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Awake, My Soul, in Joyful Lays

Sometimes I just don’t feel like singing. But first, let me explain…

I grew up in a family that sang often. We sang in church. We sang in the car. We sang outside. We sang around the piano. We sang at school. We all had just ordinary voices, but we sang anyway.

Then I grew up.

Life was hard.

It became harder to sing.

When my Dad got sick with a brain tumor we watched him put his violin aside, and soon his voice was gone too.

It didn’t seem right to sing without him.

After he died it took me a year before I could sing without crying.

Many years later, as my Mother lay dying, the only thing that would make her stop whimpering was if we sang to her. So I found a hymn book and sang softly until my own tears prevented me from continuing. When she would start whimpering again I would sing until she calmed down… until tears choked my voice.

Again and again the cycle repeated itself. Those were hard days, but my sisters and I were glad we could be with her.

There have been other hard days, when singing seemed impossible. Yet, singing should not be dependent on how we feel, but because we owe our God praise.

Below is a song I find myself singing when I don’t feel like singing.

Notice the words in the first verse...”He justly claims a song from me…”

We sing, not because our life is free from trouble. We sing, because we have a Great Redeemer who has rescued our souls from hell.

There will be trouble here. But this isn’t all there is. We have eternity to look forward to. This trouble will seem little when we are face to face with our Savior. In the meantime we remember His care of us in the here and now. We remember that He asks us to sing, to remember, to cling to this God who day by day covers us with His lovingkindness.

David wrote the following words when he had to flee to the wilderness of Judah, when his son, Absalom, took over the throne. (See II Samuel 15:23-30; 17:16)

“Because Thy lovingkindness is better than life, My lips will praise Thee.

So I will bless Thee as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Thy name…

For Thou hast been my help, And in the shadow of Thy wings I sing for joy.” Psalm 63:3,4 & 9

David wept when he was in trouble, but he also didn’t stop singing. Neither should we.

Samuel Medley 1738-1799

Awake, my soul in joyful lays, And sing thy great Redeemer’s praise; He justly claims a song from me, His lovingkindness, oh, how free! Lovingkindness, lovingkindness, His lovingkindness, oh, how free!

He saw me ruined by the fall, Yet loved me not-with-standing all; He saved me from my lost estate, His lovingkindness, oh, how great! Lovingkindness, lovingkindness, His lovingkindness, oh, how great!

Tho’ numerous hosts of mighty foes, Tho’ earth and hell my way oppose, He safely leads my soul along, His lovingkindness, oh, how strong! Lovingkindness, lovingkindness, His lovingkindness, oh, how strong!

When trouble, like a gloomy cloud, Has gathered thick and thundered loud, He near my soul has always stood, His lovingkindness, oh, how good! Lovingkindness, lovingkindness, His lovingkindness, oh, how good!

Soon shall we mount and soar away to the bright realms of endless day, And sing, with rapture and surprise, His lovingkindness, in the skies. Lovingkindness, lovingkindness, His lovingkindness, in the skies.

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He is Calling for You!

He spent his days begging on the road that led from Jericho to Jerusalem, unable to make a living any other way. His name was Bartimaeus and he was blind. 

A cloak was his only possession. It shaded him from the sun, protected him from rain, became his only comfort and blanket at night.

He had heard of a man named Jesus who heals. Miracle of miracles today he was passing right by him. Being tired of barely surviving he cried out to the one who could change his life.

“Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

“Be quiet!”, they scolded. Leave the Master alone!

He cried out even louder. “Have mercy on me!”

He knew his situation was hopeless. Sooner or later he would die from lack of food or exposure to the elements. He would not be quiet. In desperation, he shouted again. “Have mercy on me!!!”

And then the unbelievable news…”Take courage, stand up! He is calling for you.”

Bartimaeus threw his cloak aside, jumped to his feet and ran to Jesus.

“What do you want?”, Jesus asked.

“I want to see.” Was Bartimaeus’ reply.

“Go your way your faith has made you well.”

But as Bartimaeus looked at Jesus, he couldn’t go his way. He followed Jesus on the road, wherever that road would take him. He left it all. His cloak, his future, his dreams of a seeing life. All he wanted was to follow Jesus.

This would be Jesus last trip into Jerusalem. He was on his way to the cross.

William MacDonald sums it up “It was a good thing that Bartimaeus sought the Lord that day because the Savior never passed that way again.”

