Comment on a Hymn

'All Creatures of Our God and King'

Isn't this hymn a little over the top? Asking 'rushing wind' and 'clouds that sail along' to praise God? Can they do that? Does asking for that actually make any sense? Evidently so. Consider some Scripture.

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Psalms 19:1

…the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Job 38:7

Nature praises God by doing what comes naturally. And I suspect that is what's also supposed to happen with humanity. But sin gets in the way. However, we saints have been rescued from that sin. So, with a little effort we too can praise God. And that's what our hymn writer calls us to.

All creatures of our God and king

Lift up your voice and with us sing,

Alleluia! Alleluia!

Thou burning sun with golden beam,

Thou silver moon with softer gleam!

Refrain

O praise Him! O praise Him!

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Thou rushing wind that art so strong

Ye clouds that sail in Heaven along,

O praise Him! Alleluia!

Thou rising moon, in praise rejoice,

Ye lights of evening, find a voice!

Refrain

Thou flowing water, pure and clear,

Make music for thy Lord to hear,

O praise Him! Alleluia!

Thou fire so masterful and bright,

That givest man both warmth and light.

Refrain

And all ye men of tender heart,

Forgiving others, take your part,

O sing ye! Alleluia!

Ye who long pain and sorrow bear,

Praise God and on Him cast your care!

Refrain

Let all things their Creator bless,

And worship Him in humbleness,

O praise Him! Alleluia!

Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,

And praise the Spirit, Three in One!

Refrain

Comment on a Hymn

'Let Us Love, and Sing, and Wonder'

The title of this hymn tells it all. It's a call to love, sing and wonder. And our author gave a stanza to each of those three. The call to love is the focus of the second stanza, singing the third, and wonder the fourth. I'd like to mention some things about wonder.

When the hymn writer calls us to wonder, he is calling us to be amazed. He wants us to consider what our God has done. It's when we pause to do that that we find ourselves amazed. We could ponder creation and come away amazed at the grandeur of it all. But our author points us to something else. He points us to aspects of the Gospel. So, he tells us, 'Think about what God's justice requires of sinners like us. Consider what it would take for any of us to satisfy those requirements. Then, take a look at what Christ's blood has done.' Wonder.

Take some time to be amazed by considering some aspect of the Gospel of the grace of God for us sinners.

Let us love and sing and wonder,

Let us praise the Savior’s name!

He has hushed the law’s loud thunder,

He has quenched Mount Sinai’s flame.

He has washed us with His blood,

He has brought us nigh to God.

Let us love the Lord who bought us,

Pitied us when enemies,

Called us by His grace, and taught us,

Gave us ears and gave us eyes:

He has washed us with His blood,

He presents our souls to God.

Let us sing, though fierce temptation

Threaten hard to bear us down!

For the Lord, our strong salvation,

Holds in view the conqueror’s crown:

He who washed us with His blood

Soon will bring us home to God.

Let us wonder, grace and justice

Join and point to mercy’s store;

When through grace in Christ our trust is,

Justice smiles and asks no more:

He who washed us with His blood

Has secured our way to God.

Let us praise, and join the chorus

Of the saints enthroned on high;

Here they trusted Him before us,

Now their praises fill the sky:

Thou hast washed us with Your blood;

Thou art worthy, Lamb of God!

Comment on a Hymn

What Shall I Render to My God?

Isn't that a great question? We have been so greatly blessed that a question like this only makes sense. And the writer conveys that sense of being blessed quite well. So, the question is apt. How shall we answer it?

What I find so very interesting is that our writer answers it by talking about going to church to worship with the saints. How many would answer it that way these days?

What shall I render to my God

For all His kindness shown?

My feet shall visit Thine abode,

My songs address Thy throne.

Among the saints that fill Thine house

My off’rings shall be paid;

There shall my zeal perform the vows

My soul in anguish made.

How much is mercy Thy delight,

Thou ever blessèd God!

How dear Thy servants in Thy sight!

How precious is their blood!

How happy all Thy servants are!

How great Thy grace to me!

My life, which thou hast made Thy care,

Lord, I devote to Thee.

Now I am Thine, forever Thine,

Nor shall my purpose move

Thy hand hath loosed my bonds of pain,

And bound me with Thy love.

Here in Thy courts I leave my vow,

And Thy rich grace record;

Witness, ye saints, who hear me now,

If I forsake the Lord.

