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O Perfect Love

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Words: Dorothy Frances Blomfield Gurney (b. Oct. 4, 1858; d. June 15, 1932)
Music: Perfect Love, by Joseph Barnby (b. Aug. 12, 1838; d. Jan. 28, 1896)

Note: Dorothy Gurney herself has given us an account (below) of how she came to write this beautiful wedding prayer, when she was twenty-five. The “favourite tune” spoken of was one by John Dykes, and you can hear it played at the Cyber Hymnal (link below). However, in less than ten years, Joseph Barnby’s tune–which I believe is superior–replaced it. When Princess Louise, daughter of King Edward VII, and granddaughter of Queen Victoria, was married in 1889, Joseph Barnby wrote his tune specifically for the hymn–which has been used with it ever since.

It was Sunday evening [in 1883], and we were enjoying a time of hymn singing. A song that was particularly enjoyed by all of us was O Strength and Stay, the tune to which was a favourite of my sister. As we finished singing this hymn, someone remarked, ‘What a pity the words of this beautiful song should be unsuitable for a wedding!’ My sister turned to me and challenged, ‘What is the use of a sister who composes poetry if she cannot write new words to a favourite tune? I would like to use the tune at my wedding.’ I picked up a hymn book and said, ‘If no one will disturb me, I will go into the library and see what I can do.’ Within fifteen minutes I was back with the group and reading the words I had jotted down.

Dorothy Gurney

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

Life and love are dominant in God’s nature, and in His dealings with us.

In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.

I Jn. 4:9

The author decided to make those same qualities central in her hymn. It personifies God as “perfect Love.”

The Bible tells us that sacrificial, self-giving love is such a fundamental quality of God’s character that it’s possible to say that “God is love” (I Jn. 4:8). We cannot expect to attain the infinite perfection of the love revealed in God. “As for God, His way is perfect” (Ps. 18:30). But “whoever keeps [believes and obeys] His word, truly the love of God is perfected [meaning it’s brought to maturity] in him” (I Jn. 2:15).

(1) O perfect Love, all human thought transcending,
Lowly we kneel in prayer before Thy throne,
That theirs may be the love which knows no ending,
Whom Thou forevermore dost join in one.

Mrs. Gurney’s hymn goes on to personify God as “perfect Life” as He’s the source of all life. “He gives to all life, breath, and all things” (Acts 17:25). Since this is so, it’s not surprising that life, too, is almost synonymous with Him, “This is the true God and eternal life” (I Jn. 5:20)–life that He gives freely to all who put their faith in Christ (Jn. 3:16; I Jn. 5:11-12).

(2) O perfect Life, be Thou their full assurance,
Of tender charity and steadfast faith,
Of patient hope and quiet, brave endurance,
With childlike trust that fears nor pain nor death.

(3) Grant them the joy which brightens earthly sorrow;
Grant them the peace which calms all earthly strife,
And to life’s day the glorious unknown morrow
That dawns upon eternal love and life.

Some couples today may feel that this song is “too old-fashioned” to use at their wedding. But it ought to be given a closer look. It would even work as a prayer that is read, rather than sung. Many of the things in it are worthy of meditation, not only by the bride and groom, but by all those present.

The hymn concludes with a Trinitarian benediction, though many hymn books seem to omit it. The form is precisely biblical. “For through Him [Christ] we both have access by one Spirit to the Father (Eph. 2:18). (The “both” mentioned refers to the equal access to God, through Christ, provided for both Jews and Gentiles–cf. vs. 11-13).

(4) Hear us, O Father, gracious and forgiving,
Through Jesus Christ, Thy co-eternal Word,
Who, with the Holy Ghost, by all things living
Now and to endless ages art adored.

Questions:

  1. What are some things in this hymn that are worthy of being emphasized as couples anticipate marriage?
  2. Is this a hymn you would encourage a couple to use at their wedding?

Links:

The Regions Beyond

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Words: Albert Benjamin Simpson (b. Dec. 15, 1843; d. Oct. 29, 1919)
Music: Margaret Mae Simpson (b. April ___, 1878; d. Oct. 9, 1958)

Note: Pastor Simpson’s fine missionary hymn was published in 1904. His daughter Margaret supplied the tune.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

The phrase that dominates this hymn, “to the regions beyond,” is taken from the words of Paul in Second Corinthians.

