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O Worship the King

Words: Robert Grant (b. Jan. 15, 1780; d. July 9, 1838)
Music: Lyons, possibly from Johann Michael Haydn (b. Sept. 14, 1737; d. Aug. 10, 1806)

Note: The original hymn had six stanzas, of which most hymnals today use (1), (2), (4) and (5). A Scotsman, the Right Hon. Sir Robert Grant, was a lawyer, a member of Parliament and a Privy Counselor. He was appointed Governor of Bombay, in 1834, and died in India four years later.
Johann Haydn was a younger brother of the more famous Franz Josef Haydn. The hymn tune Lyons is very similar to Hanover, another tune often used with this hymn. The latter is attributed to William Croft (b. Dec. 10, 1678; d. Aug. 14, 1727).

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

This great hymn draws its inspiration from Psalm 104:1-10, 24-33. In it we see the majesty of God revealed in His creation, and described with rich poetic imagery.

(1) O worship the King, all glorious above,
And gratefully sing His pow’r and His love;
Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days,
Pavilioned in splendour, and girded with praise.

“He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters, who makes the clouds His chariot, who walks on the wings of the wind….You laid the foundations of the earth, so that it should not be moved forever. You covered it with the deep as with a garment….He sends the springs into the valleys, they flow among the hills. They give drink to every beast of the field”.

Psalm 104:3, 5-6, 10-11

Inspired by this rich poetic revelation of Almighty God, Robert Grant writes:

(2) O tell of His might, O sing of His grace,
Whose robe is the light, whose canopy space,
His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form,
And dark is His path on the wings of the storm.

(3) The earth with its store of wonders untold,
Almighty, Thy power hath founded of old;
Established it fast by a changeless decree,
And round it hath cast, like a mantle, the sea.

(4) Thy bountiful care, what tongue can recite?
It breathes in the air, it shines in the light;
It streams from the hills, it descends to the plain,
And sweetly distills in the dew and the rain.

We are “frail children of dust (cf. Ps. 103:14), but God in His mercy is not only our “Maker,” but our “Defender, Redeemer and Friend.” We may not be able to match the angels in their exalted hymns of praise, but human beings, “though feeble their lays [songs],” can praise the Lord with “true adoration.” Because of what the Lord has done for us, the worship of the saints has a unique perspective, and voices some distinctive themes.

(5) Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,
In Thee do we trust, nor find Thee to fail;
Thy mercies how tender, how firm to the end,
Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend.

(6) O measureless Might! Ineffable Love!
While angels delight to worship Thee above,
The humbler creation, though feeble their lays,
With true adoration shall sing to Thy praise.

Questions:

  1. For what can we praise the Lord that the angels will never know by experience?
  2. Grant describes God as “Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend.” How is each of these important to us? What does it say about God that our Maker becomes our Friend?

Links:

The Spacious Firmament

Words: Joseph Addison (b. May 1, 1672; d. June 17, 1719)
Music: Creation, by Franz Josef Haydn (b. March 31, 1732; d. May 31, 1809)

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

Joseph Addison is considered one of the finest writers in the English language, and this hymn is without doubt our most majestic and moving tribute to the God of creation. The text is a paraphrase of Psalm 19:1-6, and it is perfectly framed in a hymn tune arrangement of Franz Josef Haydn’s melody from his oratorio The Creation. This is hymnody at a very high level. Read through the logical argument framed in Addison’s poetry, and if you’re not moved by the time you get to the last four lines, I’m concerned about you!

(1) The spacious firmament on high,
With all the blue ethereal sky,
And spangled heavens, a shining frame
Their great Original proclaim.
Th’unwearied sun, from day to day,
Does his Creator’s powers display,
And publishes to every land
The work of an almighty hand.

In a day when the unproven and utterly illogical and unscientific theory of evolution seems to be casually accepted by the majority, this is strong medicine. And as well as the Psalm 19 passage, its truths are echoed elsewhere in God’s Word many times.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). “In six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them” (Exod. 20:11). “You, LORD, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands” (Heb. 1:10). “All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made” (Jn. 1:3).