Comment on a Hymn

'Take My Life, and Let It Be'

Here's a hymn that is familiar enough to us. We've sung it before. And yet, if you take a moment to consider the words that we are singing, this hymn reflects a radical expression of love and discipleship to Jesus. By this hymn we are offering every aspect of our lives - our moments, hands, voice, silver, will, love and all the rest of who we are - every aspect for Jesus to use in any way He thinks best. Any way He thinks best!

Read it over and then think about whether you are ready to sing it.

Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.

Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take my hands, and let them move at the impulse of Thy love.

Take my feet, and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice, and let me sing always, only, for my King.

Take my lips, and let them be filled with messages from Thee.

Take my silver and my gold; not a mite would I withhold.

Take my intellect, and use every power as Thou shalt choose.

Take my will, and make it Thine; it shall be no longer mine.

Take my heart, it is Thine own; it shall be Thy royal throne.

Take my love, my Lord, I pour at Thy feet its treasure store.

Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for Thee.

Comment on a Hymn

Exalt the Lord, His Praise Proclaim

The Spirit has been making clear to me that there hasn't been enough praise in my life. I often give thanks for the many different ways in which I have been blessed by God. And I also offer up many requests to my God, looking forward to how He will respond. But praise is lacking.

It's important to note how praise is different from thanks. We thank God for what He does. Praise, on the other hand, is a response to who He is. We thank God for His deeds, and we praise Him for His character.

This hymn, which is based on Psalm 135, is a call to praise Yahweh. And it includes some reasons to proclaim His praise. So, take a look at the words of the hymn and consider what the writer was pointing to as reasons for praise. What qualities in God does this hymn laud and give as reasons for our praise?

Exalt the Lord, His praise proclaim;

All ye His servants, praise His name,

Who in the Lord’s house ever stand

And humbly serve at His command.

The Lord is good, His praise proclaim;

Since it is pleasant, praise His name;

His people for His own He takes

And His peculiar treasure makes.

I know the Lord is high in state,

Above all gods our Lord is great;

The Lord performs what He decrees,

In Heaven and earth, in depths and seas.

He makes the vapors to ascend

In clouds from earth’s remotest end;

The lightnings flash at His command,

He holds the tempest in His hand.

Exalt the Lord, His praise proclaim;

All ye His servants, praise His name,

Who in the Lord’s house ever stand

And humbly serve at His command,

Forever praise and bless His name,

And in the church His praise proclaim;

In Zion is His dwelling place;

Praise ye the Lord, show forth His grace.

Comment on a Hymn

'Like a River Glorious'

Is this hymn for real? It sounds too Pollyanna.

Like a river glorious, is God’s perfect peace,

Over all victorious, in its bright increase;

Perfect, yet it floweth, fuller every day,

Perfect, yet it groweth, deeper all the way.

Perfect peace? Fuller every day? On this planet? In this life?

And that is followed up with this.

Hidden in the hollow of His blessed hand,

Never foe can follow, never traitor stand;

Not a surge of worry, not a shade of care,

Not a blast of hurry touch the spirit there.

Really? No worry or care? Are you sure? Is this actually a hymn that we can honestly sing? Is it even close to true?

But then, there's the refrain. Good thing, too. Now we have a little clarity about what the hymn writer was getting at.

Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blest

Finding, as He promised, perfect peace and rest.

This hymn is the author's reflection on a bit of Scripture.

​You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Isaiah 26:3

So, the hymn - and its words about perfect peace and all the rest - may not be quite so Pollyanna after all. The last verse helps by including the fact of our trials.

Every joy or trial falleth from above,

Traced upon our dial by the Sun of Love;

We may trust Him fully all for us to do.

They who trust Him wholly find Him wholly true.

In all of this, the author is believing that promise of God in Isaiah. And that's what we sing about. Perfect peace is real. It's real because it's promised. It's promised to all who entrust themselves to Jesus, particularly when the hard times come. This is a hymn that we can sing - that is, if we believe the promise.

Comment on a Hymn

Man of Sorrows! 

This is another fine hymn. And it is a fine hymn not just because it reminds us of Jesus, which is always good, but it reminds us of what He has done.

Ruined sinners to reclaim

In my place condemned He stood

Full atonement! Can it be?

And then there are some things that are true about Him.

Now in heaven exalted high

Our glorious King

But the thing that I think should stand out most is our response to each aspect of what He has done and who He is: Hallelujah! What a saviour!

Man of Sorrows! what a name

For the Son of God, who came

Ruined sinners to reclaim:

Hallelujah! what a Saviour!

Bearing shame and scoffing rude,

In my place condemned he stood,

Sealed my pardon with his blood:

Hallelujah! what a Saviour!

