Comment on a Hymn

'When All Thy Mercies, O My God,'

Here is a hymn that calls to mind the many different ways that God is good to us, the many different ways that we experience the gifts of His mercy. There is His 'tender care', our 'health renewed', the blessing of 'a cheerful heart'. And out of our experiences of these gifts there will be 'a joyful song' of praise.

But here's one thing that comes before all of that:

When all Thy mercies, O my God,

My rising soul surveys.

For us to appreciate these mercies of God we need to take the time to 'survey' them, to think about them. Here, again, we are reminded of the need to stop and meditate on the things of God. It is out of this meditation that we see more and more deeply how good our God is to us. And when that happens, our lives are changed.

When all Thy mercies, O my God,

My rising soul surveys,

Transported with the view, I’m lost

In wonder, love and praise.

Unnumbered comforts to my soul

Thy tender care bestowed,

Before my infant heart conceived

From whom those comforts flowed.

When worn with sickness, oft hast Thou

With health renewed my face;

And when in sins and sorrows sunk,

Revived my soul with grace.

Ten thousand thousand precious gifts

My daily thanks employ;

Nor is the least a cheerful heart

That tastes those gifts with joy.

Through every period of my life

Thy goodness I’ll pursue

And after death, in distant worlds,

The glorious theme renew.

Through all eternity to Thee

A joyful song I’ll raise;

For, oh, eternity’s too short

To utter all Thy praise!