“You alone are the LORD; You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and everything on it, the seas and all that is in them, and You preserve them all” (Neh. 9:6). “The worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible” (Heb. 11:3). “He is before all things, and in Him all things consist [are held together]” (Col. 1:17). “Upholding all things by the word of His power” (Heb. 1:3).

“What may be known of God is manifest in them [the unsaved], for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:19-20). “For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen” (Rom. 11:36). “The LORD has made all for Himself” (Prov. 16:4).

Not only should these stunning truths cause us to bow our hearts in worship, as we gaze in awe upon the star-spangled heavens of the night sky, there is also a practical value in comprehending the power of our great Creator God. He has pledged Himself to support the saints, and reminding ourselves of His power in creation will give us confidence in prayer.

“Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth” (Ps. 124:8). “So when they heard that [the threats against them], they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: ‘Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them….Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word’” (Acts 4:24, 29). (And He did, vs. 31!)

(3) What though in solemn silence all
Move round the dark terrestrial ball?
What though no real voice nor sound
Amid the radiant orbs be found?
In reason’s ear they all rejoice,
And utter forth a glorious voice,
Forever singing as they shine,
“The hand that made us is Divine.”

Questions:

  1. As you gaze upon the heavens, on a clear night, what thoughts come to your mind about God?
  2. What are the spiritual reasons (admitted or not) that evolutionists reject the biblical record of creation?

Links:

O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go

Words: George Matheson (b. March 27, 1842; d. Aug. 28, 1906)
Music: St. Margaret, by Albert Lister Peace (b. Jan. 26, 1844; d. March 14, 1912)

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

Pastor Matheson’s lovely hymn uses a poetic device that is quite striking. He personifies three qualities and one material object, indicated by the capital letters used for Love, Light, Joy and the Cross.

First, there is Love. It’s a quality that so dominates the character of God that the Bible is able to say, “God is love” (I Jn. 4:16). And the author revels in the security of that love. It has him in a caring embrace that nothing can break. As God’s Word assures us, “[Nothing] shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:35-39). Surrendering to the ministrations of such an infinite love can only enrich us.

(1) O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.

In (2), George Matheson refers to God as the Light. (Henry Newman did similarly with the hymn Lead, Kindly Light.) The Scriptures declare that “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all” (I Jn. 1:5). David reflects a similar thought with, “You are my lamp, O LORD; The LORD shall enlighten my darkness” (II Sam. 22:29). In contrast to the light of God’s truth, a “sunshine’s blaze” that shatters the darkness, our own limited awareness is only a “flickering torch.”

(2) O Light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.

Third, the author speaks of the Lord as his Joy. The psalmist echoes that with “God, my exceeding joy” (Ps. 43:4). We too “rejoice in God” (Rom. 5:11), the source and fountain of the deepest kind of spiritual joy. To say, as Nehemiah does, “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Neh. 8:10), is to say, in effect, that the Lord Himself is our joy. And in that joy there is undying hope, symbolized by “the rainbow through the rain,” in our hymn.

(3) O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.

With the final stanza, we have a slight departure. Not a quality but an object is so identified with the Lord that He is represented by the Cross. All the blessings of our salvation were won for us there. For that reason, the death of Christ (and His resurrection) became a pervasive theme of the writings of the apostles. “God forbid,” says Paul, that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Gal. 6:14). “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (I Cor. 1:18). Through faith in the finished work of Christ, we have “life that shall endless be.”

(4) O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.

Questions:

  1. Which of the first three personifications representing the Lord  (Love, Light, Joy) is most meaningful to you? (Why?)
  2. What is the meaning of the first line of stanza four: “O Cross that liftest up my head”?

Links:

All Things in Jesus

Words: Harry Dixon Loes (b. Oct. 20, 1892; d. Feb. 9, 1965)
Music: Harry Dixon Loes

Note: It was a sermon preached in Moody Church (Chicago), in 1915, by Paul Rader, that gave Mr. Loes the idea for his song. Pastor Rader’s theme was, “All that I want is in Jesus.”

