Hymn of the Week: Great is Thy Faithfulness

This is one of my favorite hymns, and has been since I was a kid. The words were penned by Thomas Obadiah Chisholm.

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father
There is no shadow of turning with Thee
Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not
As Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be

Chorus: Great is Thy faithfulness, great is Thy faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hands hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me

Summer and winter, springtime and harvest
Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love

Chorus

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside

Chorus

I find myself singing this particular hymn when I'm by myself; it seems to lend itself well to this. Some of the better versions I've heard are by Selah and Gary Chapman (who only sings the 1st verse and chorus on his cd Shelter). It's also one we sing periodically in church.

We've got some good scriptural allusions in here (James 1 in the 1st verse, Lamentations 3 in the chorus). And I think in light of Thanksgiving coming up, I'm encouraged to reflect on the Lord's faithfulness in my life. Admist the changes and transitions of life, God is unchanging. Despite my sin and rebellion, He provides peace and His presence. And, as the 2nd verse notes, God is even faithful to creation itself (ever thought about that?)! By the way, am I missing the significance to the number 10,000? It also reminds me of Amazing Grace ("when we've been there 10,000 years"). Is there a reason for that particular number? Any help would be appreciated.

This is one song I was hoping to sing at my wedding, but we couldn't really fit it in. But on that day (and since) I did reflect on God's faithfulness in getting me this far. I've tried, oh how I've tried!, to sabotage His work in my life, but despite by best (or worst) efforts, He has faithfully held on for dear life and showered me with new mercies every morning. I have much to be thankful for.

Hymn of the Week: Rock of Ages

Has it really been 6 months since my last Hymn of the Week post? Yikes! A few weeks back we sang this hymn in church during communion time (at the request of fellow hymnophile JP). It's an 18th century hymn written by Augustus Montague Toplady in Britian. It's not necessarily one most of us sing very often or even know, but it is a terrific hymn. Check out the lyrics:

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood,
From Thy riven side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure;
Save from wrath and make me pure.

Not the labour of my hands
Can fulfil Thy law’s demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears for ever flow,
All for sin could not atone;
Thou must save, and Thou alone.

Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to the cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress;
Helpless, look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly;
Wash me, Saviour, else I die.

While I draw this fleeting breath,
When my eyelids close in death,
When I soar to worlds unknown,
See Thee on Thy judgement throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee.

Note: the line "when my eyelids close in death" originally read "when my eyestrings break in death." I'm not sure when this line was changed, but I do have to wonder why "eyestrings" was ever a word.

You'll note how the lyrics are strongly theocentric- it places the work of salvation (presented in various metaphors and pictures) in God's hands. I've read that Toplady wrote this in response to the perceived man-centered approach of John Wesley (an assessment I disagree with). I'm quite certain that an Arminian/Wesleyan could sing this hymn without any trouble (nor more than one who is reformed singing And Can It Be).

This song, like a number of others I've mentioned, ends with an eschatological view. Many of the great hymns conclude with the hope of eternity with the Lord. I like how the hymn begins and ends with the hope of God protecting us (anyone who has heard me teach will be quick to point out that this literary device is called "inclusio") because it helps us to see that the same loving God that covers us now will continue to cover us for eternity.

One concept in this song that many may struggle with is the inadequacy of anything we can offer God. This is a song about what God has done/is doing/will do rather than what we will do. The actions that we do in this song (for example, "come to Thee", "look to Thee") are accompanied by descriptions of our inability to offer anything good on our own- "naked","helpless."

Any thoughts you'd like to share?

Hymn of the Week: Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

Ah, the return of my favorite part of blogging, the Hymn of the Week. It's been a while, and it seems like I always promise this will happen more regularly, so this time I won't even promise that. Anyway, this week's hymn is a great one, a personal favorite of one of my readers (maybe more than one, actually). It's written by Robert Robinson, here are the lyrics.

Come Thou Fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it,
Mount of God's unchanging love.

Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Hither by Thy help I'm come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let that grace now like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

We sang this song in church this past Sunday, but there were some differences in lyrics. The version we sang had "Name" instead of "Mount" at the end of the first verse, it changed the first couple lines of the second verse and used a different word for "interposed." I presume these changes were intentional on the part of whoever rewrote it. The first change may have happened because of our poor understanding of metonymy, which is a figure of speech that takes a noun and uses it in place of a related noun (such as "The White House issued a statement", whereas "The White House" issued no statement, rather the President or his officials did). The second change was probably meant to avoid using the confusing (to us) "Ebenezer", but I think it's an opportunity to do some teaching on the meaning of the word (I'll let you look it up). I'm sure the third change was to avoid the word "interpose", which is hardly everyday language.

