Great is Thy Faithfulness

God wants to show us His faithfulness, but sometimes we have to surrender all before He can prove that He is faithful to us. “Great is Thy Faithfulness” was written by Thomas Obadiah Chisholm as a “testament to God’s faithfulness through his very ordinary life.”

Chisholm was born in 1866 in a log cabin in Franklin, Kentucky to James Washington and Lucy Jane Chisholm.  He received his education in a little country school in the area, but they were dirt poor, and he never got past an elementary school education.  However, by the age of sixteen he was a teacher in that same school.

Five years later, at the age of twenty-one, he was the associate editor of his hometown weekly newspaper, The Franklin Advocate.

In 1893, Henry Clay Morrison, the founder of Asbury College and Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky, held a revival meeting in Franklin. Chisholm attended and accepted Jesus Christ into his heart and life.

Chisholm married the love of his life: Catherine Vandervere. It seemed to Thomas that his path in life was now set, that he would be a minister for the remainder of his days, but the following years showed him otherwise. Indeed, GOD had a different plan.

Morrison persuaded Chisholm to move to Louisville where he became editor of the Pentecostal Herald. Though he was ordained a Methodist minister in 1903, he served only a single, brief appointment at Scottsville, Kentucky, due to ill health. He moved to Vineland, New Jersey, where he opened an insurance office.

Chisholm had a difficult early adult life. His health was so fragile that there were periods of time when he was confined to bed, unable to work. Between bouts of illness, he would have to push himself to put in extra hours at various jobs in order to make ends meet.

Financial troubles also emerged in the years that followed as a result of multiple healthcare costs. In the midst of a health and financial crisis, many individuals would have become angry with God, but Thomas had exactly the opposite reaction.

Chisholm’s view on life remained optimistic. He found great comfort in the Scriptures and in the fact that God was faithful to be his strength in time of illness and weakness, and to provide his needs. One of his favorite scriptures was: “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23

In 1923, he picked up a pen and a piece of paper to create his most well-known poem, "Great Is Thy Faithfulness." While away from home on a mission’s trip, Chisholm often wrote to one of his good friends, William Runyan, a relatively unknown musician. Several poems were exchanged in these letters. Runyan found Chisholm’s poem so moving that he decided to compose a musical score to accompany the lyrics. It was “Great is Thy Faithfulness” and was published in 1923.

For several years, the hymn got very little recognition, until it was discovered by a Moody Bible Institute professor who loved it so much and requested it sung so often at chapel services, that the song became the unofficial theme song of the college.

Chisholm retired in 1953 and spent his remaining years in a Methodist retirement community in Ocean Grove, New Jersey.

Verse One

“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 has been, Thou forever wilt be.”

James 1:17

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

Studylight.org, Barnes’ Notes on the Whole Bible: With [God] there is no variableness, not even the appearance of turning. He is always the same, at all seasons of the year, and in all ages; there is no change in His character, His mode of being, His purposes and plans. What He was millions of ages before the worlds were made, He is now; what He is now, He will be countless millions of ages.

Biblehub.com, Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary: God is unchangeable, and our changes and shadows are not from any changes or alterations in Him. What the sun is in nature, God is in grace, providence, and glory; and infinitely more

Hebrews 13:8

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

Studylight.org, Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible: The changelessness of Christ means that the system He delivered is also changeless. The gospel is the same; the plan of redemption is changeless; Christ’s rules for the church, its government, doctrine, purpose, and hope — all, like Christ who gave them, are changeless. His wise and benevolent purpose for humanity, His great love, His assurance of the resurrection and life eternal — all are the same. Why? He is the same yesterday and today, yea and forever!

Verse Two

“Summer and winter, and 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.”

Isaiah 43:12

“I have revealed and saved and proclaimed—I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “that I am God.”

Biblehub.com, Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary: God's people know the power of His grace, the sweetness of His comforts, the kind care of His providence, and the truth of His promise. All servants of God can give such an account of what He has wrought in them, and done for them, and may lead others to know and believe His power, truth, and love

Psalm 145:4-5

“One generation commends Your works to another; they tell of Your mighty acts. They speak of the glorious splendor of Your majesty—and I will meditate on Your wonderful works.”