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

(1) Friends all around me are trying to find
What the heart yearns for, by sin undermined;
I have the secret, I know where ’tis found:
Only true pleasures in Jesus abound.

All that I want is in Jesus.
He satisfies, joy He supplies;
Life would be worthless without Him;
All things in Jesus I find.

The Apostle Paul tells us that he focused his preaching and teaching on the cross of Christ (I Cor. 1:23; 2:2; Gal. 6:14). For good reason. All that we have, as Christians, and all we’ll enjoy throughout eternity, we have through Christ.

“We…preach…Christ Jesus the Lord” (II Cor. 4:5). “Preaching peace through Jesus Christ–He is Lord of all” (Acts 10:36). “There is…one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.” (I Cor. 8:6). “Christ is all and in all” Col. 3:11). “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Eph. 1:3). “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me….My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:13, 19).

The Bible speaks of the riches of God’s grace (and “the exceeding riches of His grace”), available to us now and forever, through Christ (Eph. 1:7; 2:7). These riches encompass all that we signify by the great umbrella word “salvation.” Depending on how they’re divided (because there is some overlap), the Bible describes about three or four dozen things God does for us, the moment that He saves us.

We are born again, we become new creations in Christ, we’re justified, sanctified, indwelt and sealed by the Spirit of God, made a royal priesthood, given a heavenly inheritance, and a heavenly citizenship, and so much more. All things are ours through the Lord Jesus Christ. No wonder Paul declared, “We preach Christ” (I Cor. 1:23; cf. Acts 8:5).

The world is looking for answers–all too often in the wrong places. The satisfaction brought by wealth, or fame, or worldly pleasures, is fleeting at best. Moses deserted the court of Pharaoh, and identified himself with the people of God for that very reason (Heb. 11:24-25). We have what people need, and can give a “reason for the hope that is in [us]” (I Pet. 3:15). That is why Paul said with confidence, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes” (Rom. 1:16).

(2) Some carry burdens whose weight has for years
Crushed them with sorrow and blinded with tears.
Yet One stands ready to help them just now,
If they will humbly in penitence bow.

(4) Jesus is all this poor world needs today.
Blindly they strive, for sin darkens their way.
O to draw back the grim curtains of night,
One glimpse of Jesus and all will be bright!

Questions:

  1. What are some of the things in which the unsaved world seeks without lasting success to find fulfilment and satisfaction?
  2. What are some of the blessings of salvation that give you particular joy?

Links:

My Redeemer

Words: Philip Paul Bliss (b. July 9, 1838; d. Dec. 29, 1876)
Music: James McGranahan (b. July 4, 1840; July 9, 1907)

Note: The account of Mr. Bliss’s tragic death is told in the Wordwise Hymns link below. This may be been the last song he ever wrote. What a testimony it is!

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

(1) I will sing of my Redeemer,
And His wondrous love to me;
On the cruel cross He suffered,
From the curse to set me free.

Sing, oh sing, of my Redeemer,
With His blood, He purchased me.
On the cross, He sealed my pardon,
Paid the debt, and made me free.

The Lord is called the “Redeemer” of His people many times in the Old Testament–especially in the book of Isaiah. By examining the passages where the word is found, we can gain a greater understanding of just who our Redeemer is.

He is the Creator of all in heaven and earth. “Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, and He who formed you from the womb: ‘I am the LORD, who makes all things, who stretches out the heavens all alone, who spreads abroad the earth by Myself’” (Isa. 44:24). “Your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth” (Isa. 54:5). And unlike what He created, which had a beginning point, God is eternal. He always has been and always will be. “Our Redeemer from everlasting is Your name” (Isa. 63:16).

“Their Redeemer is strong; The LORD of hosts is His name” (Jer. 50:34; cf. Prov. 23:11). He is mighty both to save and to keep His children. And He leads and directs them. “Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: ‘I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way you should go” (Isa. 48:17).

