Posted May 28th, 2004
One of the mysteries of God's love for us is why He loves us at all! Romans 9:12-13 shows that God chooses to love us before we were even born, knowing full well that we would turn our backs on Him and spurn His gracious will to worship the God of self. This hymn writer captures this truth beautifully. In order to extend and encapsulate this idea in a chorus, Ephesians 2:5 was used: "In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will". We have no other reason given in God's Word as to why He chose to love us - and we can rest content in that.
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Posted May 27th, 2004
This popular hymn has several modern settings, but the depth and beauty of these lyrics deserved yet another treatment. This is a general song of praise from Psalm 103 where we see the gospel truths of our restoration in Christ, God's faithfulness to His covenant people through all generations, His tender fathering, and a command to all of creation to adore Him. Praise Him has a unique chorus structure - the responsive "Praise Him" with a different second line after each Chorus. This is based on the original hymn. Also note that the alternate chords shown for the third verse are optional, but add a more personal feel to this more personal verse. The echo part is sung by Abigail Ward, not quite 6 yrs old.
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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
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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Posted July 11th, 2003
God's word is clear about the condition of sinful humanity, of which we are all a member. We are described as being dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1), with a heart that is desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). Joseph Hart experienced this desperate condition of his heart and gave us personal, cutting hymn that helps us cry to God for Him to change our stubborn hearts. We know that it is only God, by His Spirit, that can move our hearts to worship Him as He designed and commands.
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Posted July 10th, 2003
This is another well-known hymn proclaiming the fact that we stand on the solid rock of Jesus alone. Whether it is for our justification or for safety in time of danger, both spiritual and physical, we find that Christ holds us fast in His powerful, loving arms. The words have been altered slightly to make them more clear and avoid words and word forms that are archaic, plus another line was added to the chorus to fill it out. May we sense our continued dependency on Christ as we approach Him in worship!
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Posted July 10th, 2003
Another song about singing (these seem to be particularly precious), "Songs of Praise" is a wonderful hymn about when, where, and how God will receive songs of praise. Whether it is here on earth or forever in heaven, God's people will forever praise His name.
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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.