Studylight.org, Bridgeway Bible Commentary: Those who know God’s greatness should meditate upon it and proclaim it to others. Not only is God great, but He is full of goodness, showing covenant faithfulness to His people and gracious love to people everywhere. Those who have tasted His love should show their gratitude by praising Him and telling others of His mighty works. In this way they will help spread His rule to the lives of others

Verse Three

“Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,

Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow:

Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

John 6:27

“Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on Him God the Father has placed His seal of approval.”

Studylight.org, Barnes’ Notes on the whole Bible:  The supply of your spiritual wants; that which supports, and nourishes, and strengthens the soul; the doctrines of the gospel, that are to a weak and guilty soul what needful food is to the weary and decaying body . . . To everlasting life -- The strength derived from the doctrines of the gospel is not exhausted. It endures without wasting away. It nourishes the soul to everlasting life. “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)

Refrain

“Great is Thy faithfulness!

Great is Thy faithfulness!

Morning by morning new mercies I see;

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!”

Lamentations 3:22-23

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”

This verse in Scripture is well known and quoted often for every occasion and need. The verse before this one is not as well-known yet provides us with the promise of God needed in our lives: “Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have HOPE.” (Lamentations 3:21} David Guzik on Enduringword.com said: “For perhaps the first time in the book [of Lamentations], hope is allowed. Having sunk low in his soul, Jeremiah now remembered something that started hope within. ‘In a magnificent expression of faith in the unfailing mercies of God, the writer looks to the distant future with renewed hope.’ (Harrison) The LORD’s mercies . . . was one of the things Jeremiah remembered. He remembered that as beat down and defeated the people of Jerusalem and Judah were, they were not yet completely consumed. There was still a remnant . . . with a promise of restoration. Wherever God leaves life, He leaves hope.”

While many enduring hymns are born out of a particular dramatic experience, this was simply the result of the author’s “morning by morning” realization of God’s personal faithfulness in his daily life. And that’s how each of us will discover God’s faithfulness—day by day.

 

I am indebted to the following resources:

Dianaleaghmatthews.com

Staugustine.com

IndependentBaptist.com, Connie Ruth Christiansen

The Hymns Facebook page; hymncharts.com

Umcdiscipleship.com, Dr. Hawn

By His Grace . . .

All That Thrills My Soul

Thoro Harris was one of the most prolific African American hymn writers of the early 20th century. And yet, there is very little known of his life and early years. This hymn, “All That Thrills My Soul” has been a favorite of mine since I first heard it many years ago.

Harris was born in Washington, D.C. in March 1874, eleven years after the Civil War ended. He was one of two children born to Joseph Dennis Harris, an African American physician and Elizabeth W. Harris, referred to as “Head of Household” in the census.

Though nothing is known of his childhood and youth, the catalog of Howard University, 1889, lists Harris as a fourth-year student in the Normal Department, a Post Graduate student, and a special student.

We pick up his career in Michigan at Battle Creek College, a Seventh-Day Adventist school. He was a gifted songwriter and after graduation moved to Boston to enter the publishing business.

In 1902 he produced the first of dozens of hymnals and song collections. In those days Christian publishing was big. As a result of his success, Harris was invited by Peter Bilhorn to move to Chicago. Bilhorn was active in Christian music, working with evangelists Billy Sunday, D.L. Moody, and George Stebbins.

In the windy city, Harris took a job as an editor at the Glad Tidings Publishing Company, promoting the songs of many other hymn writers through the songbooks he edited. Harris became known for walking around Chicago to sell books from canvas bags he carried around.

Since the 1930s his compositions have been consistently selected for publication in hymnals of various denominations. Harris died on March 27, 1955, in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

This hymn has survived with strength beyond any of Harris’ other songs. The chorus boldly proclaims “All that thrills my soul is Jesus; He is more than life to me. And the fairest of ten thousand, In my blessed Lord I see.”

Verse One

“Who can cheer the heart like Jesus,

By His presence all divine?

True and tender, pure and precious,

O how blest to call Him mine!”