Anyway, this is a great song, I love some of the imagery: our hearts being tuned to sing of God's grace (you musicians should understand this even better than I), the pervasive theme of our wandering and God's rescue, and our hearts being fettered by God's grace. This is a song that deserves to be contemplated as much as sung, in my opinion. And I hope you do just that, I look forward to your thoughts.

Hymn of the Week: Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior

This selection is a song that I didn't really know until recently. I was aware of its existence, but that's about it. I have two versions of it on cd, one sung by Selah and one sung by Fernando Ortega. Good stuff, anyway, here are the lyrics, written by Fanny J Crosby.

Pass me not, O gentle Savior,
Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.

Refrain:
Savior, Savior,
Hear my humble cry,
While on others Thou are calling,
Do not pass me by.

Let me at a throne of mercy
Find a sweet relief;
Kneeling there in deep contrition,
Help my unbelief.

Refrain

Trusting only in Thy merit,
Would I seek Thy face;
Heal my wounded, broken spirit,
Save me by Thy grace.

Refrain

Thou the spring of all my comfort,
More than life to me,
Whom have I on earth beside Thee,
Whom in Heav’n but Thee

Refrain

For some reason, Ortega sings "smiling" insteading of "calling" in the opening verse. I'm not sure if there's a textual variant somewhere, maybe someone can check the ancient Crosby Codex. Or perhaps Ortega was going for a little more variety, considering the use of "calling" in the refrain (which apparently is different from a chorus, someone care to explain?).

What I love about this song is its simplicity. There's nothing fancy about it, its just a simple prayer, one that most of us can relate to. Who among us hasn't felt "passed over" by God? Now, there are some who say this type of prayer/song reflects a sinful attitude of not trusting and not appreciating God. I suppose they would have a point. Then again, it seems David (and other psalmists) didn't mind saying that they felt like the Lord had missed them somehow amidst all the blessings others were receiving (including the wicked, which isn't a theme in this hymn). What the psalmists include, and what we see here, is the confidence that God will hear such prayers. So, when read in context, the "God have you forgotten me?" prayer is not sinful, in my opinion.

What this hymn shows us is that God alone can answer such prayers. A person who lacked faith might not even offer this prayer, but since God alone is Savior, since He alone brings relief and helps unbelief, since He alone is healer (etc), the person of faith will ask for mercy while feeling slighted. Perhaps it's a greater sign of faith to say "Lord, I feel like I'm forgotten, but I trust that You will provide me with everything I need" than to be dishonest and pretend like all is well.

At any rate, I've grown to appreciate this song and find myself singing it during rough days. I'd love to hear some of your thoughts on this.

Hymn of the Week: Nothing But the Blood

Ah, the return of the Hymn of the Week. Sorry about the delay, no excuses. This past Sunday we sung this wonderful tune and it inspired me to share it. Here are the lyrics for Nothing But the Blood, written by Robert Lowry.

What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Chorus: Oh! Precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

For my pardon, this I see,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
For my cleansing, this my plea,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

(Repeat chorus)

Nothing can for sin atone,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus
Naught of good that I have done,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

(Repeat chorus)

This is all my hope and peace,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
This is all my righteousness,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

(Repeat chorus)

This is such a great song, and it's been even more meaningful as I've been teaching out of the Pentateuch the last couple weeks and the issue of sacrifice comes up regularly. For a world in need of redemption and forgiveness, this simple song offers us the answer. For a people who sin and rebel against God, we need not look any further than the blood of Jesus. At the very least, as we read through Leviticus and other such books we can see that our sin is very real and deserving of punishment. This punishment has been paid. We have no other hope than this.

The line "for my cleansing, this my plea" stands out to me as I think through this song. I think of all the times I have repented before the Lord for my sin and sought to "do better" or thought that my deep contrition (real or imagined) would somehow work on my behalf. Yet, as this song reminds us, if I seek cleansing I have no other plea before God than the blood of Jesus. His sacrifice washes away my sin, nothing I have done. Simple truth, often forgotten.

Hymn of the Week: O Worship the King

Earlier today I was attending yet another wedding and decided to pass the time (before the wedding, not during) by flipping through the hymnal. I ran across this one that I haven't heard in a while but really love. It's written by Robert Grant:

O worship the King,
all glorious above,
And gratefully sing
His power and His love;
Our Shield and Defender,
the Ancient of Days,
Pavilioned in splendor,
and girded with praise.