Having hope, that as your faith is increased, we shall be greatly enlarged by you in our sphere, to preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man’s sphere of accomplishment. But “he who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”

II Cor. 10:15-17

Or, as J. B. Philips has it, “Our hope is that your growing faith will mean the expansion of our proper sphere of action, so that before long we shall be preaching the gospel in districts beyond you.”

Particularly in the Christian missionary work of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, that phrase, “the regions beyond,” came to represent the goal and passion of many servants of Christ. One of these was Canadian pastor and missionary statesman Albert Simpson.

(1) To the regions beyond I must go, I must go
Where the story has never been told;
To the millions that never have heard of His love,
I must tell the sweet story of old.

To the regions beyond I must go, I must go,
Till the world, all the world, His salvation shall know.

The pages of secular history are dotted with the names of intrepid explorers who dared to reach beyond the confines of the European continent to the shores of what was to them a New World. Leif Erickson was apparently the first, at the end of the first millennium, followed by Columbus (1492), Cabot (1497), Magellan (1520), and many more.

These reached beyond the seas that bounded their own lands. Then others, later, dreamed of even grander things. Hot air balloons enabled man to reach beyond the bounds of earth, and Wilbur and Orville Wright pioneered flight in heavier-than-air machines. Though it took half a century more, it was only “one small step for a man” to climb beyond the confines of earth’s atmosphere and eventually reach the moon in 1969.

When it comes to biblical history we can see the same thing. During the three years He was on earth, only once did the Lord Jesus step briefly beyond the borders of the Holy Land. But after His death and resurrection, and before He ascended back to God the Father, Christ commissioned His followers to carry the message of the gospel much further. “You shall be witnesses to Me,” He said, “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

The book of Acts is the record of how dedicated believers began to do that. Even opposition didn’t stop the spread of the gospel. In fact, the devil rather outsmarted himself in that. If his intention was to stir up the enemies of the cross to stamp out Christianity, it worked in completely the opposite way. The Bible says:

A great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria…those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.

Acts 8:1, 4

It was like trying to stamp out a fire, and having the glowing sparks fly off and start new fires elsewhere. One of the missionaries, a converted Jewish Pharisee named Saul (later, Paul), went on three journeys (and likely a fourth, after the end of Acts) preaching the gospel and founding new churches around the Mediterranean world. The hardships and cruelty he faced are graphically reported (II Cor. 11:23-28).

Acts chapter 18 records his early ministry in the city of Corinth. Then, when problems later developed in the church there, he wrote letters to them giving further instruction and calling for corrective measures (the first and second epistles to the Corinthians). It’s near the end of the second letter that Paul speaks of his hope to get things settled in the Corinthian church so he can move on elsewhere, “to preach the gospel in the regions [or lands] beyond you” (II Cor. 10:16)–likely referring to western Greece, Italy and Spain.

(2) To the hardest of places He calls me to go,
Never thinking of comfort or ease;
The world may pronounce me a dreamer, a fool,
Enough if the Master I please.

(3) Oh, you that are spending your leisure and powers
In those pleasures so foolish and fond;
Awake from your selfishness, folly and sin,
And go to the regions beyond.

Questions:

  1. In what areas are missionaries serving who are supported by your church?
  2. Can you think of three or four ways you can encourage and help these servants of Christ (either as a church, or personally)?

Links:

Since the Fullness of His Love Came In

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Words: Eliza Edmunds Hewitt (b. June 28, 1851; d. Apr. 24, 1920)
Music: Bentley DeForest Ackley (b. Sept. 27, 1872; d. Sept. 3, 1858)

Note: This 1916 gospel song is listed in the Cyber Hymnal (see link below) under its opening line. In its biographical sketch of Miss Hewitt, it lists no less that 1,748 of her songs! She sometimes wrote under the pen name Lidie H. Edmunds.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

You can’t travel in two opposite directions at once. There’s point when you make a 180-degree turn and start heading the opposite way. The Bible refers to the spiritual reality as being born again (Jn. 1:12-13; 3:3). There is a moment in time when the individual puts his faith in Christ, and since then he is a born again Christian.

That’s not to say, of course, that the person is zapped with instant maturity–any more than an infant born physically is suddenly all he or she can or will be. The Apostle Peter calls those who’ve put their faith in Christ “newborn babes,” who need to study the Word of God and “grow thereby” (I Pet. 1:23; 2:2). We are to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (II Pet. 5:18).

