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M7. Reflections: Jan.17

Father, Thy Will Not Mine Be Done

Graphic Bob New Glasses 2015HOW TO USE THIS BLOG
1) The Almanac. Click on the month you want in the side-bar, then the specific date. The blog will tell you what happened in hymn history on that day.
2) Reflections. There is always a current article on a hymn. But you can find many others by clicking on the Index tab. (More being added all the time.)
3) Topical Articles are opinion pieces on many aspects sacred music.
4) To Donate. If you can help with the cost of developing and maintaining this site, click on the “Support” tab above and the page will show you how.

Also see 30+ Ideas for Promoting Hymn Singing in your church. As others have contributed ideas, this wonderful resource has grown to over 80 items now. And, for more than three dozen reasons why congregations should still use hymn books rather than merely projecting words on the wall, see The Value of Hymn Books.

Words: James Montgomery (b. Nov. 4, 1771; d. Apr. 30, 1854)
Music: Colebrooke, by Henry Thomas Smart (b. Oct. 26, 1813; d. July 6, 1879)

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (James Montgomery)
The Cyber Hymnal (James Montgomery)
Hymnary.org

Note: As of the time of writing this article, the Cyber Hymnal lists 124 of Montgomery’s hymns, but the present brief gem is not among them.

The words either/or, present a choice between two, implying that having both together is not possible. They present a kind of verbal fork in the road. Taking one means abandoning the other, going one way means we have decided not to go the other. As the saying goes, we can’t have our cake and eat it too.

This dilemma has been the subject of humour. Like the old joke about the stranger in town asking which street to take to get to the railway station. The response was, “Go left and you’ll be right; go right and you’ll be left [i.e. left behind].” And there’s legendary baseball player Yogi Berra, telling his friend Joe how to get to his house, saying, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”

Humour aside, either/or can represent a life-changing decision. In November of 2016, Americans had that kind of judgment to make in an election. A choice between two individuals for the office of president. It had to be either one or the other. Only time will reveal the wisdom or folly of the decision that was made.

In the Bible, the word “or” is used over a thousand times. Occasionally it represented this clear choice between two options. We see it when Abraham gave his nephew Lot a choice of where to pasture his flocks.

“Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left” (Gen. 13:9).

Lot, making his decision on the basis of which land looked more fertile and green (vs. 10-11), chose to camp near the wicked city of Sodom. Terrible consequences followed.

In the New Testament, the Lord Jesus warns, “No one can serve two masters….You cannot serve God and mammon [money]” (Matt. 6:24). Both God and money cannot control your life; it must be either/or.

But suppose a prior commitment has been made to the Lord. A commitment that is both sincere and steadfast (as described in Romans 12:1) . Once we determine that life’s choices will be governed by our loyalty to God and His Word, that priority, like glowing signpost, points to which road we must follow.

Three Hebrew slaves in Babylon were told to either bow in worship before an idol or be thrown into a blazing furnace. But their response was:

“Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not [if He chooses not to], let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up” (Dan. 3:17-18).

In a similar vein, there is the agonizing decision which was before Christ in the garden of Gethsemane. He was facing the terrible torment of crucifixion, and He shrank from it in horror. (Who would do otherwise?) But loyalty to His heavenly Father, and a desire to fulfil His mission, triumphed.

“[He] fell on His face, and prayed, saying, ‘O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will…Your will be done’” (Matt. 26:39, 42).

In England, on July 19th, 1829, William Rawson died. A much beloved husband, he was only twenty-eight. But, in the hours of suffering before his death, he exhibited a wonderful peace of mind, and expressed his resignation to whatever was the will of God for him. His mother, near his bedside in those last hours, wrote down the words of his godly witness.

Some time afterward, hymn writer James Montgomery was visiting in the home. He asked to see what Rawson’s mother had written, taking the account with him to his room that evening. In the morning, he returned the papers, having written the words of a new hymn in the margin. The hymn beautifully enshrines the young man’s testimony.

1) “Father! Thy will, not mine, be done;”
So prayed on earth Thy suffering Son;
So, in His name, I pray;
The spirit faints, the flesh is weak,
Thy help in agony I seek,
O take this cup away!

2) If such be not Thy sovereign will,
Thy wiser purpose then fulfil;
My wishes I resign;
Into Thy hands my soul commend,
On Thee for life or death depend;
Thy will be done, not mine.

Questions:
1) Have you recently faced an either/or choice in your life, one in which your loyalty to Christ was the deciding factor?

2) What has been the outcome of your choice so far? By faith in God, what do you foresee as the ultimate or final outcome?