Are you like Bartimaeus? Do you see your need? Do you see your hopeless situation?

If so, “Take courage, stand up! He is calling for you.”

For further study: Mark 10:46-52; II Corinthians 6:2b

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Rise, My Soul, and Stretch Thy Wings

Robert Seagrave 1693-1759? (England) / James Nares (1715-1783)

Rise, My Soul, and Stretch Thy Wings

Rise, my soul, and stretch thy wings; Thy better portion trace;

Rise from transitory things toward heaven, thy native place;

Sun and moon and stars decay, Time shall soon this earth remove;

Rise, my soul and haste away to seats prepared above.

Rivers to the ocean run, nor stay in all their course;

Fire ascending seeks the sun; both speed them to their source:

So a soul that’s born of God pants to view His glorious face,

Upward tends to His abode to rest in His embrace.

Cease, my soul, then cease to mourn, press onward to the prize;

Soon the Saviour will return triumphant in the skies.

Yet a season, and you know Happy entrance will be given;

All our sorrows left below, and earth exchanged for heaven.

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Sometimes a Light Surprises

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William Cowper (pronounced Cooper) was born in 1731. He is considered one of England’s finest poets.

His life was filled with melancholy and sometimes despair, which may have had its roots in his mother’s death when he was only six. He was hospitalized on more than one occasion for “madness”. He wrote many hymns that were full of hope instead of the despair he was so familiar with. (God Moves in a Mysterious Way; There is a Fountain Filled with Blood.)

The following hymn is especially hopeful. The encouragement that comes from singing is in the first line. The original tune is one by Hayden – Petition 76.76D. The words also fit nicely with the tune – Sally Garden. There is a modern version by Sweetwaters Music. (I am unable to find the name of the composer.) The version I recorded below is the new version.

Sometimes a light surprises the child of God who sings; the light of one who rises with gentle, healing wings.

When comforts are declining, God grants the soul again A season of clear shining, to cheer it after rain.

In holy contemplation with joy we shall pursue the theme of God’s salvation, and find it ever new.

Set free from present sorrow we cheerfully can say, let the unknown tomorrow bring with it what it may.

It can bring with it nothing but God will bear us through. Who gives the lilies clothing will clothe the people, too.

Beneath the spreading heavens no creature but is fed: the one who feeds the ravens will give the children bread

Though vine and fig tree neither their yearly fruit should bear, though all the fields should wither, nor flocks nor herds be there,

yet God, the same abiding, through praise shall tune my voice, for while in love confiding I cannot but rejoice.

For Further Study: “And he shall be as the light or the morning, like the rising of the sun, A morning without clouds; When from the sunshine, after rain, the green grass springeth after rain.” II Samuel 23:4

Sources:

http://www.hymnary.org;

The Story of the Hymns and Tunes – Theron Brown and Hezekiah Butterworth – copyright 1906 American Tract Society

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Come Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy

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Joseph Hart was a prodigal. Born of Christian parents in 1712, he learned early to fear God and follow His laws. But the world attracted him and his focus shifted to baser things. The early training seems to have been wasted and his life took a decidedly anti-Christian turn. He didn’t just leave his faith, he aggressively attacked it through the things he published.

God still pursued him and Joseph wrestled with God for years. Eventually he turned again to the God who loved him. This time the struggle was between “Earning his salvation”, and “Assuming on God’s grace”. Neither extreme was Biblically sound and eventually he came to a saving knowledge of the one who saves us not because of our merit, but because of His grace. He also bids us to follow him, by leaving our old ways behind. But here I will let him tell you in his own words.

“He hath plucked me from the lowest Hell. He hath plucked me as a brand out of the fire! He hath proved himself stronger than I, and his goodness superior to all my unworthiness. He gives me to know…that without Him I can do nothing…Though an enemy, He calls me his friend; though a traitor a child; though a beggared prodigal, He clothes me with the best robe; and has put a ring of endless love and mercy on my hand,…He secretly shows me His bleeding wounds; and softly and powerfully, whispers to my soul: ‘I am thy great salvation.’ His free distinguishing grace is the bottom on which is fixed the rest of my poor weary tempted soul…When my dry empty barren soul is parched with thirst, He kindly bids me come to Him, and drink my fill at the fountain head. In a word He empowers me to say with experimental evidence, ‘where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.’ Amen and Amen.”