Psalm 16:11

“You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

Studylight.org, Gill’s Exposition of the Whole Bible: Christ, being raised from the dead, ascended to heaven, and was received up into glory into His Father's presence, and is glorified with His glorious presence, and which fills His human nature with fullness of joy, with a joy unspeakable and full of glory; and as it is with the Head it will be with the members in some measure; now the presence of God puts more joy and gladness into them than anything else can do; but as yet their joy is not full; but it will be when they shall enter into the joy of their Lord, into the presence of God in the other world then everlasting joy will be upon their heads;

Enduringword.com, David Guzik: With these words David seemed to understand that the benefits of this life commitment to God were received in both this life, and the life beyond. The path of life is something enjoyed by the believer both now, and in eternity. God gives us eternal life to enjoy as a present gift, extending into eternity. This was a joy David could experience now, but also ultimately receive when in the more immediate presence of God.

Verse Two

“Love of Christ so freely given,

Grace of God beyond degree,

Mercy higher than the heaven,

Deeper that the deepest sea!”

Ephesians 1:5-7

“He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves."

Dailyverse.knowing-Jesus.com: God has not given us these things because we are worthy creatures, but to the praise of the glory of His grace. We are accepted by God simply because we trust in Jesus. It is because we are in Christ that the Father looks at you and me as if He were looking at Jesus. The moment we believed, we were baptized into Christ's Body and became a child of God and a member in His Church.

Studylight.org, Dr. Constable’s Expository Notes: The ultimate goal of predestination and election is that believers will contribute to the praise of the magnificence of God’s undeserved favor that He has shown toward humankind. This grace was "freely bestowed" or "given" in the sense that the elect need do nothing to merit it. It comes to us through Jesus Christ, described here as the Beloved of the Father. Since God loves His Son, believers who are in Christ can rejoice that we too are the objects of God’s love.

Verse Three

“What a wonderful redemption!

Never can a mortal know,

How my sin, though red like crimson,

Can be whiter than the snow.”

Ephesians 1:7

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”

Bibleref.com: This verse transitions to payment Jesus made for us "through his blood." Paul is referring to Christ's death on the cross as the sufficient payment for the sins of all who believe. What did this redemption cover? It paid to release us from the eternal penalty and the earthly power of our own sins. This freedom was not "free," since it is paid for by Christ's death; it cost Him everything. As a result, for the believer, the ultimate price has already been paid. This is grace: the ability to become a child of God, because God provided a free way to know Him by faith.

Enduringword.com David Guzik: Redemption always implies a price being paid for the freedom that is purchased . . . Here the price is [Christ’s] blood, showing that the blessing from the Father and the Son comes not only from a divine decree, but it also comes according to His righteousness and holiness

Verse Four

“Every need His hand supplying,

Every good in Him I see;

On His strength divine relying,

He is all in all to me.

Philippians 4:19

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.”

Bibleref.com: Paul was confident that God would meet their needs because they were generous in their giving . . . Their needs would be met through Christ, the one who made and controlled all things. They would never lack with Christ as their provider. From the earliest pages of Scripture, God has been known as the Lord who will provide, affirmed by Peter as well. As Paul noted in 2 Corinthians 9:10, "He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness."

Verse Five

“By the crystal flowing river,

With the ransomed I will sing,

And forever and forever,

Praise and glorify the King.”

Psalm 30:12

“That my heart may sing Your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise You forever.”

Biblehub.com, Gill’s Exposition of the Whole Bible: To the end that my glory may sing praise to Thee, and not be silent . . .  Meaning either his soul, the more noble and glorious part of him; or the members of his body, his tongue, which is the glory of it, and with which he glorified God; see . . . O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto Thee forever; to the end of life, as long as he had a being, and to all eternity.

Bibleref.com: Every restoration to fellowship with the Lord is an occasion to sing praise to the Lord and to thank Him. Perhaps David was looking forward to eternity when he wrote, "forever." For the believer, praise to the Lord doesn't end when his physical life ends; it continues in heaven on a grander, purer scale.

Psalm 86:12

“I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.”

Studylight.org, Barnes’ Notes on the Whole Bible: He would give his whole heart to God. He would allow nothing to divide or distract his affections. He would withhold nothing from God . . . Not merely in the present emergency; but I will do it ever onward - even to eternity. The meaning is, that he would in all cases, and at all times - in this world and in the world to come - honor God. He would acknowledge no God but him, and he would honor him as God.