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

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.

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.

One of the better versions of this song is from the Passion: Hymns Ancient and Modern cd. I like it because it is powerful, as the lyrics of this song are (some songs just weren't meant to be done in a soft or folky way, this is one of them). It also adds a chorus (generally a bad idea) which actually works because it takes lines from the original song and reworks them. Anyway, nicely done.

As I said, I think this song is powerful, meaning it presents a powerful picture of God. I particularly love the line "pavilioned in splendor and girded with praise." The whole picture of the terrible wrath of God and His tender mercies strike me as a perfect balance, as we see in Scripture.

This is another hymn that rightly places us in relation to God. He is the One who is clothed in splendor. He is the Defender and Shield. We are feeble and frail, we rely on His unfailing love. This is a picture of grace, of God's willingness to love and protect His people despite themselves. The God who created all and controls the light and the storm has shown Himself to be a faithful, loving God. His mercy is both tender and firm. Let us, as the song says, gratefully sing praises to our Lord.

Hymn of the Week: And Can It Be

After not posting for almost 2 weeks, I have now posted twice in 12 hours. Go figure. Don't skip over the last post (5.5 Random Things), it just might give you a glimpse into my psyche. Also, the blog police have informed me that if I don't start posting the "Hymn of the Week" once a week, the name will have to be changed to "Hymn of the Every-Other-Week", and that just doesn't have the same punch.

This week's offering was written by the one and only Charles Wesley, after whom the Charles Wesley Corollary is named, which I first unveiled a few weeks back. Charles Wesley is considered one of the finest hymn writers ever and is respected across a wide range of Christianity. In fact, I'd like someone to write a biography of him called Charles Wesley: Even the Presbyterians Like Him. Here are the lyrics:

And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior's blood?
Died He for me who caused His pain!
For me who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be
That Thou, my God, should die for me?

Chorus: Amazing love! How can it be
That Thou, my God, should die for me!
Amazing love! How can it be
That Thou, my God, should die for me!

He left His Father's throne above,
So free, so infinite His grace!
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam's helpless race.
'Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!

Chorus

Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature's night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray;
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

Chorus

No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in Him, is mine;
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach the eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own

Chorus

Modern worship aficionados will notice that the song You Are My King (Amazing Love) essentially stole from the chorus of this song. That's fine, if imitation is the highest form of flattery than theft must be even better, right?

Some things confuse me about this song. I honestly don't think that "Thine eye diffused a quickening ray" makes tons of sense, but what do I know. And "Emptied Himself of all but love" could be taken to mean that our author believed that Christ emptied Himself of His divinity in coming to earth (an interpretation that some take of Philippians 2:7), which would be wrong. But, while I'm not an expert in Wesleyan theology (though I know a bit about John and Charles) I don't really think that is what is meant here. Finally, this song is really hard to sing for those of us with no vocal range. In fact, I've yet to hear a good modern rendition of this song, I'm beginning to wonder if it's possible.

But there's so much to love here. The Incarnation (from the manger to the tomb) truly is the greatest act of love this world has ever seen, or will ever see. Why should I, who caused His pain and suffering, be rewarded through His death? Doesn't this defy logic? But that is what is so amazing about His love, it benefits those who mock Him. Amazing love indeed. The last verse is one of the most powerful in all of hymnody, in my opinion. I could sing it all day and never quite wrap my mind around it.

May I suggest that you ponder for a while the thought that Jesus, who has always been and always will be God, lowered Himself to this earth and died for you and me. The One who has been from the beginning suffered and died a humiliating death for His people. The One who spoke this world into creation and was rejected by it sacrificed Himself in the greatest act of love. Think about that. How is this possible? Did you or I do anything to deserve this? Amazing love, how can it be, that Thou my God should die for me?

Hymn of the Week: Jesus with Thy Church Abide

It's actually been two weeks since my last Hymn of the Week, sorry about that. I recently thought to myself, "you know, we don't sing enough songs that prominently feature the word 'beseech.'" Well, that offense is corrected this fine morning with our latest installment, "Jesus with Thy Church Abide" by Thomas Pollock. This is probably not too well known, which is rather unfortunate. Ponder the lyrics for a while:

Jesus, with Thy church abide;
Be her savior, Lord, and Guide,
While on earth her faith is tried:
We beseech Thee, hear us,
We beseech Thee, hear us.