He struggled with assurance of salvation until one Easter he was confronted again by the God who loved him. After being overwhelmed by the suffering Christ he wrote the following hymn. For God uses even our wanderings to Honor Him. He became a preacher in London about 1760. Think of Joseph Hart as you read the words. They are a powerful testimony.

(The chorus was added later by an unknown author. The original tune was also replaced.)

(Joseph Hart 1712-1768)

Come, ye sinners, poor and needy weak and wounded, sick and sore,

Jesus ready stands to save you, full of pity love and power.

Chorus: I will arise and go to Jesus, He will embrace me in His arms.

In the arms of my dear Savior, Oh, there are ten thousand charms.

Come, ye thirsty, come and welcome, God’s free bounty glorify

True belief and true repentance every grace that brings you nigh.

Let not conscience make you linger, nor of fitness fondly dream;

All the fitness he requireth is to feel your need of him.

Chorus

Come, ye weary, heavy laden lost and ruined by the fall.

If you tarry till you’re better, you will never come at all.

I will rise and go to Jesus! He will save me from my sin.

By the riches of his merit, there is joy and life in him.

Chorus

View Him prostrate in the garden on the ground your Maker lies.

On the bloody tree behold Him sinner will not this suffice?

Lo the incarnate God ascended pleads the merit of His blood

Venture on Him, venture wholly. Let no other trust intrude.

Chorus

For further study: C. H. Spurgeon often quoted from Hart in his sermons. The above hymn being his favorite. He applied it to Hebrews 7:25 “Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”

(Above information taken from “The Story of the Hymns and Tunes” by Theron Brown and Hezekiah Butterworth – copyright 1906 – American Tract Society. and “www.biblicalstudies.org.uk” – Joseph Hart and his hymns by Peter C. Rae Cowdenbeath. His source was “Hart’s hymns” – Palmer’s edition of 1863.)

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Hymn of Trust – (Give to the Winds Thy Fears)

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Paul Gerhardt’s life was not an easy one. He was a preacher without a parish, tossed from place to place, (Mittenwalde & Berlin) Four of his children died, and at some point his wife also. He had been dismissed from his last church because of disagreements with the Elector Fredrick. He wandered from place to place for two years.

The following hymn was written while he was staying at a wayside inn, homeless and discouraged. After completing it he was finally offered a parish in Lubben where he stayed until his death.

He wrote 123 hymns and was a favorite hymn-writer of the German-speaking people.

Hymn of Trust – (Give to the Winds Thy Fears)

Paul Gerhardt (1607-1676)/William H. Walter

Give to the winds thy fears, hope and be undismayed;

God hears thy sighs and counts thy tears; God shall lift up thy head.

Through waves and clouds and storms, He gently clears the way;

Wait thou His time, so shall this night soon end in joyous day.

Who points the clouds their course, whom wind and seas obey;

He shall direct thy wandering feet, He shall prepare thy way.

Leave to His sov’reign sway to choose and to command,

So shalt thou wond’ring own His way, how wise, how strong His hand!

Thou seest our weakness, Lord, our hearts are known to Thee;

O lift Thou up the sinking heart, confirm the feeble knee.

Commit thou all thy griefs and ways into His hands;

To His sure trust and tender care Who earth and heaven commands.

Let us in life, in death, Thy steadfast truth declare,

And publish with our latest breath Thy love and guardian care.

For further study: I Peter 5:6-7; Philippians 4:6-7; Psalm 125:1; Psalm 37

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Be Thou My Vision

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The older I get the more I struggle with my voice. It doesn’t always cooperate. I had given up putting any more songs up, but then I ran across this quote by Henry Van Dyke.

“Use the talents you possess, for the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except the best.”

So today I am asking you to sing with me. This is also a nod to my Irish Son-in-law, Joshua. “Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Be Thou My Vision

Ancient Irish Melody – Translated by Eleanor H. Hull (1860-1935) versified by Mary E. Bryne (1880-1931)

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, I Thy true son; Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one;

Be Thou my battle shield, sword for my fight; Be Thou my dignity, Thou my delight,

Thou my soul’s shelter, Thou my high tow’r: Raise Thou me heav’n-ward, O Pow’r of my pow’r.

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 Son!

Heart of my own heart, Whatever befall, Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

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Castles and Cats

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A few years ago my husband and I visited Wales with our youngest daughter. We rented a flat, sight unseen, through the internet. After arriving in Conway by train we found our way to the flat and unlocked the door with the key that had been sent to us. We unpacked, bought some groceries at the market and settled in for a few days.