Refrain

“All that thrills my soul is Jesus,

He is more than life to me;

And the fairest of ten thousand,

In my blessed Lord I see.”

Is there anything else that thrills your soul like Jesus? Is He more than anything else you could have in this life? He is the reason for your life. He is your All in All. He gives you purpose. He gives you joy. He holds you up at all times. He brings rest and peace to your soul.

May we earnestly desire to have all that thrills our souls be Jesus! May we view all this world has to offer as paling in comparison to walking with our Savior.

 

I am indebted to the following resources:

Apostolicarchives.com

hymnology.hymnsam.co.uk

Dianaleaghmatthew.com

Blueletterbible.org

Lights4God.wordpress.com, William E. Richardson

Hymntime.com

By His Grace . . .

Bless His Holy Name

King David wrote Psalm 103, and it has inspired countless other writers to meditate on all the blessings of following God. Andraé Crouch based this hymn on the opening of the psalm: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name!”

Many well-known Christian hymns are inspired by the Word of God, and combined with music creates a powerful worship offering to God. That’s what Crouch did.

Andraé Crouch is a name most of us our familiar with. He was born in 1942 to Benjamin and Catherine Crouch. His father was a minister in the Church of God in Christ and pastored Christ Memorial Church of God in Christ in Pacoima, California. When he was young, Crouch's parents owned and operated Crouch Cleaners, a dry-cleaning business, as well as a restaurant business in Los Angeles, California. In addition to running the family's businesses, Crouch's parents also had a Christian street-preaching ministry and a hospital and prison ministry.

When Crouch was 11, his father was invited to speak for several weeks at a small church as a guest preacher. Crouch's father and the church's congregation encouraged the young boy to play during the services. At the piano, Crouch found the key in which the congregation was singing and started to play. After this, Crouch honed his piano-playing skills and, in time, wanted to write his own music. When he was 14 years old, he wrote his first Gospel song.

Crouch went on to sing, write and record hymns sung by many today, including “My Tribute,” and “Through It All.” He served as senior pastor of the church founded by his parents and died in 2015 at age 72 following a heart attack.

Crouch was an incredible, well-recognized influence in gospel music. Among other honors, he won seven Grammy’s, six Dove Awards, an Oscar nomination, inclusion in the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Crouch’s musical talent graced movies like “The Color Purple” and “The Lion King.” He was a musical channel for worship within the church and a bridge for Christ outside the church walls.

King David, in the second verse of Psalm 103, lists many benefits including forgiveness for sin, healing from disease, redemption from hell, love, mercy, goodness, and renewal of our youth “like the eagle’s.” David praises God for working righteousness and justice for all the oppressed, making Himself known, extending merciful grace, and remaining slow to anger and steadfast in love. From this psalm, we understand that God removes our sins from us as far as the east is from the west and that God is compassionate to us as a father shows compassion to his children.

King David reflects on the fleeting nature of a single life. Our “days are like grass” compared to God’s steadfast love that endures from “everlasting to everlasting” and a righteousness that extends to the next generation. Psalm 103 is one of the much-loved Old Testament psalms about God's love and compassion for his people.

Refrain

“Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and all that is within me, bless His holy name!

Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and all that is within me, bless His holy name!"

 

Hebrew 12:28

“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.”

Biblehub.com, Matthew Poole’s Commentary:  Let us get and hold fast that gracious temper of soul, whereby they are made true, wise, believing, loving, humble, and obedient subjects to the laws of this Kingdom, and manifest it by worshipping, serving and walking with God in this world.

Psalm 84:12

“Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you.”

Studylight.org, Barnes’ Notes on the Whole Bible: Blessed in every respect; his lot is a happy one; happy in Thy friendship; happy in being permitted to worship Thee; happy in the blessings which religion scatters along his path here; happy in Thy sustaining grace in times of trial; happy in the support given in the hour of death; happy in the eternity to which he is going. Oh, that all men would try it, and experience in their own souls the happiness - the real, genuine, deep, permanent joy - of trusting in God; of believing that there is a God; of confiding in His character; of leaning on Him in every situation in life; of relying on His mercy, His grace, and His faithfulness, in the hour of death!

