises
In me fulfill.

Refrain

I need Thee ev’ry hour,
Most Holy One;
Oh, make me Thine indeed,
Thou blessed Son.

Refrain

¹hymnologyarchive.com/i-need-thee-every-hour

Little is known about Kate Wilkinson. Born in 1859, she was a member of a Anglican church in London and was involved in helping young women on the west side of the city. This hymn was first published in an English children’s hymnbook called Golden Bells in 1925. In 1968, the president of Wheaton College, Dr Hudson T. Armerding, included this text in the commencement program, where it has continued to be used every year. He considered it to be particularly important for the young’ “who have so much potential”. It was regularly sung at the conclusion of Wheaton College’s chapel services¹. Below is a very simple acoustic version; why don’t you make this your prayer today?

May the mind of Christ my Saviour
Live in me from day to day,
By His love and pow’r controlling
All I do and say.

May the Word of Christ dwell richly
In my heart from hour to hour,
So that all may see I triumph
Only through His pow’r.

May the peace of Christ my Saviour
Rule my life in every thing,
That I may be calm to comfort
Sick and sorrowing.

May the love of Jesus fill me,
As the waters fill the sea;
Him exalting, self abasing,
This is victory.

May I run the race before me,
Strong and brave to face the foe,
Looking only unto Jesus
As I onward go.

May His beauty rest upon me
As I seek the lost to win,
And may they forget the channel,
Seeing only Him.

¹ page 253 – Leeman, D. and Leeman, B., 2022. Our Hymns, Our Heritage: A Student Guide to Songs of the Church