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (James Montgomery)
The Cyber Hymnal (James Montgomery)
Hymnary.org

As Thy Days Thy Strength Shall Be

Graphic Bob New Glasses 2015HOW TO USE THIS BLOG
1) The Almanac. Click on the month you want in the side-bar, then the specific date. The blog will tell you what happened in hymn history on that day.
2) Reflections. There is always a current article on a hymn. But you can find many others by clicking on the Index tab. (More being added all the time.)
3) Topical Articles are opinion pieces on many aspects sacred music.
4) To Donate. If you can help with the cost of developing and maintaining this site, click on the “Support” tab above and the page will show you how.

Also see 30+ Ideas for Promoting Hymn Singing in your church. As others have contributed ideas, this wonderful resource has grown to over 80 items now. And, for more than three dozen reasons why congregations should still use hymn books rather than merely projecting words on the wall, see The Value of Hymn Books.

Words: Frances Ridley Havergal (b. Dec. 14, 1836; d. June 3, 1879)
Music: Gott Sei Dank, by Johann Anastasius Freylinghausen (b. Dec. 2, 1670; d. Feb. 12, 1739)

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (Frances Havergal born, died)
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org

Note: As of my work on this article, Hymnary.org’s information on this hymn is rather a tangle. It has both Frances Havergal and someone called Mrs. P. Munzinger credited as authors. But as you look at the rest of the page it becomes clear that two different hymns are being confused.

Benjamin Franklin quoted the proverb in the 1735 edition of his Almanac: “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”

As with many proverbs, there’s a grain of truth in that. Getting enough sleep, and making a good start to the day is worthwhile. But proverbs are not intended to be guarantees. Rather, they’re observations about how things often tend to work out. In truth, those with regular sleep habits aren’t always healthy, or wealthy, or wise. What we do with our waking hours is more important than when they start or stop.

Further, the proverb ignores a metabolism factor. Some are morning people, others are evening people. The morning folks–larks, they’re sometimes called–bounce out of bed at an early hour, and their minds and bodies are quickly in gear. They tackle the day’s work with zest. The minds of night owls are in a fog early in the day. They may feel they need the jolt of caffeine from that first cup of coffee to get them going. But late at night they are energetic and more productive.

And none of this addresses the spiritual dimension of life, which is not directly concerned with becoming wealthy or healthy in a material or temporal sense. Wisdom is more in its purview. And genuine godly wisdom is not a product of when we get up or go to bed. It comes through our relationship with God and His Word, and is to guide the daily walk of the Christian. The Bible says:

“The fear of the Lord [reverencing Him, giving Him His rightful place in our lives] is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments” (Ps. 111:10).

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him [recognize Him as your Lord and Saviour], and He shall direct your paths” (Prov. 3:5-6).

And the Lord has promised sufficient grace–divine enablement–for each day to accomplish what He wants us to do. Just as He told Israel, long ago, “As your days, so shall your strength be” (Deut. 33:25). And as He told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (II Cor. 12:9).

God’s ever-sufficient grace makes us strong enough to do His will. His will, not our own. The Lord doesn’t promise us we’ll be able fulfil selfish ambitions, or avoid any problems or trials in our lives. In truth, the latter are opportunities for Him to reveal His grace and goodness to us.

William Havergal was an English clergyman, serving as rector of St. Nicholas’ Anglican Church in Worcestor. At the midnight hour on December 31st, the bells of the church began to chime joyously, welcoming in the new year, 1859. Havergal’s two daughters, Maria and Frances shared a bedroom in the rectory.

Maria, wakened by the bells, roused her sister sharing a version of Deuteronomy 33:25 quoted above, “As thy days thy strength shall be.” Strength enough for each day of the new year. Frances (who seems to have been a morning person!) in moments composed a hymn poem in her head, and recited it to her sister.

CH-1) As thy days thy strength shall be!
This should be enough for thee,
He who knows thy frame will spare
Burdens more than thou canst bear.

CH-2) When thy days are veiled in night,
Christ shall give thee heavenly light;
Seem they wearisome and long,
Yet in Him thou shalt be strong.

Frances Havergal was twenty-three at the time of this incident. She went on to become one of our most highly esteemed hymn writers, giving us hymns such as Like a River Glorious, and Who Is on the Lord’s Side?

The next day, she added a little more to the poem quoted previously. It concludes:

CH-4) When thy days on earth are past,
Christ shall call thee home at last,
His redeeming love to praise,
Who hath strengthened all thy days.

Questions:
1) How has the Lord given you strength for a challenge or personal trial recently?

2) How might you be able to be a channel of God’s grace to someone you know who needs help?