The Lord has graciously promised to be the Saviour of all who trust in Him. “All flesh shall know that I, the LORD, am your Saviour, and your Redeemer” (Isa. 49:26; cf. 60:16).

The Hebrew word translated Redeemer is Goel, and it has the connotation of one who is also a kinsman or relative. In Old Testament times, an individual would sometimes sell himself into slavery to pay a debt. But the Law of Israel provided for a goel, a kinsman-redeemer to pay the debt, and set him free. There were other duties of the goel as well–some coming into play in the book of Ruth, where Boaz serves as a kinsman-redeemer.

On this side of the cross, Christ is our Kinsman-Redeemer. He became flesh (Jn. 1:14), in order that He might take upon Himself our debt of sin, and set us free. “Christ died for our sins” (I Cor. 15:3). But He did not remain in the tomb. The Corinthian passage goes on, “He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (vs. 4), and ascended to the Father’s right hand.

One day He’s coming back again. In his time of great suffering, Job spoke out with confidence: “I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God” (Job 19:25-26).

(2) I will tell the wondrous story,
How my lost estate to save,
In His boundless love and mercy,
He the ransom freely gave.

(4) I will sing of my Redeemer,
And His heav’nly love to me;
He from death to life hath brought me,
Son of God with Him to be.

Questions:

  1. Why was it important for Christ to become Man?
  2. How can you share the wonderful truth of the gospel with someone this week?

Links:

Lead, Kindly Light

Words: John Henry Newman (b. Feb. 21, 1801; d. Aug. 11, 1890)
Music: Lux Benigna (Kindly Light), by John Bacchus Dykes (b. March 10, 1823; d. Jan. 22, 1876)

Note: Judged merely as poetry, this is a great hymn. Fine poetry, but hymn author and editor Edward Henry Bickersteth (1825-1906) felt it didn’t express a strong enough hope for the future. He added a fourth stanza to Newman’s original three (see below). In addition to the traditional tune noted above, Sandon works well with this hymn.

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

Something of the physical distress and emotional depression of the author is expressed in Newman’s description of the time when he wrote the hymn:

I went down at once to Sicily, and fell ill of a fever. My servant thought I was dying, and begged for my last instructions. I gave them as he wished, but said, “I shall not die, for I have not sinned against light, I have not sinned against light.” (I never have been able to make out at all what I meant.) I was laid up for nearly three weeks. Towards the end of May, I set of for Palermo, taking three days for the journey. Before starting from my inn in the morning, I sat down on my bed and began to sob bitterly.

John Newman

It was on the journey home to England, where he longed to be, and in this state of mind and body, that John Henry Newman wrote his now famous hymn.

The Lord has promised to provide light for those who follow Him. “Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life’” (Jn. 8:12). One particular way in which God illuminates our path is through His holy Word. The psalmist testifies, “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path” (Ps. 119:105).

The night may be dark, in this sinful world, and we may at least seem far from our heavenly home, but God Himself will guide us there (Ps. 16:11; 23:4). Sometimes, we may think it would be well if we could see further, and more clearly, into the future, so we’d know what’s coming. But God, in His wisdom, takes us one step at a time, asking us to trust Him for the unknown days ahead.

(1) Lead, kindly Light, amid th’encircling gloom, lead Thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home; lead Thou me on!
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step enough for me.

Newman speaks of a past time in which he had no thought of God directing his life. Back then, he wanted to choose his own path, and he loved the “garish day,” which describes a worldly life, flashy and showy, but not of true worth. Even though he feared for the future, pride ruled his will, and he refused to turn to God.

(2) I was not ever thus, nor prayed that Thou shouldst lead me on;
I loved to choose and see my path; but now lead Thou me on!
I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will. Remember not past years!

As noted above, John Newman’s concluding stanza is somewhat vague. (Even he admitted, in later years, that he had no idea what he meant by “angel faces”!) The general idea is that the Lord would lead him safely home.