Christian growth is a process, but conversion itself, certainly from God’s perspective, is a dividing line that marks a dramatic before and since. As the Lord Jesus puts it, the person “has passed from death into life” (Jn. 5:24); “he has already passed over out of death into life” (Amplified Bible). Things that were not at all true of the individual before, are suddenly and irrevocably a reality for him.

One of these concerns the experience of the love of God. The Bible says of new converts, “The love of God has been poured out in our hearts [flooding our hearts, to the point of overflowing] by the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Rom. 5:5). And there are two points in that verse deserving of our attention.

First, “the Holy Spirit…was given to us.” It’s the universal testimony of the New Testament epistles that the Christian is indwelt by the Spirit of God (Rom. 8:9; I Cor. 6:19; Eph. 1:12-14). One of the things the Spirit of God does within us is to produce that maturity of character that is God’s will for us (II Cor. 3:18; Gal. 5:22-23). Another is that the Spirit gives us a new and growing sense of the love of God, “since the fullness of His love came in.”

(1) Once my way was dark and dreary,
For my heart was full of sin,
But the sky is bright and cheery,
Since the fullness of His love came in.

I can never tell how much I love Him,
I can never tell His love for me,
For it passeth human measure,
Like a deep, unfathomed sea;
’Tis redeeming love in Christ my Saviour,
In my soul the heav’nly joys begin;
And I live for Jesus only,
Since the fullness of His love came in.

In 1956, middleweight boxing legend Rocky Graziano produced his autobiography, calling it Somebody Up There Likes Me. But what God speaks of in His Word is nothing like that vague sentiment. There is, in the heart of the believer, a new and growing awareness of the infinite love of God, a love that caused Him to send His own Son to die in our place, paying the penalty for our sins (Jn. 3:16).

“God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). And, when we trusted in the Lord Jesus as our Saviour from sin, we “received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father [meaning approximately dearest Father!]’” (Rom. 8:15). “We love Him because He first loved us” (I Jn. 4:19).

(2) There is grace for all the lowly,
Grace to keep the trusting soul:
Pow’r to cleanse and make me holy,
Jesus shall my yielded life control.

That exuberant outpouring of the love of God, that new awareness that we are beloved by the Almighty, transforms our attitude toward Him, toward ourselves, and toward others as well. “If God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (I Jn. 4:11).

(3) Let me spread abroad the story,
Other souls to Jesus win;
For the cross is now my glory,
Since the fullness of His love came in.

Questions:

  1. What should be the result, when the Spirit of God pours the love of God into our hearts (Rom. 5:5)?
  2. What other hymns about the love of God do you know and use?

Links:

O Jesus, King Most Wonderful

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Words: Bernard of Clairvaux (b. _____, 1091; d. Aug. 21, 1153); English translation of the Latin, Jesu, Rex Admirabilis, by Edward Caswell (b. July 15, 1814; d. Jan. 2, 1878)
Music: Holy Cross, by James Clifft Wade (b. circa Feb. 1846; d. ?)

Note: Most hymnals use four or five stanzas of this thoughtful hymn. However, I have seen hymnals that include a sixth, and even a seventh, stanza. These are:

Abide with us, and let Thy light
Shine, Lord, on every heart;
Dispel the darkness of our night,
And joy to all impart.

Thee, Lord, our grateful voices bless;
Thee, would we love alone;
And ever in our lives express
The image of Thine own.

Little is known of James Wade. The Cyber Hymnal says he was a composer and editor of vocal music, and “as of 1881, he was a schoolmaster and organist in Bray, Berkshire.”

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

This is a warm and worshipful hymn, typical of the writing of Bernard.

(1) O Jesus, King most wonderful,
Thou Conqueror renowned,
Thou Sweetness most ineffable,
In whom all joys are found!

Christ is described as King and Conqueror, and “Sweetness most ineffable” (1). Words such as sweet and sweetness are used in the Bible more than a hundred times. When they do not refer to sweetness of taste or aroma, they are used in a figurative sense to describe what is pleasant and delightful, or attractive and beautiful. Christ’s beauty is “ineffable”–meaning beyond words. Moses speaks of “the beauty of the LORD our God” (Ps. 90:17).

But Isaiah says of the coming Messiah, “He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him” (Isa. 53:2). In the NASB, it’s “He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.” The NIV has, “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.” In His incarnation, apart from His glorious revelation on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt. 17:1-2), it was not His physical appearance that impressed people, but His gracious words, kindly deeds, and beauty of character.