Verse One

“He has done great things,

He has done great things,

He has done great things,

Bless his holy name!”

Job 37:5

“God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; He does great things beyond our understanding.”

Gill’s Exposition of the Whole Bible: Great things in creation, the nature and causes of which lie greatly out of the reach of man; and which he rather guesses at than knows, and still less comprehends. Great things in providence; in sustaining all creatures and providing for them; and in the government of the world, and in His dispensations in it; His judgments being unsearchable, and His ways past finding out: and great things in grace; as the salvation of sinners by Christ, and the conversion of their souls by His Spirit; and even what is known of them is known but in part and very imperfectly.

Enduringword.com, David Guzik: Elihu felt that Job needed a good dose of the greatness of God. It was good advice wrongly applied to Job’s situation. Elihu did rightly understand that the mighty sound of thunder seems to man to be the voice of God. “Nor is there a sound in nature more descriptive of, or more becoming, the Majesty of God, than that of thunder. We hear the breeze in its rustling, the rain in its pattering, the hail in its rattling, the wind in its hollow howlings, the cataract in its dash, the bull in his bellowing, the lion in his roar; but we hear God, the Almighty, the Omnipresent, in the continuous peal of thunder! This sound, and this sound only, becomes the majesty of Jehovah.” (Clarke)  He does great things which we cannot comprehend: This is a repetition of Elihu’s theme that Job had transgressed the line that separates God and man, and that Job presumed to know more than he could or should know from God. In this, Elihu was partially correct.

Psalm 71:19

“Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens, you who have done great things. Who is like you, God?”

Studylight.org, Barnes’ Notes on the Whole Bible: In His work of creation; in His providence; in His manifested mercy toward His people. He had done things so great as to show that He could protect those who put their trust in Him.

Studylight.org, Gill’s Exposition of the Whole Bible: In nature, in forming the world out of nothing, and in upholding all creatures in their beings; in providence, in governing the world, and ordering all things in it for the best, and to answer the wisest purposes; in grace, in the salvation of lost sinners by Christ; in the justification of them by His righteousness; and in the atonement and pardon of their sins, through His blood and sacrifice; in the regeneration of them by His grace; in making and performing exceeding great and precious promises, and in giving them eternal life;

Enduringword.com, David Guzik: The psalmist considered the greatness of God, first in that His righteousness was of a different order than that of men, very high above that of men; and then, that God is the one who has done great things, beyond what men can do. The surpassing righteousness and power of God made him ask, O God, who is like You?

 

I am indebted to the following resources:

En.wikipedia.org

Christianity.com, Lori Stanley Roeleveld

Godtube.com

By His Grace . . . 

Near to the Heart ofGod

A wonderful hymn was born during a time of tremendous suffering and sadness. Cleland McAfee, author of “Near to the Heart of God" found that unexpected problems or crises may come into our lives. Often, we cannot escape the pressures and shadows that accompany those problems. However, these can be faced with spiritual strength, which God faithfully provides.

It has been more than a century since McAfee penned the words of this hymn, yet Christians today find them as comforting as did the people of that earlier time. We, too, need a place of rest, a place of comfort, a place where all is joy and peace.

Cleland Boyd McAfee was born in Missouri, September 25, 1866, as one of five children. He graduated from Park College in Parkville, Missouri. Cleland’s father had founded Park College in 1875. Cleland furthered his studies at Union Theological Seminary, New York.

After his studies in New York, he returned to Park College to pastor the campus church as well as direct its choir, serve as a professor of philosophy and dean. On August 10, 1892, McAfee married Harriet "Hattie" Lawson Brown; they had three children, Ruth Myrtle, Katharine Agnes, and Mildred Helen.

In 1903, while Cleland was pastoring in Chicago, tragedy struck his family. His brother Howard’s two infant daughters died from diphtheria within 24 hours of each other. 

The situation was made even more difficult by the fact that his brother’s house had to be quarantined to prevent the spread of the terrifying disease. People were unable to go inside to express their condolences, and the parents were not permitted to leave the house to attend the double funeral service for the two girls.