Guilty, vile, and helpless, we;

Spotless Lamb of God was he;

Full atonement! can it be?

Hallelujah! what a Saviour!

Lifted up was he to die,

"It is finished!" was his cry:

Now in heav'n exalted high:

Hallelujah! what a Saviour!

When he comes, our glorious King,

All his ransomed home to bring,

Then anew this song we'll sing:

Hallelujah! what a Saviour!

Comment on a Hymn

Jesus, I Am Resting, Resting

The theme of this hymn is obvious from the title. But it might be good to think of its opposite so that you can grasp well what the hymn is about.

So, what's the opposite of resting? How about feeling agitated or anxious, suffering under an ongoing sense of fear or other such things? That means that resting is about being at peace, feeling calm and encouraged, being hopeful. The point of the hymn is that Christians can avoid those opposites and enjoy what resting is all about.

The hymn reminds how we are able to do this. It points to Jesus' 'transforming power', His 'loving heart' and 'wealth of grace'. What is needed to enjoy these blessings is making the 'certainty of promise' ours. And that will become ours as we are 'simply trusting thee, Lord Jesus'.

There are some really good things to experience when we believe the Gospel, the whole Gospel.

Jesus, I am resting, resting

in the joy of what thou art;

I am finding out the greatness

of thy loving heart.

Thou hast bid me gaze upon thee,

as thy beauty fills my soul,

for by thy transforming power,

thou hast made me whole.

Refrain

Jesus, I am resting, resting

in the joy of what thou art;

I am finding out the greatness

of thy loving heart.

O how great thy loving-kindness,

vaster, broader than the sea!

O how marvelous thy goodness

lavished all on me!

Yes, I rest in thee, Beloved,

know what wealth of grace is thine,

know thy certainty of promise

and have made it mine.

Refrain

Simply trusting thee, Lord Jesus,

I behold thee as thou art,

and thy love, so pure, so changeless,

satisfies my heart;

satisfies its deepest longings,

meets, supplies its ev'ry need,

compasseth me round with blessings:

thine is love indeed.

Refrain

Ever lift thy face upon me

as I work and wait for thee;

resting 'neath thy smile, Lord Jesus,

earth's dark shadows flee.

Brightness of my Father's glory,

sunshine of my Father's face,

keep me ever trusting, resting,

fill me with thy grace.

Refrain

Comment on a Psalm

Psalm 74  

This Psalm can be split up into three sections and each has something you need to consider.

The first section is the lament. Life is not good, not at all. Israel has been invaded and conquered. Try to imagine what that would feel like. Imagine your life being completely upended because a foreign nation has conquered and now inhabits your land. And bear in mind that for Israel that included the destruction of the Temple, the sanctuary, the place of God's special presence with His people.

But the psalmist is not hopeless. There is the pivotal 'Yet…' Here, the author rehearses some of the great works of Yahweh in the past. This gives him a reason to hope.

The Psalm ends with an appeal to God to act, to defend His honor as well as His people. And in light of how He has worked surprising wonders in the past, the psalmist has good reason to request more of the same for the sake of God's people.

Comment on a Psalm

Psalm 73

The first thing that the psalmist does is to identify the problem. It might look like his problem is that all these others, people who are unfaithful to Yahweh, are prospering while he isn't, even though he works very hard to be faithful. But that's not the real problem. That would just be a complaint about how God is running his life. No, the problem is that he envies these other people. The problem is his sin, and he is quite clear in describing it - and himself, while sinning - as ugly.

There is a turning point, however. This is where the writer comes to see things more clearly. He is shown the end of the story, what will happen to these unfaithful people. At that point, he understands better how wisely God runs his life, and he gladly submits himself to Him.

Comment on a Hymn

My Heart Doth Overflow    

This hymn is a rendition of Psalm 45. And the themes that you'll find in it are familiar ones of praise. The King, who is the subject of this Psalm/hymn, is praised for his beauty, grace, strength and majesty. And how fitting when we consider that the King being prophesied here is Jesus.

There is one more theme that bears noting: conquest and rule of the nations. It is important to remember that Jesus has not come just to snatch up a few here and there to take them to heaven. He has come to conquer the nations and rule them by the Gospel. We have a role to play in His plan.

My heart doth overflow,

A goodly theme is mine;

My eager tongue with joyful song

Doth praise the King divine.

Supremely fair Thou art,

Thy lips with grace o’erflow;

His richest blessing evermore

Doth God on Thee bestow.

Now gird Thee with Thy sword,

O strong and mighty One;

In splendid majesty arrayed,

More glorious than the sun.