In (3), Bernard also speaks of Christ as the “Light of all below” (Jn. 8:12) and the Fount of life (Jn. 11:25). He is also merciful and loving (4). Calling Him the “Fount…of fire” (3) may speak of His purifying ministry in our lives and hearts, through the Holy Spirit. Or, it could indicate the way that knowing Him stirs up a holy zeal for the service of Christ.

(3) O Jesus, Light of all below,
Thou Fount of life and fire,
Surpassing all the joys we know,
And all we can desire!

(4) Thy wondrous mercies are untold,
Through each returning day;
Thy love exceeds a thousand fold,
Whatever we can say.

How, then, are we to respond to this wonderful Saviour and Lord? (5) and (6) tell us several ways.

  • Confess Him–witness to others about what He’s done for us (Ps. 105:1-2; Mk. 5:19)
  • Adore Him–exalt Him in our worship and praise (Ps. 29:2)
  • Seek Him–make daily fellowship with the Lord our consistent habit (Ps. 105:3-4)
  • Love Him–exclusively and sacrificially giving ourselves to Him and His service (Matt. 22:37; Rom. 12:1)
  • Reflect Him–as the Spirit of God forms the image of God in us (II Cor. 3:18)

(5) May every heart confess Thy name;
And ever Thee adore;
And seeking Thee, itself inflame,
To seek Thee more and more.

(6) Thee may our tongues forever bless;
Thee may we love alone;
And ever in our lives express
The image of Thine own.

Questions:

  1. What are the most important lessons of this hymn?
  2. Is this a hymn you use–or would use?

Links:

The Old Book and the Old Faith

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Words: George H. Carr (no information available)
Music: George H. Carr

Note: Nothing more is known of Mr. Carr, even though both the Cyber Hymnal and Hymnary.org list many other songs he wrote in addition to the present one from 1914.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

This is a simple gospel song, with an equally simple but important message. As developments in science, medicine and other fields seem to gallop along ever more swiftly, what was new a short time ago becomes old very fast. How many of us have joked that before we get that state-of-the-art computer home from the store it’s already been replaced by something with more amazing features to marvel at, driving what came before it into obsolescence.

But it’s all relative, isn’t it? How new is new? And how old is old? For example, I have a couple of old books on my desk as I write. One was published in 1941, and it’s likely long out of print. But there’s one beside it that was published in 1856, making the first one a century newer. And Gutenberg finished his publication of the Bible in 1455, four hundred years before the latter volume on my desk.

Sometimes we can be surprised, thinking a thing is relatively new when it’s not. We may think batteries that are able to store and produce an electric current were invented by Alessandro Volta, in 1800. But archeologists have discovered batteries used for electroplating in Ur, a city in Chaldea, four thousand years ago.

There is a kind of cult of newness that bothers me from time to time, a craving and obsession with the newest and latest. The other side of that coin is the rejection and disparagement of anything deemed to be old. But just because something is old is not reason in itself to cast it aside. This has its particular application to spiritual things.

The Bible is certainly an old book. It was written over a period of fourteen centuries, by about forty different authors, working under the direction of the Holy Spirit. The last of the New Testament was completed before AD 100. That makes it old indeed. But there’s an important difference between age and obsolescence. Because the Bible is the Word of the living God, it is as up-to-date and important to us today as when it was first written.

The testimony of the Scriptures is, “Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven” (Ps. 119:89), and the Lord Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away” (Matt. 24:35). “The word of the Lord endures forever. Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you” (I Pet. 1:25). And the gospel is “that the Father has sent the Son as Saviour of the world” (I Jn. 4:14). There is no new way to be saved. We can only reach heaven through what Christ did for us on the cross (Jn. 3:16).

The Bible, and the faith it summons us to is old, but definitely not obsolete. That is the message of George Carr’s gospel song.

(1) ’Mid the storms of doubt and unbelief, we fear,
Stands a Book eternal that the saints hold dear;
Thro’ the restless ages it remains the same–
’Tis the Book of God, and the Bible is its name!

The old Book and the old faith are the rock on which I stand!
The old Book and the old faith are the bulwark of the land!
Thro’ storm and stress they stand the test
In every clime and nation blessed;
The old Book and the old faith are the hope of every land!

(2) ’Tis the Book that tells us of the Father’s love,
When He sent His Son to us from heav’n above,
Who by richest promise creates hope within,
For ’tis through His blood we are saved from every sin!