Keep her life and doctrine pure;
Grant her patience to endure,
Trusting in Thy promise sure:
We beseech Thee, hear us,
We beseech Thee, hear us.

May she one in doctrine be,
One in truth and charity,
Winning all to faith in Thee:
We beseech Thee, hear us,
We beseech Thee, hear us.

May she guide the poor and blind,
Seek the lost until she find
And the brokenhearted bind:
We beseech Thee, hear us,
We beseech Thee, hear us.

As you can see, this is a prayer for the Church. I find myself appreciating and loving the Church as I get older (not that I'm all that old, right?). For me, a major change in my attitude was my trip to Sri Lanka in '05 where I got to serve the Body of Christ in need. It helped me to see God's people beyond what I know here and realize the urgent need to cry out to God on their behalf. I've grown in my love for the Church and the love of the Church's Head.

Notice the focus on the role of the Church in this hymn. There is an emphasis on doctrine, evangelism and healing the hurting. When was the last time you sung about the Church's doctrine? Also take note of the character of the Church. There's an emphasis on unity and endurance, the former is obviously lacking and the latter probably is as well (although that's harder to measure, I suppose). Most importantly, note that these things are not accomplished through our own strength, but the the One who abides with His people.

When I think of this hymn I ask myself a few questions. Am I praying for the Church (beyond my own local fellowship)? Do I identify myself with my brothers and sisters throughout the ages and all over the world? Do I rejoice with her? Do I mourn with her? Do I recognize the need to intercede on her behalf?

May I suggest something for us to do? Use this hymn as a springboard prayer for the body of Christ. Learn to love the Church as Christ does. Many within the Church have taken a negative attitude towards her, may that never be true of us! Let yourself be known as someone who loves the Church and faithfully prays on her behalf.

Hymn of the Week: There Is a Fountain

Before we get to this week's hymn, I wanted to thank everyone for your comments on Paul's thoughts on the Holy Spirit and public worship. If you haven't taken the time, check out the comments from the last post (they're more thoughtful and more concise than the post itself), I hope we are challenged to see worship through music as a means to edify our brothers and sisters.

For this week, I decided to go with what I thought was a very well-known hymn, but have recently discovered that not everyone knows it. It's written by William Cowper, a British poet and songwriter. I recently read some of the background of his life and discovered that he suffered from severe depression at times. As someone who has "down" periods in life I was encouraged to see man who sought to worship the Lord faithfully despite himself. At any rate, here are the lyrics, followed by some thoughts.

There is fountain filled with blood
Drawn from Emmanuel’s veins;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood
Lose all their guilty stains.
Lose all their guilty stains
Lose all their guilty stains
And sinners plunged beneath that flood
Lose all their guilty stains

The dying thief rejoiced to see
That fountain in his day;
And there may I, though vile as he,
Wash all my sins away.
Wash all my sins away
Wash all my sins away
And there may I, though vile as he
Wash all my sins away

Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood
Shall never lose its power’
Til all the ransomed church of God
Be saved to sin no more.
Be saved to sin no more
Be saved to sin no more
Til all the ransomed church of God
Be saved to sin no more

E’er since, by faith, I saw the stream
Thy flowing wounds supply,
Redeeming love has been my theme,
And shall be ’til I die.
And shall be ’til I die
And shall be ’til I die
Redeeming love has been my theme
And shall be ’til I die

When this poor lisping, stammering tongue
Lies silent in the grave,
Then in a nobler, sweeter song,
I’ll sing Thy pow’r to save.
I’ll sing Thy pow’r to save
I’ll sing Thy pow’r to save
Then in a nobler, sweeter song
I’ll sing Thy pow’r to save

If you don't know this song, then the repetition of certain lines might look more annoying than anything else, but it sounds great when you sing it. There are a number of things to love about this song, let me highlight a few. One, I love the emphasis on the blood of Christ (a theme more popular in times past, it seems) and the extent of the rewards of His sacrifice ("lose all their guilty stains", "wash all my sins away", "be saved to sin no more").

Two, this is a song that is incredibly honest about the human condition (sometimes depression offers incredible clarity). There is little doubt about where humans stand in this song- they are sinful. But it points the finger internally as well; rather than simply saying "we are sinful" (which is obviously true) it forces us to look at ourselves and see our need for redemption. This is especially seen in the 2nd verse about the thief on the cross- "there may I, though vile as he..." If you sing this song and miss this truth, well, you've missed the point entirely.