(3) So long Thy power hath blest me, sure it still will lead me on.
O’er moor and fen, o’er crag and torrent, till the night is gone,
And with the morn those angel faces smile, which I
Have loved long since, and lost awhile!

Hoping to strengthen this thought somewhat, Bickersteth added an additional stanza that says:

(4) Meantime, along the narrow rugged path, Thyself hast trod,
Lead, Saviour, lead me home in childlike faith, home to my God.
To rest forever after earthly strife
In the calm light of everlasting life.

Questions:

  1. What might be some of the dangers for us, as Christians, if we knew all the details of the remainder of our lives on earth?
  2. What are some of the ways the Lord leads us, in addition to truth received directly from His Word?

Links:

Saviour, Thy Dying Love

Words: Sylvanus Dryden Phelps (b. May 15, 1816; d. Nov. 23, 1895)
Music: Robert Lowry (b. March 12, 1826; d. Nov. 25, 1899)

Note: This hymn is sometimes entitled Something for Thee.

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

This hymn is about doing things for the Lord, in the light of all He’s done for us. But that requires an important caution. We can never repay the Lord for His grace–or it wouldn’t be grace (Rom. 4:4-5). But we should be motivated by the love of the Lord to serve Him, with all we have. The remembrance of Calvary ought to prompt us to live for Him, and seek to please Him.

(1) Saviour, Thy dying love Thou gavest me.
Nor should I aught withhold, dear Lord, from Thee.
In love my soul would bow, my heart fulfill its vow,
Some offering bring Thee now, something for Thee.

Nor is Christ’s work on our behalf all in the past. There is more to contemplate than His “dying love.” He is presently our great High Priest, in heaven, seated at the right hand of the Father. There, “He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Heb. 7:25). Since He fully understands and sympathizes with us in our struggles, we are invited to “come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:15-16).

(2) At the blest mercy seat, pleading for me,
My feeble faith looks up, Jesus, to Thee.
Help me the cross to bear, Thy wondrous love declare,
Some song to raise, or prayer, something for Thee.

There is also His example to follow. While He was on earth, Christ demonstrated, as Man, how to live in perfect obedience to His heavenly Father. In His humanity, the Lord Jesus set us the supreme model of godly character. We are to emulate Him (Jn. 13:15; I Pet. 2:21; cf. I Cor. 11:1). God’s desire is that we “be conformed to the image of His Son” (Rom. 8:29), and the work of the indwelling Holy Spirit is to reproduce the character of Christ in us (Gal. 5:22-23).

(3) Give me a faithful heart, likeness to Thee.
That each departing day henceforth may see
Some work of love begun, some deed of kindness done,
Some wanderer sought and won, something for Thee.

What good gift can we give the great God of all the universe that He does not already have? (Or cannot simply create, any time He wants it?) What gift is worthy of His love?

In a sense, as Mr. Phelps expresses it in his final stanza, we ourselves are the greatest gift of all that we can give to God. As Paul says of the Macedonian Christians, “They first gave themselves to the Lord” (II Cor. 8:5). We are to present ourselves as “living sacrifices” to Him (Rom. 12:1), and the Bible speaks of “the glory of His inheritance [i.e. His glorious inheritance] in the saints” (Eph. 1:18). “The Lord’s portion is His people” (Deut. 32:9).

(4) All that I am and have, Thy gifts so free,
In joy, in grief, through life, O Lord, for Thee!
And when Thy face I see, my ransomed soul shall be
Through all eternity, something for Thee.

Questions:

  1. How have you responded to the love of the Lord in the past few days?
  2. How have you perhaps slighted His love recently?

Links:

Trusting Jesus

Words: Edgar Page Stites (b. March 22, 1836; d. Jan. 9, 1921)
Music: Ira David Sankey (b. Aug. 28, 1840; d. Aug. 13, 1908)

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

A popular series of books has been published “for Dummies” (Drawing for Dummies, Blogging for Dummies, etc.) They purport to put difficult subjects within reach of the inexperienced and untrained. If you’ve ever had cause to use one of these volumes, you’ve likely found, as I have, that they can be a help. They certainly simplify things to some extent. However, they hardly make their subjects simple.

