Posted October 10th, 2003
Though our salvation is eternally secure because it is based on God's sovereign choice and sovereign work, we often fall into periods of spiritual wantonness that is sometimes called "backsliding". God will never allow true believers to slide "off" - to fall beyond repentance, but when we are stuck in this funk, neglecting the joy of our salvation and clinging to our sin, we can fall into real despair. The writer of this song knew this despair, the gloom of remembering the sweet moments once spent with the Lord in His Word. We can identify with this song because of our indewlling sin that causes us, even if for brief moments or hours, to stray from our God and worship the idol of self. We should long for a closer walk with God and look forward to the time when we will truly worship God alone.
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Posted July 15th, 2003
Another song about God's word, "Lamp of Our Feet" helps get us prepared to medidate and study it during its preaching. Mixing several different sections of scripture that refer to God's word, this hymn calls our attention to the fact that God's word is our guide, our spiritual food, and our sure anchor in uncertainty and trials. What a wonderful prayer we sing in the chorus - that we all might learn God's word and turn to its teaching with simple, childlike hearts. We, in the reformed circles, can easily lose sight of that simple, obedient, expectant faith like a child's in the midst of such thorough and complex preaching. May we not become lost in intellectualism nor emotionalism but worship God in both spirit and truth!
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Posted July 15th, 2003
This popular hymn text is a beautiful reminder that salvation has nothing to do with us and everything to do with God. We come to Christ for mercy without one plea, without anything we can offer on our behalf, and full only of rebellious and self-glorifying ways. This hymn writer certainly understood God's sovereignty in salvation - we see the doctrine of irresistible grace in the phrase "since you called I cannot flee". An original chorus was added that summarizes the theme of all of the verses - that we come with our sin and shame to the Lamb.
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Posted July 11th, 2003
"I Will Follow You" is a great song of dedication. The desire of the believer's heart is to faithfully serve his Lord all the days of this life - and then on into eternity in His heavenly kingdom. This song has an original chorus that focuses our attention on the great theme of serving God not simply because He commands it but because He is also our friend.
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Posted July 11th, 2003
This song was born out of a difficult time in the life of songwriter David Ward. Overwhelmed by responsibilities - chiefly that of teaching God's word, David felt more than ever his comprehensive, ever-present need for God's presence. This is a beautiful hymn that explains exactly why we need our Lord Jesus so much. Even though in this song we are taught that we need Him because our hearts are dead, because we are always struggling with doubt, and because we need a friend who can understand our sorrows, we will truly never know how much we really need Him!
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Posted July 11th, 2003
This song helps us remember that God's grace is unending, infinite, and free. In Christ, he richly pours out this grace on all those who believe in Him. We sing that it perflectly cleanses, gives infallible cure from guilt, and demands that we receive it just as we are - utterly sinful. This song has an original chorus, something songwriter David Ward has been doing more of lately. It needed a focal/high point that made the theme more memorable and summarized the main theological points about this "fountain of grace". Singers are also challenged to come - whether it is for initial or continued cleansing.
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Posted July 11th, 2003
While most Christians of the "reformed" persuation (theologically) do not believe that today's invitations/altar calls are a biblical way to call sinners to faith in Christ, God does, in His word, invite sinners to repent and believe. Jesus says "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28). This song expresses the desire of our heart - to come to Him - both when God drew us to Himself, and now as we seek to follow Him.
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Posted July 11th, 2003
Revelation chapter 5 gives us an amazing glimpse into what heaven will be like. We will see Christ, the Lamb, adored by millions, saying "Worthy art Thou..." In this song, powerful lyrics combine with a majestic tune and careful repetition to highlight this eternal chant. As we sing, we can imagine the glory of singing in the full presence of our Lord.
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Posted July 11th, 2003
This is a powerful song about depression and is based on Psalm 13. We often feel relationally distant from God because of our sin - our hearts feel cold, we cannot remember or see blessing, we become unthankful. But God has given us a remedy in His word - to sing, even if we do not feel like it, and to remember His goodness to us. In fact, when we fully remember how good He has been we will see our gloom "shamed" away!
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Posted July 11th, 2003
"What a friend" is a powerful song about the nature of our friendship with the Lord Jesus Christ. His friendship is truly love beyond a brother's - costly yet free, lasting unconditionally forever. It is this friendship that we desire to soften our hearts - to make us more loving. How quickly we forget our status in Christ - that we, like Abraham (James 2:23), are considered friends of God!
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Jump right to some of our most popular songs.
Reformed Praise presents Martin Luther's setting of Psalm 130 in a fresh, reflective, piano-driven setting suitable for a wide range of worship music styles.