Cleland sat up very late, praying and pondering what he could say in a sermon the following Sunday and what kind of music he could compose to bring comfort to his family and the congregation. The wonderful hymn presented in this story was the outcome of his meditation. Cleland’s daughter described how this hymn was written:

“The family was stricken with grief. My father often told us how he sat long and late thinking of what could be said in word and song on the coming Sunday…. So he wrote the little song ‘Near to the Heart of God.’ The choir learned it at the regular Saturday night rehearsal, and afterward they went to Howard McAfee’s home and sang it as they stood under the sky outside the darkened, quarantined house. It was sung again on Sunday morning at [Cleland’s] church.”

McAfee also pastored at the Lafayette Avenue Church of Brooklyn, in Brooklyn, New York and taught systematic theology at McCormick Theological Seminary from 1912 to 1930

In 1912, McAfee authored the treatise, "The Greatest English Classic: A Study of The King James Version of The Bible." He was moderator of the General Assembly of Presbyterian Church and led the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions from 1930 to 1936.

McAfee died in 1944. His wife went on to become president of Wellesley College and the first director of WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) in the United State Navy.

Verse One

“There is a place of quiet rest,

Near to the heart of God.

A place where sin cannot molest,

Near to the heart of God.”

 

Isaiah 32:17

“The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.”

Studylight.org, Clarke’s Commentary: Righteousness, cultivated by peace, produces tranquility of mind and permanent security.

Studylight.org, Contending for the Faith: Paul does not mean the Christian will never again in his life on earth yield to sin. He has made this fact abundantly clear. Instead, he here refers to sin as a dominant power, and he means no longer will sin be lord over the Christian. The Christian lives under the reign of another Lord now—the Lord Jesus Christ. Never again will the believer be held helplessly under sin’s sway—unless of course he wantonly turns his back on the Lord who has redeemed him. As long as he lives on earth, however, sin will continue to assault him; but he will be under Christ and by His authority be free to fight against sin’s usurped power.

Verse Two

“There is a place of comfort sweet,

Near to the heart of God.

A place where we our Savior meet,

Near to the heart of God.”

2 Corinthians 1:3

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort.”

Studylight.org, Clarke’s Commentary: God shows Himself to be the God of tender mercy by comforting us in all our tribulation-never leaving us a prey to anxiety, persecution, or temptation; but, by the comforts of His Spirit, bearing us up in, through, and above, all our trials and difficulties.

Studylight.org, Gann’s Commentary on the Bible: This God of ours comforts us constantly and unfailingly, not spasmodically and intermittently; and He does so in all our affliction, not just in certain kinds of affliction." Hughes, p. 12.

Psalm 119:76

“May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant.”

Enduringword.com, David Guzik: Let Your tender mercies come to me, that I may live; for Your law is my delight: The psalmist prayed with the understanding that God’s tender mercies came to him through the Word (law) of God. By staying close to God’s Word and letting it fill his life, he also received God’s tender care.

Verse Three

“There is a place of full release,

Near to the heart of God.

A place where all is joy and peace,

Near to the heart of God.”

Isaiah 55:12

“You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.”

Enduringword.com, David Guzik: When God’s people turn to Him, listen to Him, and His Word does His work in them, joy and peace are always the result. The joy is so great that even the mountains and the hills, and the trees of the field join in. The picture is clear; in His glorious work of restoration, God takes away the barren and the cursed, and brings forth beauty and fruit . . . When the LORD restores, all the work is done for His name, and for His glory. When the LORD restores, the work is secure; it is an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

Romans 15:13

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Studylight.org, Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible: The Christian era was ushered in with the double promise of peace and joy, the peace being prophesied by Zacharias . . . Such a glorious peace and joy are available from no other source than the life of faith in Jesus Christ. These priceless endowments of the soul are the Christian’s badge of eternal inheritance, his true credentials of heavenly citizenship, and his impregnable defense against all the tribulations and temptations of life. Having peace with God and the joy of the Spirit in his soul, the Christian is redeemed indeed.

Refrain

“O Jesus, blest Redeemer,

Sent from the heart of God.

Hold us who wait before Thee,

Near to the heart of God.”

Psalm 78:35

“They remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer.”