(5) Oh, the grand old Book and the dear old faith
Are the rock on which I stand!
Oh, the grand old Book and the dear old faith
Are the hope of every land!

Questions:

  1. What are some things human beings are counting on that could soon be outdated and virtually useless?
  2. What are some things we’re told in the Bible that are as up-to-date today as when they were written?

Links:

Be Thou My Vision

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Words: Attributed to Dallan Forgaill (b. circa _____, 530; d. _____598)
Music: Slane (a traditional Irish melody)

Note: Dallan Forgaill was a blind Irish poet who lived over fourteen centuries ago. He was killed by invading pirates in AD 598. The earliest copy of this poem attributed to him is dated around a century after his death. In 1905, Mary Elizabeth Byrne (b. July 2, 1880; d. Jan. 19, 1931) rendered an English translation in thirty-two lines of literal prose. She made no attempt to adjust the wording to create rhyming metrical verse that could be sung. Here is a sample of her work.

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart.
None other is aught but the King of the seven heavens.
Be Thou my meditation by day and night;
May it be Thou that I behold even in my sleep.

In 1912, Eleanor Henrietta Hull (b. Jan. 15, 1860; d. Jan. 13, 1935) produced a versified version of Byrne’s work. That is the five stanza hymn that we sing. In some hymn books, the various words referring to God are capitalized, considering them to be personal titles (Vision, Wisdom, etc.). That has been done here. The Wordwise link below will tell you a little about Eleanor Hull, with secondary links (at the bottom of the page) to information about Mary Byrne, and the hymn tune Slane.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

These beautiful words constitute an early Celtic understanding of the person of Christ and His attributes. In personifying various things that the Lord has given the believer, the poet tells us, in effect, that the Lord is those things. That to have them, we need to have Him, and to have Him is to have them. (For “my high Tower,” cf. Ps. 144:2).

(1) 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.

(3) Be Thou my Battle shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Lest we think that this personifying of qualities is strange, it should be noted that the Bible does this frequently, especially in its Hebrew poetry. Here are a few examples.

¤ “The LORD is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation” (Exod. 15:2). This triplet of praise, after Israel’s deliverance at the Red Sea, is repeated twice more in the Word of God (cf. Ps. 118:14; Isa. 12:2).
¤ “Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield” (Ps. 33:20).
¤ “Sing aloud to God our strength” (Ps. 81:1).
¤ “In His [the Messiah’s] days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely; now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD [is] OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS” (Jer. 23:6).
¤ “When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory” (Col. 3:4).
¤ “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Saviour and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope” (I Tim. 1:1).

The hymn writer glories in the fact that the Lord dwells within him and that he dwells in God (2). Though the Scriptures clearly teach that the Spirit of God indwells each Christian, this pairing ideas seems closer to Christ’s usage in John to refer to the believer’s close and unbroken fellowship with the Lord. Then we abide in Him and He abides in us (cf. Jn. 15:5).

(2) Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

The great hope and joy of the hymn writer is that one day he will be with the Lord in the heavenly kingdom, there to behold Him in all His glory (cf. Ps. 17:15)

(5) High King of heaven, my victory won,
May I reach heav’n’s joys, O bright heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

Questions:

  1. Does this personifying of God’s gifts as God Himself help you to appreciate His blessings? (If so, how?)
  2. If God is all these things to us, what does that mean for how we conduct our lives?

Links:

None but Christ Can Satisfy

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Words: credited to “B.E.,” possibly Emma Frances Shuttleworth Beven (b. Sept. 25, 1827; d. Feb. 13, 1909)
Music: James McGranahan (b. July 4, 1840; d. July 9, 1907)

Note: Most hymn books credit this 1879 hymn simply to B.E., with no further data available. Hymnary.org (link below) has identified the author as Emma Beven, whose work mainly involved translating German hymns into English–though she did write some songs of her own. They note that she rarely attributed the translation work to herself by name. Whether “B.E.” is Mrs. Bevan, I’m not sure. (One might expect the initials then to be E.B. but the B.E. may be in the nature of a pen name.)

(1) O Christ, in Thee my soul hath found,
And found in Thee alone,
The peace, the joy I sought so long,
The bliss till now unknown.