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (Frances Havergal born, died)
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org

Abide with Me, ‘Tis Eventide

Graphic Bob New Glasses 2015HOW TO USE THIS BLOG
1) The Almanac. Click on the month you want in the side-bar, then the specific date. The blog will tell you what happened in hymn history on that day.
2) Reflections. There is always a current article on a hymn. But you can find many others by clicking on the Index tab. (More being added all the time.)
3) Topical Articles are opinion pieces on many aspects sacred music.
4) To Donate. If you can help with the cost of developing and maintaining this site, click on the “Support” tab above and the page will show you how.

Also see 30+ Ideas for Promoting Hymn Singing in your church. As others have contributed ideas, this wonderful resource has grown to over 80 items now. And, for more than three dozen reasons why congregations should still use hymn books rather than merely projecting words on the wall, see The Value of Hymn Books.

Words: Martin Lowrie Hofford (b. Jan. 27, 1823; d. Jan. 7, 1888)
Music: Millard, by Harrison Millard (b. Nov. 27, 1829; d. Sept. 10, 1895)

Links:
Wordwise Hymns
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org

Note: In 1884, an American Presbyterian clergyman named Martin Hofford published this beautiful hymn about the meeting of the resurrected Christ with a couple of His followers. The hymn is a favourite of the Mormons, though Hofford was not one of them.

To say “Good night” to someone is a custom that has been around for hundreds of years. And it usually implies a time of parting. The speaker is bidding farewell to some individual or a group. Research suggests the words are possibly a contraction of, “May God give you a good night,” a night of refreshing sleep, and safety from harm.

It’s our Creator who established the division of night and day. The Bible tells us:

“God said, ‘Let there be light;’ and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day” (Gen. 1:3-5).

It’s only the omnipotent God who can create something out of nothing (ex nihilo), simply by His almighty word of command.

“By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth…. For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast” (Ps. 33:6, 9).

Though there are exceptions–individuals such as nurses and police officers that work a night shift–the general rule is that “Man goes out to his work and to his labour until the evening” (Ps. 104:23). Especially in ancient times, activities such as work and travel were usually circumscribed by the daylight hours between sunrise and sunset.

There is, in the Bible (in Luke 24:13-32) the record of an unusual meeting that happened as night was approaching.

The Lord Jesus had been crucified days before, but many believers were not yet aware of His resurrection. Two followers of Christ were on their way from Jerusalem to the little village of Emmaus where they lived. We don’t know if these were two men, or a man and his wife. We know only that one of the two was a man named Cleopas (vs. 18). There is a tradition (without proof) that Cleopas is the same person as the one called Clopas in John 19:25. If that’s so, then the other person here is his wife, a woman named Mary.

As they walked along, the two were discussing what had happened in Jerusalem, specifically the death of Christ. Then the Lord Jesus joined them, but their sight was supernaturally controlled so they did not recognize their divine Companion (vs. 16). When He asked what they’d been talking about, they were surprised that even a Stranger had been in that area and seemed not to have heard about the crucifixion of “Jesus of Nazareth” (vs. 19-20).

Their hopes for the future were dashed when He was cruelly put to death. They’d heard rumours of a resurrection, but apparently they did not yet believe it. “Then He said to them, ‘O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?’” (vs. 25-26).

With that, Jesus began a Bible lesson, ranging through the Old Testament Scriptures, to show them that His coming was prophesied there, as well as both His death and future glorious reign (vs. 27).

By that time, they’d reached Emmaus, and it was getting dark. So the two said, “Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent” (vs. 29). With that invitation, He went in to stay with them for awhile, and a meal was served. Mysteriously Christ seems to have acted as the Host at that meal. He was the One who broke the bread as they ate (vs. 30).

In that moment, their sight was restored. They recognized Him (perhaps recalling when He did something similar at the feeding of the five thousand, Luke 9:16), and instantly He vanished. “And they said to one another, ‘Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?’” (vs. 32). That is the basis for Hofford’s beautiful hymn.

CH-1) Abide with me, ’tis eventide!
The day is past and gone;
The shadows of the evening fall;
The night is coming on!
Within my heart a welcome Guest,
Within my home abide.

O Saviour, stay this night with me;
Behold, ’tis eventide!
O Saviour, stay this night with me;
Behold, ’tis eventide!

CH-2) Abide with me, ’tis eventide!
Thy walk today with me
Has made my heart within me burn,
As I communed with Thee.
Thy earnest words have filled my soul
And kept me near Thy side.

Questions:
1) Is the Lord Jesus a “welcome Guest” in your heart and life?

2) When was the last time your heart burned (you were blessed in a special way) in the study of God’s Word?

Links:
Wordwise Hymns
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org