Three, I love the little bit about the ransomed church, and the future aspect of salvation. We are still awaiting the day when our salvation is consummated and we will cease to sin. One of the most common phrases used in seminary was "already/not yet" when discussing salvation. We have already been saved, but we have not yet seen the full completion of that, and will not until Christ's return.

Four (I could go on, but I've decided that this is it for now), I love the language of the last verse. As far as I know, Cowper did not suffer from any speech impediments, so the idea of "this poor, lisping, stammering tongue" is probably metaphorical. Doesn't that describe us so well? We are incapable of offering perfect praises to our God, they come out in stutters. But someday, no matter how hard it is to see it now, that will not be the case. My pathetic whimpers will someday rush forth with the cries of the redeemed in a deafenig roar.

Let us not forget where the power of this song lies: in the atoning death of Jesus. If not for this, there would be no hope of salvation from sin and no hope of our stammering tongues being loosened for praise. Thankfully, there is a Fountain where we can have our sins washed away.

Hymn of the Week: Be Thou My Vision

This week's selection for Hymn of the Week is in honor of my roommate, Jonathan. As he is in Ireland on business for the next 100 years or so, I figured it appropriate to choose an old Irish hymn just for him. I wanted to pick one out last week for him related to that trip's location, but there is a surprising dearth of great hymn writers from Winnipeg. Those Manitobans need to pick it up.

We sang this a few weeks ago in church, and I loved it. Actually, this is a good time to unveil something Jonathan and I discovered a while back. We've found that the power of the Spirit evident in any given meeting is proportional to the quality and quantity of hymns that are sung. I stress quality because one How Great Thou Art is worth at least a dozen renditions of When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder. Maybe we should call this the Charles Wesley Corollary. I'll get back to you on that. At any rate, I think this is a song that becomes more powerful to me every time I sing it (which is not often enough). It was a favorite of many in seminary, and as time goes on I can see why. Here are the lyrics of which, as far as I know, the original writer is unknown.

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.

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

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance, now and always;
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High king of heaven, my treasure Thou art.

High king of heaven, my victory won,
May I reach heaven's joys, O bright heaven's sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my vision, O ruler of all.

This is one of those songs that works well as a prayer. In fact, I invite you to try it out as such. One thing I like about it is the combination of the rightful place of God in our lives and thought, as well as our communion with Him. It also places emphasis on the benefits of being His child (inheritance, victory). The last verse includes the hope of heaven (for the third week in a row I point out that many hymns have this, someone needs to do an in-depth survey or thesis on this), as well as a It Is Well With My Soul-like "whatever befall, still be my vision." This song has everything. It is rapidly approaching "That Better Be Played At My Funeral" status. Thanks for reading, I hope you take the time to meditate on this great Irish hymn, feel free to leave your thoughts.

Hymn of the Week: It Is Well With My Soul

Before I post this week's hymn, I wanted to plug a website (which was plugged in the comments section of my last hymn post) that I have discovered to be a pleasure. You may recall I mentioned a series of cds called Indelible Grace, put out by RUF (which we learned stands for Reformed University Fellowship). Here is the website for their online hymnbook. It has some great ones, complete with leader sheets, guitar chords, and other goodies. It also has an MP3 for each song to give you an idea of how to play it in its current arrangement (these aren't the full songs, just enough to give you an idea of how it works). Anyway, here you go:

http://www.igracemusic.com/hymnbook/hymns.html

Now, this week's pick is a very well known hymn, It Is Well With My Soul, by Horatio Spafford. I'm sure most of you know this great song, but I hope you'll take the opportunity to reflect on these words. As last time, here are the lyrics, followed by a few thoughts of my own.

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way
When sorrows like sea billows roll
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say
“It is well, it is well with my soul”

It is well (it is well) with my soul (with my soul)It is well, it is well with my soul

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come
Let this blessed assurance control
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate
And hath shed His own blood for my soul

It is well (it is well) with my soul (with my soul)It is well, it is well with my soul

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!

It is well (it is well) with my soul (with my soul)It is well, it is well with my soul

And Lord haste the day when the 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.

It is well (it is well) with my soul (with my soul)It is well, it is well with my soul

The story behind these lyrics makes this song even more powerful. Spafford's children were killed in a tragic accident as they sailed with their mother on the Atlantic, though the mother survived. He wrote this song as he was dealing with their death. One story says that he wrote part of it as he sailed over the same place the ship carrying his children sank. Some say this is not true, either way, the context of dealing with the death of his children provides some more depth and meaning.