Now none but Christ can satisfy,
None other name for me!
There’s love, and life, and lasting joy,
Lord Jesus, found in Thee.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

The phrase “Satisfaction Guaranteed” is a familiar one in the retail industry. It usually means that if a customer is not fully satisfied with his purchase, he can return it for a refund. But, of course, the proclaimed satisfaction has its limits. If a computer was purchased and returned, the individual is once again without a computer. The need is still unmet–and the manufacturer is without a sale! In a way, dissatisfaction guaranteed would be more accurate!

Some form of the word satisfaction is found dozens of times in the Bible. It carries the idea not only of expectations fulfilled and needs met, but of resulting contentment. A brief look at how the word is used will help us to understand the nature of spiritual fulfilment, where it is to be found, and where it’s not.

The Word of God points out what many have learned to their sorrow: that living simply to acquire wealth does not satisfy (Ecc. 5:10). Rich men seem to want to be richer, and richer still. And working hard isn’t satisfying either, if its goal is just to put food on the table, with nothing more noble or lasting to be achieved by it (Ecc. 6:7).

True soul satisfaction is found in our relationship with the Lord. But there were times when the nation of Israel turned away from Him, seeking satisfaction in what the heathen nations around them could provide–including new gods. Not willing to do things God’s way, they spent their wealth to curry favour where it wasn’t rightly to be found. This is described by the Lord as spiritual harlotry (Ezek. 16:17, 28-29).

“My people have committed two evils,” says the Lord in Jeremiah: “They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns–broken cisterns that can hold no water” (Jer. 2:13). Only by returning to the Lord would the nation find the spiritual satisfaction they craved. And they would find it was freely available in abundance, by the grace of God (Isa. 55:1-3). Notice how the hymn’s author makes use of the Jeremiah passage in the third stanza.

(2) I sighed for rest and happiness,
I yearned for them, not Thee;
But, while I passed my Saviour by,
His love laid hold on me.

(3) I tried the broken cisterns, Lord,
But, ah, the waters failed;
Even as I stooped to drink they fled,
And mocked me as I wailed.

Finding satisfaction in the Lord not only applied to the nation of Israel, but it’s experienced on this side of the cross when the individual turns to Christ. For each of us today, “The fear of the Lord [reverencing Him, and accepting His lordship over us] leads to life, and he who has it will abide in satisfaction” (Prov. 19:23). “For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness” (Ps. 107:9).

For the Christian, all of this is wrapped up in the person of the Lord Jesus, “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:3), “through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Rom. 5:2). “Of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace [grace heaped upon grace]” (Jn. 1:16). “I am the vine,” Jesus said, and “you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit” (Jn. 15:5)–both the fruit of godly character, and of meaningful service for the Lord.

(4) The pleasures lost I sadly mourned,
But never wept for Thee,
Till grace the sightless eyes received,
Thy loveliness to see.

Questions:

  1. What is the most satisfying thing about being a Christian?
  2. When we become dissatisfied in life, what is the possible problem?

Links:

Seeking the Lost

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Words: William Augustine Ogden (b. Oct. 10, 1841; d. Oct. 14, 1897)
Music: William Augustine Ogden

Note: There is a biographical note about Mr. Ogden at the Wordwise link at the bottom of this article. The present gospel song was published in 1886. Beginning a few years later, a slightly different final stanza can be found in a number of hymn books. Whether the revision came from Ogden or some unnamed editor, I’m not sure. I do remember singing this later version in a men’s choir, in the 1960s. It says:

3. Thus would I go, for Jesus hath called me,
Him would I follow, day unto day;
Care for the dying, raise up the fallen,
Pointing the lost to Jesus, the way.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

In Luke chapter 15 we are given three parables with some things in common: lostness, seeking, finding and rejoicing. We also see the importance of the individual person to the Lord. It is only one sheep that is lost, out of a hundred (vs. 4), only one coin that is lost, out of ten (vs. 8), and only one son of two (vs. 11).

But at that point there is a change, because it soon become clear in the last story that there are two lost sons, not just one. Though remaining at home, the elder brother is lost to his father’s love. He doesn’t love his brother either, calling him contemptuously, “this son of yours” (vs. 30)–just as the Jewish leaders shrank from declaring kinship with sinners.

The chapter begins with a criticism of the Lord Jesus, levelled at Him by the Pharisees and scribes. In their view, Christ showed a lack of righteous discernment, in associating with “sinners.” They gave themselves an implied pat on the back for refusing to contaminate themselves in this way.