There are all kinds of things that are difficult to grasp, or difficult to do. No amount of explanation can remove their complexities quickly. The Bible is like that. Great scholars and theologians have studied the book in minute detail for many centuries, still leaving mysteries and things beyond our ability to know fully.

That is hardly surprising, given the uniqueness of the book. It is the inspired Word of the living God. His transcendence and infinity can’t help but be impressed on the pages of the Bible. Since God Himself is beyond us knowing fully, His Word will be the same. However, having said this, there is so much that is within the grasp of the ardent seeker, so much that even a child can understand. The subject of faith is an example.

Faith involves the belief, trust and confidence that something is true. “Faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain [convinced] of what we do not see” (Heb. 11:1, NIV). That is simply put. But it hardly exhausts the subject. I have a Bible dictionary on my desk as I write. It goes on for more than nine pages (double columns, small print) on the subject. It’s not irrelevant or unimportant to know the things discussed there. But it isn’t necessary for the practical operation of faith in daily life to grasp it all.

We are to take God at His word. That’s it! “Simply trusting,” as Mr. Stites puts it. That’s necessary for our soul’s salvation and beyond. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (Jn. 3:16). “In Him [Christ] you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise” (Eph. 1:13).

(1) Simply trusting every day,
Trusting through a stormy way;
Even when my faith is small,
Trusting Jesus, that is all.

Trusting as the moments fly,
Trusting as the days go by;
Trusting Him whate’er befall,
Trusting Jesus, that is all.

“Simply trusting” is also necessary for Christian living after we’re saved–to move forward, day by day, “simply trusting” in His promises, in the words of Mr. Stites’s hymn, trusting the Lord to do what He says He will do. “We walk by faith” (II Cor. 5:7). “We trust in the living God” (I Tim. 4:10). “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him [as Lord of your life], and He shall direct your paths” (Prov. 3:5-6).

(2) Brightly does His Spirit shine
Into this poor heart of mine;
While He leads I cannot fall;
Trusting Jesus, that is all.

By God’s grace, this simple trust will carry us through this life, and on to the home the Lord has prepared for His own. “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God [the Father], believe also in Me [Christ]. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (Jn. 14:1-3).

(4) Trusting Him while life shall last,
Trusting Him till earth be past;
Till within the jasper wall,
Trusting Jesus, that is all.

Questions:

  1. What is one of the more difficult aspects of faith that you still don’t fully understand?
  2. What basic teaching of God’s Word about faith are you applying today?

Links:

Christ for the World! We Sing

Words: Samuel Wolcott (b. July 2, 1813; d. Feb. 24, 1886)
Music: Italian Hymn, by Felice de Giardini (b. Apr. 12, 1716; d. June 8, 1796)

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

It was a banner reading “Christ for the World, and the World for Christ” that gave Samuel Wolcott the inspiration for this fine missionary hymn. It describes two sides of evangelism. In effect, we are both bringing Christ to lost sinners, and seeking to bring them to Christ.

The work of sharing the gospel should be a joy, because we’re serving the Saviour who died for us. We see the need of sin-weary souls, and labour with “loving zeal. It’s the means God has ordained to save sinners (I Cor. 1:21). “Whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved….[But] how then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Rom. 10:13-14).

(1) Christ for the world we sing,
The world to Christ we bring, with loving zeal,
The poor and them that mourn, the faint and overborne,
Sin sick and sorrow worn, whom Christ doth heal.

We recognize our inadequacy for the task of evangelism. We are limited by the number of workers, and simply because, in ourselves, we lack the spiritual energy required. But the Lord can work through those who call upon Him in faith. “Fervent prayer” draws on the resources of heaven, as we reach out to “the wayward and the lost,” in the grip of sinful passions. “Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into His harvest” (Matt. 9:38; cf. Eph. 6:18-20).