Biblehub.com, Barnes’ Notes on the Bible: That is, they were brought to reflect that their only security and defense was God. They were made to feel that they could not rely on themselves, or on any human power, and that their only trust was in God . . . And the high God their Redeemer -- The God who is exalted over all; the true and living God. The truth was brought to their recollection that it was He who had delivered them from bondage in Egypt, and who had brought them out into freedom.

Studylight.org, Clarke’s Commentary: That God was their rock — They recollected in their affliction that Jehovah was their Creator, and their Father; the Rock, the Source, not only of their being, but of all their blessings; or, that He was their sole Protector . . . And the high God their Redeemer. "And the strong God the Most High, their Kinsman." That one who possessed the right of redemption; the nearest akin to Him who had forfeited His inheritance; so the word originally means, and hence it is often used for a Redeemer. The Hebrew word answers to the Greek a Savior; and is given to the Lord Jesus Christ, the strong God, the Most High, the Redeemer of a lost world.

  

I am indebted to the following resources:

Enjoyingthejourney.org

Umcdiscipleship.com, Dr. Hawn

Staugustine.com, Lindsay Terry

By His Grace . . . 

 

God of Our Fathers

 

Many hymns have been written to celebrate great events in the life of Christ. But today’s hymn is only one of a few that have been written for patriotic causes. The occasion for the writing of “God of Our Fathers” was the centennial of the Declaration of Independence in 1876.

Daniel Crane Roberts, a shy man, never conceived that his hymn would achieve such popularity. His humble demeanor deflected attention from himself. He wrote six years before his death: "I remain a country parson, known only within my own small world."

In reference to his one significant literary work, he noted, “My little hymn has thus had a very flattering official recognition. But that which would really gladden my heart, popular recognition, it has not received.” That changed when our nation was preparing to celebrate the centennial of the United States Constitution. 

Roberts was born on Long Island in New York and attended college in Ohio. There is no other information about his early life. When the Civil War started, he joined the Union Army as a member of the 84th Ohio Volunteers. 

Roberts was later ordained as an Episcopal deacon in 1865 and as a priest in 1866.  As the 35-year-old rector of St. Thomas Episcopal Church, a small rural church in Brandon, Vermont, Roberts wanted a new hymn for his congregation to celebrate the American Centennial in 1876. He wrote "God of Our Fathers" and his congregation sang it to a tune called "Russian Hymn."

Some years later, the Episcopal Church decided to publish a new hymnal and invited input.  Roberts submitted this hymn for consideration but was so uncertain of its worth that he did so anonymously.  He was surprised when it was selected and published in 1892. He then provided his name.

It was at the same time that the nation was preparing to celebrate the centennial of the United States Constitution.  George William Warren was one of the people involved in those preparations.  He became aware of this hymn because of his work on the hymnal project.  Based on his recommendation, the planners for the national celebration wanted to adopt the hymn for official use but could not choose it with a tune called "Russian Hymn".

They asked Warren to write a new tune, and he wrote the tune that we use with this hymn today, entitled "National Hymn."  Because of its use in that national celebration, the hymn became widely known, and as new hymnals were published, most of them included this hymn.  It has been widely sung now for more than a century.

Roberts ministered to Christ Church, Montpelier, Vermont; St. John's Church, Lowell, Massachusetts; St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Brandon, Vermont; and for many years, St. Paul's Church, Concord, New Hampshire.

He was also widely known throughout New Hampshire for his work as president of the New Hampshire Historical Society, as chaplain of the Grand Army of the Republic and as an active member in the Knights Templar.

Before his death in 1907 he was awarded several honors including the Doctor of Divinity by Norwich University.

Verse One

“God of our fathers, whose Almighty Hand,

Leads forth in beauty all the starry band;

Of shining worlds in splendor through the skies,

Our grateful songs before Thy throne arise.”

Job 38:7

“While the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?”

Studylight.org, Barnes’ Notes on the Whole Bible: There can be little doubt that angelic beings are intended here, though some have thought that the stars literally are referred to, and that they seemed to unite in a chorus of praise when another world was added to their number . . .  The comparison of a prince, a monarch, or an angel, with a star, is not uncommon . . . The expression “the morning-stars” is used on account of the beauty of the principal star which, at certain seasons of the year, leads on the morning. It is applied naturally to those angelic beings that are of distinguished glory and rank in heaven . . . United in a grand chorus or concert of praise.