Triumphantly ride forth

For meekness, truth and right;

Thine arm shall gain the victory

In wondrous deeds of might.

Thy strength shall overcome

All those that hate the King,

And under Thy dominion strong

The nations Thou shalt bring.

Thy royal throne, O God,

Forevermore shall stand;

Eternal truth and justice wield

The scepter in Thy hand.

Since Thou art sinless found,

The Lord, Thy God, confessed,

Anointeth Thee with perfect joy,

Thou art supremely blessed.

Thy garments breathe of myrrh

And spices sweet and rare;

Glad strains of heav’nly music ring

Throughout Thy palace fair.

Comment on a Hymn

To You, O Lord, I Fly    

This hymn is a rendition of Psalm 16. Its third verse summarizes some of the themes of the rest of the Psalm. The psalmist continues to keep his eye on his Lord. He does that because he has 'proved' him. That is, he has found Him faithful. This God guards him from the effects of evil as He guides him through life. The ultimate hope of the psalmist is that His God will ultimately guide him to His right hand where there are 'streams of pleasure' and 'boundless joy'.

To you, O Lord, I fly

And on your help depend;

You are my Lord and King Most High;

Great God my soul defend.

A heritage for me Jehovah will remain;

My portion rich and full is he,

My right he will maintain.

The lot to me that fell

Is beautiful and fair;

The heritage in which I dwell

Is good beyond compare.

I praise the Lord above

Whose counsel guides aright;

My heart instructs me in his love

In seasons of the night.

I keep before me still

The Lord whom I have proved;

At my right hand he guards from ill,

And I shall not be moved.

Life's pathway you will show,

To your right hand will guide,

Where streams of pleasure ever flow,

And boundless joys abide.

Comment on a Psalm

Psalm 70

The Psalm starts (and ends) with a cry of desperation. Life is not going well so the psalmist calls to God to rescue him and to do that quickly. What follows are two requests. The first has to do with those who are attacking him. He wants them shamed. That is, he wants what they were hoping for not to come about and thus for them to be humiliated. Interesting request, no? The second request has to do with the faithful, those who seek God. Isn't this also interesting? In the midst of his pain, the psalmist is thinking about the rest of the saints. He asks God to bless them with happiness so that they will praise Him.

Comment on a Psalm

Psalm 69

Here are two things to note about this Psalm.

It starts out dark. Life is not going well for the psalmist, and he acknowledges that before God. Again, we see the honesty of the Psalms. But also note that the Psalm ends on a very optimistic note, the note of praise. It does not appear that anything has changed in the writer's situation. Life is still hard. He is still in pain. And yet, he knows how it will all end up. And so he praises his God.

Comment on a Hymn

In Christ Alone

This is a striking hymn. And here's something to consider to help you sing it with greater understanding and therefore with greater feeling. Each verse has a theme, and the theme is stated in the last line of the verse.

Verse 1: the love of Christ.

Verse 2: the death of Christ.

Verse 3: the blood of Christ.

Verse 4: the power of Christ.

This is a literary device that the author included to help us grasp well the point of the song: we stand as Christians in Christ alone.

In Christ alone my hope is found,

He is my light, my strength, my song.

This cornerstone, this solid ground,

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.

What heights of love, what depths of peace,

When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!

My Comforter, my All in All,

Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone who took on flesh

Fullness of God in helpless babe.

This gift of love and righteousness

Scorned by the ones He came to save.

Till on that cross as Jesus died,

The wrath of God was satisfied.

For every sin on Him was laid;

Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay,

Light of the world by darkness slain.

Then bursting forth in glorious Day

Up from the grave He rose again!

And as He stands in victory

Sin's curse has lost its grip on me.

For I am His and He is mine -

Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death,

This is the power of Christ in me.

From life's first cry to final breath

Jesus commands my destiny.

No power of hell, no scheme of man,

Can ever pluck me from His hand.

Till He returns or calls me home,

Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.

Comment on a Psalm

 Psalm 68

This is a Psalm that starts by remembering the past. The psalmist recounts how Yahweh led His people up from Egypt ultimately arriving at Mt. Zion where He dwells with His people.

The Psalm ends by looking to the future. Then, kings and kingdoms will come to worship this awesome God of Israel.

We live between these two poles, encouraged by the past and optimistic about the future.

Comment on a Hymn

'It Is Well with My Soul'

In this hymn the author spends a little time reflecting on his situation. And as he does that, he is able to give this answer, 'It is well with my soul'.