(2) Christ for the world we sing,
The world to Christ we bring, with fervent prayer;
The wayward and the lost, by restless passions tossed,
Redeemed at countless cost, from dark despair.

Unity of effort is also important. Not an ecumenicity that denies or ignores the fundamentals of the faith. Not being satisfied with the lowest common denominator. But a cooperative effort by those dedicated to God and the truths of His Word, ready to labour together with others of like-precious faith, those willing “with us reproach to dare.” We are called to “the work” by Christ’s Great Commission to “go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mk. 16:15; cf. Acts 1:8).

(3) Christ for the world we sing,
The world to Christ we bring, with one accord;
With us the work to share, with us reproach to dare,
With us the cross to bear, for Christ our Lord.

Finally, before us is the joy of the harvest. To think that each of us, by God’s grace, can have some small part in reclaiming lost and dying individuals is a wonderful thing. David describes God’s deliverance this way: “He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth–praise to our God (Ps. 40:2-3). Anything we can do, by God’s grace, to bring that about is a wonderful thing!

(4) Christ for the world we sing,
The world to Christ we bring, with joyful song;
The newborn souls, whose days, reclaimed from error’s ways,
Inspired with hope and praise, to Christ belong.

Questions:

  1. How would you characterize the combination of “loving zeal” in practical terms?
  2. In your view, what is the most effective method of evangelism?

Links:

I Would Be Like Jesus

Words: James Rowe (b. Jan. 1, 1865; d. Nov. 10, 1933)
Music: Bentley Deforest Ackley (b. Sept. 27, 1872; d. Sept. 3, 1958)

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

In the beginning, man was created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-27). But that image was marred and distorted by sin. Through the work of salvation, and the ongoing work of the indwelling Holy Spirit in the believer’s life, that image is being restored. As we cooperate with God’s work in us, He reproduces the character qualities of Christ. “Whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son” (Rom. 8:29).

While we’re on earth, it’s a process–and not always an easy one. Paul wrote in Galatians, “My little children…I labour in birth again until Christ is formed in you” (Gal. 4:19). And he warned the Ephesians away from a worldly walk, saying, “You have not so learned Christ” (Eph. 4:20, cf. vs. 17-19). Boldly, he told the Corinthians, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” (I Cor. 11:1). The devil uses the siren call of the world to draw us away from God’s purpose. But, like Moses, we are called to reject “the passing pleasures of sin” (Heb. 11:24-26).

(1) Earthly pleasures vainly call me;
I would be like Jesus;
Nothing worldly shall enthrall me;
I would be like Jesus.

Be like Jesus, this my song,
In the home and in the throng;
Be like Jesus, all day long!
I would be like Jesus.

Though it is an oversimplification, there is an element of truth in the expression, “Saved to serve.” “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10).

To accomplish these works to the glory of God will require that we crave and nurture the kind of servant’s heart demonstrated by the Lord Jesus. The exhortation, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5), is followed by a reminder that this humble servant’s attitude took Christ to the cross (vs. 8). “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps” (I Pet. 2:21).

(2) He has broken every fetter,
I would be like Jesus;
That my soul may serve Him better,
I would be like Jesus.

(3) All the way from earth to glory,
I would be like Jesus;
Telling o’er and o’er the story,
I would be like Jesus.

A significant part of our service is our witness for Christ. We’re to be “always ready to give a defense [an answer] to everyone who asks [us] a reason for the hope that is in [us]” (I Pet. 3:15). In God’s good time, we’ll be called into His presence and rewarded for our faithful service (Rev. 22:12). But the greatest joy of all will be to hear the Lord’s, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matt. 25:21).

(4) That in heaven He may meet me,
I would be like Jesus;
That His words “Well done” may greet me,
I would be like Jesus.

Questions:

  1. If it’s true that we are “saved to serve,” can you also think of other reasons God saves us?
  2. What kind of worldly things can threaten to “enthrall” (captivate and enslave) us (I Jn. 2:15-17)?

Links:

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