This is one of those hymns that I have trouble singing without being moved. I wish I could say that I trust the Lord enough to say "whatever my lot...", but I'm not sure I'm there yet. Also, as in last week's hymn, note that the verses lead up to Christ's return (a popular feature of hymns). This is, after all, perhaps the greatest comfort we have during difficult times: our Lord is coming back!

The 3rd verse (My sin, oh the bliss of that glorious thought...) is my favorite, in fact, these lyrics are some of my favorite of any song. I wasn't intending on posting this hymn until today, but opted to do so mainly because I was singing this verse over and over again this morning to myself. How often do I forget that all my sin was nailed to the cross? How often do I forget to live in light of this glorious thought?

Anyway, I hope you enjoy these lyrics again. This song is certainly on my "This Better Be Played At My Funeral" list. Hey, maybe that should be the title of this series- This Better Be Played At My Funeral: It Is Well With My Soul. Hmmm...

Hymn of the Week: Jesus, I Come

I've been wanting to have a special weekly highlight of some of my favorite hymns for a while, and now I've finally sat down to do it (after almost a month of not posting anything, but I was out of the country for a while, so there). I'll basically just post the lyrics and some thoughts, but hopefully not so many as to detract from the song itself. I am no hymnologist (if there is such a thing) and certainly am not qualified to analyze the poetry of any song. These songs will simply be some that I have grown to love over the years. Hymns are a gift to the Church, and I hope we not allow them to be pushed to the back burner.

Leading off the Hymn of the Week segment will be one written by a man named William Sleeper. I've heard a couple different names for it: "Jesus, I Come" and "Out of My Bondage (Jesus, I Come)." Either way, you get the idea. Anyway, here are the lyrics:

Out of my bondage, sorrow and night
Jesus, I come; Jesus I come
Into Thy freedom, gladness and light
Jesus, I come to Thee
Out of my sickness into Thy health
Out of my wanting and into Thy wealth
Out of my sin and into Thyself
Jesus, I come to Thee.

Out of my shameful failure and loss
Jesus, I come; Jesus, I come
Into the glorious gain of Thy cross
Jesus, I come to Thee
Out of earth’s sorrows into Thy balm
Out of life’s storms and into Thy calm
Out of distress into jubilant psalm
Jesus, I come to Thee.

Out of unrest and arrogant pride
Jesus, I come; Jesus, I come
Into Thy blessed will to abide
Jesus, I come to Thee
Out of myself to dwell in Thy love
Out of despair into raptures above
Upward forever on wings like a dove
Jesus, I come to Thee.

Out of the fear and dread of the tomb
Jesus, I come; Jesus, I come
Into the joy and light of Thy home
Jesus, I come to Thee
Out of the depths of ruin untold
Into the peace of Thy sheltering fold
Ever Thy glorious face to behold
Jesus, I come to Thee.

I had never heard this hymn until I was in seminary, when I borrowed a friend's Indelible Grace cd (Vol III, entitled "For All the Saints"). Indelible Grace is a series of cds put out by RUF (Reformed University Fellowship, thanks Stephanie) that features hymns redone by various Christian artists (Derek Webb, Andrew Osenga, Dan Haseltine, etc). This particular song was done by Matthew Perryman Jones, and I was floored the first time I heard it. I probably listened to it a million times that first day (by the way, he did another song on that cd, "Jesus Cast a Look on Me", which is also great). Anyway, I didn't really like the cd as a whole, but Jones' two songs are worth the price of the cd (which I don't actually own due to my lack of funds). Not too long after that we sang this in chapel, but other than that I've never sung it in a corporate setting.

So why do I love this song? I suppose the answer to this question might change depending on the circumstances of life, but for now I can say a couple things. One, I think it wonderfully portrays the exchange that comes with the Christian life. The Bible talks about receiving beauty for ashes and so on, this song hammers home this theme. Two, it talks about something I aspire to, that is, leaving behind my fear, pride, dread, etc., for the blessings that come with being in Christ. This song has become a constant prayer for me as I struggle through life. Three, I like how the song leads to the truth of eternity with Christ. It seems that a number of older hymns do this, and I really like that aspect. I just hope the reference to "raptures" isn't referring to the common belief in a "rapture" as seen in the Left Behind series and dispensational theology.

Anyway, that's about it. Like I said, I don't want to say too much, I'd rather these posts center around the hymn rather than my thoughts on the hymn. Feel free to leave your comments. There's a good chance that a number of folks reading this have never heard this hymn before, so I hope you enjoy this hidden jewel as much as I do.