“All the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, ‘This Man receives sinners and eats with them’” (vs. 1-2).

The three stories follow. The coin (vs. 8-10) was an insensate object. It was lost and didn’t know it–as many of the Pharisees and scribes were, in their arrogant religiosity. In the long parable of the lost son, it is the critical older brother, following all the rules, that pictures the Jewish leaders. He has no personal relationship with his loving parent. (Notice that the younger son uses the words “father” and “my father” several times, but the older son never does.)

Ogden’s song focuses on the parable of the lost sheep (as does Elizabeth Clephane’s song The Ninety and Nine). Though 99% of the shepherd’s sheep are accounted for, he goes off into the wilderness seeking the one that has strayed (vs. 4).

(1) Seeking the lost, yes, kindly entreating
Wanderers on the mountain astray;
“Come unto Me,” His message repeating,
Words of the Master speaking today.

Going afar upon the mountain
Bringing the wanderer back again,
Into the fold of my Redeemer
Jesus the Lamb for sinners slain.

When the shepherd finds the lost sheep, he returns with it, rejoicing (vs. 5). He is so elated that he wants to celebrate. He calls in friends and neighbours to rejoice with him (vs. 6).

Then comes the pointed application of the parable: “I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance” (vs. 7).

Joy in heaven, “joy in the presence of the angels,” over the one who is rescued. Amazing! What we do on earth is known in heaven. And I believe we are to see the last part of vs. 7 as ironic. The Lord is referring to the scribes and Pharisees who think they have no need of repentance, but who really do. Their hypocritical rule-keeping causes no joy in heaven!

When we share the gospel, or support the sharing of the gospel by others, we are doing a great work that has eternal implications (Jn. 3:16; Rom. 1:16).

(3) Thus would I go on missions of mercy,
Following Christ from day unto day,
Cheering the faint and raising the fallen,
Pointing the lost to Jesus, the Way.

Questions:

  1. Is there some lost sheep you know of whom you can help to rescue?
  2. When was the last time you celebrated a sinner coming to the Saviour?

Links:

Where Could I Go?

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Words: James Buchanan Coats (b. Apr. 6, 1901; d. Dec. 15, 1961)
Music: James Buchanan Coats

Note: This song was published in 1940, and is likely the best known of the many Mr. Coats wrote. He was a deacon in his home church for more than thirty years, then served as the pastor until ill health, a couple of years before his death, brought his retirement. Mr. Coats believed that music was a gift from God, and that the true office of music is the worship of God.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

Whether in medicine, or in a rescue operation, or some other field of endeavour, we’re used to hearing that something was a “last resort.” Something that appeared to be the one final hope of success. It is, however, a tragic thing when the Lord becomes a last resort, when those in trouble or in need search for answers everywhere else and find none. Then, at last, turn to God.

Years ago, I heard the testimony of retired hockey star Paul Henderson. (He’s the one who scored the famous winning goal for Canada against the Russians in 1972.) Mr. Henderson talked about how he thought all that was needed for a satisfying and meaningful life was a good wife, a family, and a job he enjoyed. But when he got those things he still felt something was missing. He was bitter and unhappy. Then, through a friend, he learned of his need of Christ, and finally found lasting satisfaction in Him.

“Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” says David (Ps. 34:8). And the Lord Jesus invites seekers to come to Him, promising that He will provide “rest for your souls” (Matt. 11:28-29). It sounds as though that was exactly what Paul Henderson was missing, rest of soul.

A misguided search is perhaps more understandable with the unsaved. Maybe they’ve never even heard the gospel, and are seeking satisfaction in the only things they know. But what if it happens to believers? In a sense, that’s even sadder. They know the answer, they’ve experienced the goodness of God, but have drifted away. Unconfessed sin has raised a barrier, and their fellowship with the Lord has been broken.

Long ago, the Lord said to the nation of Israel in a time of backsliding:

My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns–broken cisterns that can hold no water.

Jer. 2:13

How sad, when God’s people substitute other things to satisfy their souls, broken cisterns that can never provide what they long for, because that is only found in the Lord.