The location was perfect. We could walk anywhere we wanted and we could see the castle from some of the rear windows. We went to bed expecting to explore as much as we could in the morning.

I woke in the middle of the night to hear my husband yelling.

Get off of me!

My bleary eyes quickly focused on a big cat resting on his chest. My husband threw it onto the floor, but it jumped right back on the bed.

He picked the cat up and put it outside on the street. We went back to bed a little shaken, but unharmed. A few minutes later the cat was back.

What in the world…do they give cats their own keys in Wales? My husband put him outside again and this time he shut our bedroom door as well. We slept through the rest of the night without incident.

Imagine our surprise when we opened our bedroom door in the morning to see the cat, again. She came in and swiftly jumped on the bed, like she belonged there. We were puzzled by her presence. We thought maybe the owners had a cat they failed to tell us about. A kind of spy to make sure we didn’t do damage to their property. We tolerated her, wondering if we should feed her? We didn’t.

When we left to explore for the day, we put her out and carefully locked the door behind us…again.

We explored the castle, did some shopping, ate lunch did more shopping and came home tired.

The cat was there to greet us…inside the flat.

That’s when we noticed the back door had a “cat door” built into it. It didn’t matter how many times we put the cat out and locked the door. The cat would continue to come back in.

I tried contacting the owner, asking her if they had a cat. She didn’t get back to me until after we had left Conway. She informed us that they did not have a cat, and she hoped we hadn’t let a wild cat into the flat. (There seem to be several in this town.) She was more than a little angry.

Her response puzzled me. You can say you don’t want cats, but if you have a cat door they are going to find their way in. That’s like leaving a trail of cheese into your house and then being surprised when mice show up.

I know there are lessons to be learned from all of this. I will let you jump to your own conclusions… excuse me while I seal up some cat doors.

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Walking Through the Woods on a Winter Day

This week my granddaughter and I were scheduled to go on a field trip in the woods.

It has been bitterly cold here. I wasn’t excited about going.

I was unsure the road would be plowed where we were supposed to meet.

Thankfully when we got up the sun was shining and the weather was milder. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

A few of the pictures have comments under them or things to look for.

Can you see the squirrel nest in the top of the tree?
What kind of animals do you think are hiding/living in the underbrush?
Bur Oak Tree over 200 years old
Can you find the hornet’s nest?
Best two hours we spent all week.

“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” Romans 1:20

“But now ask the beasts, and let them teach you; And the birds of the heavens, and let them tell you. Or speak to the earth, and let it teach you; And let the fish of the sea declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this, in whose hand is the life of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind?” Job 12:7-10

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All Glory, Laud and Honor

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This Latin hymn was written by Theodulph of Orleans in A.D. 820. It was translated into English by John Mason Neale in the 1800s. The tune was written by Melchior Teschner about 1613. The tune is called St. Theodulph.

Theodulph was born in Spain. He was part of Charlemagne’s court and became a trusted theological adviser. When Charlemagne’s son, Louis the I, became King he became suspicious that Theodulph was sympathetic with his Spanish relative, Bernard. Fearing there was a conspiracy he had Theodulph imprisoned in a monastery in Angers in 818. Theodulph wrote this hymn while in prison. He died there in 821.

Please sing this with me. (I prefer not to sing alone.)

All Glory, Laud and Honor

All glory, laud, and honor to Thee, Redeemer, King

To whom the lips of children made sweet hosannas ring.

Thou art the King of Israel, Thou David’s royal Son,

Who in the Lord’s name comest, The King and Blessed One.

The company of angels are praising Thee on high,

And mortal men and all things Created make reply.

The people of the Hebrews with palms before Thee went;

Our praise and prayer and anthems before Thee we present.

To Thee, before Thy passion, They sang their hymns of praise;

To Thee, now high exalted, Our melody we raise.

Thou didst accept their praises; accept the praise we bring.

Who in all good delightest, Thou good and gracious King.

For further study:

Oh give thanks to the LORD, call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples. Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; Speak of all His wonders. Glory in His holy name; Let the heart of those who seek the LORD be glad. Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face continually. Psalm 105:1-4

And as He was approaching…, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the King, who comes in the name of the Lord; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” And some of the Pharisees in the multitude said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.” And He answered and said, “I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!” Luke 19:37-40