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This is a wonderful hymn text by John Mason contrasting heavenly worship with earthly worship. We humbly offer the lyrics with edits to make them more understandable and suggest the tune "Ellacombe" which is commonly used with the hymn "I Sing the Mighty Power of God."
This is an original song based loosely on a hymn titled "O Zion, Afflicted" by John Roberts (1822-1877). It is a reminder of God's covenant love and faithful promise to work all things for good for His children (Romans 8:28), a truth we desperately need in times of darkness and peril. Whether you are suffering under great trial or are in a season of relative comfort, this song will remind you of God's love and care for you. Charles Spurgeon (1834-92) quotes from the original hymn in this excerpt from "Beside Still Waters," which serves as a great introduction to the new song as well:
When your faith endures many conflicts, and your spirit sinks low, do not condemn yourself. There is a reason for your season of heaviness. Great soldiers are not made without war. Skillful sailors are not trained on the shore. It appears that if you are to become a great believer, you will be greatly tested. If you are to be a great help to others, you must pass through their trials. If you are to be instructed in the things of the kingdom, you must learn from experience. The uncut diamond has little brilliance, and the unthreshed corn feeds no one, and the untried believer is of little use or beauty. There are GREAT BENEFITS to come from your trials and depression. The one who is much plowed and often harrowed will thank God if the result is a larger harvest to the praise and glory of God by Jesus Christ. If your face is now covered with sorrow, the time will come when you will bless God for that sorrow. The day will come when you will see great gain from your losses, your crosses, your troubles and your affliction. From your affliction this glory shall spring, and the deeper your sorrow the louder you'll sing. - Charles Spurgeon, "Beside Still Waters"
A hymn on the wrath of God from the series of hymns titled "The Lord Is"
A hymn on the jealousy of God from the series of hymns titled "The Lord Is"
This Isaac Watts hymn is a setting of Psalm 90, which opens with the famous line, "Lord, you have been our dwelling place through all generations.... from everlasting to everlasting, You are God." The hymn is about the eternality of God and, in contrast, the finite and fleeting nature of man. As we meditate on days and years gone by, particular when a new year is approaching, may the conclusion of Psalm 90 be our hope: "So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom... Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days."
This adaptation is a re-harmonization of the traditional tune with an added chorus whose lyrics are simply the first verse.
Neither this text or tune have been updated (save one word - instead of asking for God's bowels to be moved it is much more fitting to ask that His feelings be moved!) but it is a hymn worth sharing as we face another new year (at least in the west). One of the best hymn-writers of all time, John Newton had the amazing ability to be introspective, doctrinal, eloquent, and Christ-centered in His hymns. This hymn can be set to several tunes, but we recommend the tune for "Jesus, Lover of My Soul." As we survey all of the failures of our past year, may we be encouraged by John's faithful reminders of the gospel: "Happy the believing soul! Christ for you has paid the whole."
This song is about how God's pardoning grace is the most wondrous, the most amazing thing that He has shown us about Himself. The reason the author says that grace is "strange" (in verse 2) is that God's grace is unexpected; you could even say that it defies logic. Why would the infinite, boundless, all-knowing, all-powerful, thrice holy God show mercy to His creatures who have spurned His Word and rebelled against His loving rule? Even if he wanted to pardon us, how could He do so and still maintain justice so that the guilty are rightfully punished? The answer is the "atrocious mathematics" of the gospel: He sent His Son, the eternal Word, Jesus, to pay the penalty we deserve - the wrath of God - on the cross and freely offer that payment to all who will embrace Him as Lord. Why would God pardon sinners like us? The answer is simply this - according to the kind intention of His will, not based on anything about us, He chose to love us. May this truth cause us to stand before Him in awe and wonder!
A hymn on the righteousness of God from the series of hymns titled "The Lord Is"
I had the privilege of preaching this sermon to my local church family on Sunday, December 19th, 2010. While it is not related specifically to worship or music, it does tie nicely to one of our songs, My Precious Savior Gave His All, a song about how Jesus humbled Himself for our sakes.
This is one of the few good hymn texts that deals with the doctrine of original sin - how sin entered into humanity and continues to spread to all men through our representative, Adam. The wonderful promise of Scripture that is echoed in this hymn is that, although mankind has been plunged into "conspiracy with hell" the second Adam has come to free us from the power of sin by His blood.
The text has been significantly altered to fit the tune of the spiritual "Go Down, Moses." Using this format, you can present the song with a soloist and the congregation in response (one the tune for "let my people go"). It was originally set in this format for a Christmas Eve service of "lessons and carols" in response to a reading from Genesis chapter 3, but could be used any time of the year to recognize our bondage to sin but freedom in Christ.
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Reformed Praise is a music ministry dedicated to providing songs for corporate worship which are rich in theology, diverse in musical style, and centered on the gospel of grace, that our praise might be informed by Biblical truth.
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.