Life filled with issues that confront. Hymn writer points to sorrows of life and the attacks of Satan. And yet, even in those situations he able to conclude, 'It is well with my soul'. Whatever the situation, good or bad, he still gives the same response. 'It is well with my soul'. How? Each verse explains.

Verse 1: God has taught him to say that.

Verse 2: In the face of Satan's schemes and the trials that come, this fact is sure: his Savior loves him and has proved that at the Cross.

Verse 3: Although he has to confront his persistent sins, the Gospel reminds him that all his sins have been dealt with. Forgiveness is his.

All concluded by verse 4: longing for the day when the battles will be over

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain

It is well, with my soul,

It is well, with my soul,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,

Let this blest assurance control,

That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,

And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

Refrain

My sin - oh, the bliss of this glorious thought -

My sin - not in part but the whole,

Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

Refrain

O Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,

The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;

The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,

Even so - it is well with my soul.

Refrain

Comment on a Psalm

Psalm 67

The psalmist is clear. He is asking God to bless Israel. But he is also clear about why he is asking for that blessing. It all turns on the word 'that'.

that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations.

You might call this an evangelistic psalm. Our author wants God's amazing ways known and acknowledged among all the peoples of the earth, all the nations. And that's why he asks God to bless him and the rest of the saints. You might paraphrase his thought like this: 'Bless us so that we will be a blessing to those who are all around us so that they would join us in worshiping You.' Good thought.

Comment on a Hymn

'Let Us Love, and Sing, and Wonder'

The hymn is a call to the people of God to respond to what He has done. So there is the call to love, the call to sing and the call to wonder. It's that last one that I want to draw your attention to.

To wonder can mean to think or speculate about, 'I wonder why he's doing that'. It can also mean to doubt, 'I wonder if he'll actually show up'. But the hymn writer wasn't using our word in either of these senses. No, he was calling the saints to marvel, to be amazed, to be awed. He is convinced that responding to Jesus in this way makes sense. And to persuade us, he lists several reasons in the hymn.

We live in a day when wonder is in short supply - that is, unless it's about some athletic display or human catastrophe or the like. But being in wonder about Jesus is not so very common. And yet, it is this wonder at Him and what He has done that motivates saints to live in a way that makes a difference.

In singing this hymn we are agreeing with our author, and we are joining him in calling all the saints to respond similarly.

Let us love and sing and wonder,

Let us praise the Savior’s name!

He has hushed the law’s loud thunder,

He has quenched Mount Sinai’s flame.

He has washed us with His blood,

He has brought us nigh to God.

Let us love the Lord who bought us,

Pitied us when enemies,

Called us by His grace, and taught us,

Gave us ears and gave us eyes:

He has washed us with His blood,

He presents our souls to God.

Let us sing, though fierce temptation

Threaten hard to bear us down!

For the Lord, our strong salvation,

Holds in view the conqueror’s crown:

He who washed us with His blood

Soon will bring us home to God.

Let us wonder, grace and justice

Join and point to mercy’s store;

When through grace in Christ our trust is,

Justice smiles and asks no more:

He who washed us with His blood

Has secured our way to God.

Let us praise, and join the chorus

Of the saints enthroned on high;

Here they trusted Him before us,

Now their praises fill the sky:

Thou hast washed us with Your blood;

Thou art worthy, Lamb of God!

Comment on a Hymn

'O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing'

Let's just focus on the title of this hymn, 'O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing'. Why this? Wesley is lamenting that he has but one tongue. He is sure that it would be so much better if he had not just one tongue, but a thousand tongues to sing his Redeemer's praise. This reflects the passionate adoration that Wesley felt as he considered what Jesus had done for him.

Wesley wants to be clear about what it is that his Redeemer has done, what it is that he is praising Him for. So, he mentions some of those amazing deeds in the hymn. Singing this hymn gives us opportunity to imitate Wesley in his passion for Jesus.

O for a thousand tongues to sing

My great Redeemer’s praise,

The glories of my God and king,

The triumphs of His grace!

My gracious master and my God,

Assist me to proclaim,

To spread through all the earth abroad

The honors of Thy name.

Jesus! the name that charms our fears,

That bids our sorrows cease;

’Tis music in the sinner’s ears,

’Tis life, and health, and peace.

He breaks the power of canceled sin,

He sets the prisoner free;

His blood can make the foulest clean,

His blood availed for me.

He speaks, and, listening to His voice,

New life the dead receive,

The mournful, broken hearts rejoice,

The humble poor believe.

Hear Him, ye deaf; His praise, ye dumb,

Your loosened tongues employ;

Ye blind, behold your Savior come,

And leap, ye lame, for joy.