A variation of the “Where could I go?” question was asked by Peter, long ago. It came in response to a question from the Lord Jesus. Many who had flocked after Him, in the days of His earthly life, were there for the wrong reasons. they were sensation seekers, hoping to see some new wonder, or hoping He would use His powers to deliver them from the tyranny of Rome. They were not ready for the sacrifice of true discipleship and soon drifted away. We read:

From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Jn. 6:66-69

Living in this sinful world that opposes God and His Word, facing life’s temptations day by day, sensing a deep hunger in our souls, looking ahead to passing through “the valley of the shadow of death,” with needs such as these, where, indeed, could we go but to the Lord?

Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.

Isa. 55:6-7

Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. Those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing.

Ps. 34:9-10

When You said, “Seek My face,” my heart said to You, “Your face, LORD, I will seek.”

Ps. 27:8

Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

Jer. 29:12-13

Living below in this old sinful world,
Hardly a comfort can afford;
Striving alone to face temptations sore,
Where could I go but to the Lord?

Where could I go, O where could I go;
Seeking a refuge for my soul?
Needing a friend to help me in the end,
Where could I go but to the Lord?

Questions:

  1. What are some things in which people (and perhaps you yourself) have unsuccessfully tried to find peace and satisfaction?
  2. What blessings of God are particularly satisfying to you?

Links:

He Took My Sins Away

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Words: Margaret Jenkins Harris (b. July 31, 1865; d. Jan. 13, 1919)
Music: Margaret Jenkins Harris

Note: Margaret Harris and her husband (John Millard Harris) were both gospel songwriters. The two of them often sang duets, and engaged in a musical evangelistic ministry. Margaret Harris was an organist, as well. She published the present song in 1903.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

This gospel song is one of the most repetitious ones we have. Counting the refrains, it repeats the words “He took my sins away” (“He’ll take your sins away” in the last stanza) no less than twenty-eight times!

(1) I came to Jesus, weary, worn, and sad.
He took my sins away, He took my sins away.
And now His love has made my heart so glad,
He took my sins away.

He took my sins away, He took my sins away,
And keeps me singing every day!
I’m so glad He took my sins away,
He took my sins away.

Often repetitious songs are accused, with some justification, of being trite and shallow, dashed off without much thought. However, that’s not a given. Great songs with much repetition can flow quickly from the soul of a musical genius too. In Handel’s inspiring choral work Messiah, the Hallelujah Chorus repeats the word “hallelujah” thirty-seven times, in the soprano score alone. Repetitious, yes. Trite and shallow, hardly!

If, for any reason, you should doubt that, take a look at the YouTube video here. Made back in 2010, it has since had over fifty million visitors. On a regular day at a big city mall, just before American Thanksgiving, people are stopping for lunch in the food court, when suddenly one (brave) young woman stands up and starts singing Handel’s masterpiece. Soon, she is joined by others, more and more.

It’s a trained choir, of course, and it’s all been arranged. But it never ceases to elicit tears, and joyous laughter from me–the latter at the various expressions of non-singing patrons. Worship and praise from me too, as we hear John’s prophetic words, “The kingdoms of this world have become [then fortissimo] the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” (Rev. 11:15).

Now, I’m certainly not saying that Mrs. Harris’s little song is on the same level. Not even close. But it does say something of importance to every believer. What impression would singing the song leave? What truth would you go home with, ringing from your heart, if not sounding from your lips? He took my sins away! Wonderful! Wonderful! Wonderful!

It is a truth that resounds through the pages of the holy Word of God. That our burden of sin can be lifted, through faith in Him. That we can receive perfect cleansing and forgiveness, and our debt of sin can be cancelled. With the rich poetic imagery of the Scriptures, this wonderful truth is impressed upon us. Though, in Old Testament times, the work of the Saviour still lay in the future, it is seen there as well, rooted in the prospect of what the Lamb of God would accomplish.

  • “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Ps. 103:12).
  • “You have lovingly delivered my soul from the pit of corruption, for You have cast all my sins behind Your back” (Isa. 38:17).
  • “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins” (Isa. 43:25; cf. Heb. 8:12; 10:17).
  • “I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more” (Jer. 31:34).
  • “The iniquity of Israel shall be sought, but there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, but they shall not be found” (Jer. 50:20).
  • “You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea” (Mic. 7:19).
  • “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn. 1:29). “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin….If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I Jn. 1:7, 9).

(4) If you will come to Jesus Christ today,
He’ll take your sins away, He’ll take your sins away,
And keep you happy in His love each day,
He’ll take your sins away.

Questions:

  1. Is the joy of this truth ringing in your own heart today?
  2. Is there some way you can share what God can do about sin with others?

Links:

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