Studylight.org, Smith’s Bible Commentary: God is now talking to Job about the creation of the earth, about nature. Pointing out that Job knows so little about nature . . . Now, the morning stars, the word star oftentimes refers to the angels . . . We see God as He is bringing the earth into existence and the angels, the morning stars, are singing together and all the sons of God are shouting for joy. The sons of God referring again to angels . . . What a glorious scene that must have been when God created the earth and the angels, the morning stars, sang together.

Verse Two

“Thy love divine hath led us in the past,

In this free land by Thee our lot is cast,

Be Thou our Ruler, Guardian, Guide and Stay,

Thy Word our law, Thy paths our chosen way.”

Romans 1:20

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities--His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”

Enduringword.com, David Guzik: God shows us something of His eternal power and divine nature through creation, by the things that are made. He has given a general revelation that is obvious both in creation and within the mind and heart of man.

Barnes’ Notes on the Whole Bible: His deity; divinity; divine nature, or essence. The word is not used elsewhere in the New Testament. Its meaning cannot therefore be fixed by any parallel passages. It proves the truth that the supremacy, or supreme divinity of God, was exhibited in the works of creation, or that he was exalted above all creatures and things.

Acts 2:28

“You have made known to me the paths of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence.”

Studylight.org, Barnes’ Notes on the Whole Bible: This properly means the path to life; the road to preferment or honor; the path to happiness; It means, Thou wilt make known to me life itself, that is, Thou wilt restore me to life.

Psalm 119:35

“Direct me in the path of Your commands, for there I find delight.”

Enduringword.com, David Guzik: Despite his delight and desire for God’s Word, the psalmist knows he cannot walk in God’s path without God’s empowering.

Biblehub.com, Gill’s Exposition of the entire Bible: Lead, guide, direct me in the path, and use me to it; work in me both to will and to do; give both ability and a willing mind to walk therein; by granting fresh supplies of grace, and  more spiritual strength; by drawing with the cords of love, and by putting in him the good spirit of grace, to cause to walk in the statues of the Lord and keep his judgments and do them.

Verse Three

“From war's alarms, from deadly pestilence,

Be Thy strong arm our ever-sure defense;

Thy true religion in our hearts increase,

Thy bounteous goodness nourish us in peace.”

Psalm 118:14

“The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.”

Studylight.org, Gill’s Exposition of the Whole Bible: It was the Lord that strengthened him [David], helped him, and gave him the victory. The Lord is the author and giver of strength, natural and spiritual; He is the "strength" of the hearts and lives of His people, and of their salvation; they sing of His nature and perfections, of His works of providence and grace, of His righteousness and salvation.

Psalm 89:13

“Your arm is endowed with power; Your hand is strong, Your right hand exalted.”

Studylight.org, Barnes’ Notes on the Whole Bible: Thou hast great power - the arm being the instrument by which we accomplish our purposes . . . the hand, too, is an instrument by which we execute our plans. Hence, God is so often represented as having delivered his people with a strong hand.

Verse Four

“Refresh Thy people on their toilsome way,

Lead us from night to never ending day;

Fill all our lives with love and grace divine,

And glory, laud, and praise be ever Thine.”

Psalm 31:3

“Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me.”

Biblehib.com, Barnes’ Notes on the Whole Bible: For Thou art my Rock and my Fortress -Therefore for Thy name's sake - For the sake of Thine own honor, or for the glory of Thy name. since I put my trust in Thee -- show, by leading and guiding me, that my trust is well founded, or that this is Thy character, and that Thou wilt be true and faithful to those who commit their all to Thee.

Acts 3:19

“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.”

Gill’s Exposition of the Whole Bible: "That the times of refreshing may come," seasons of rest, and deliverance from the violent heat of persecution; which was the case of the saints at the destruction of Jerusalem; they were not only saved from that ruin but delivered from the wrath of their most implacable enemies. The Ethiopic version renders it, "and the day of mercy shall come from the presence of the Lord", repenting sinners find mercy; and a discovery of pardon is a time of mercy; and when God grants this, he affords his presence.

This hymn’s stirring lyrics and majestic tune represent, albeit subtly, the common 19th-century assumption of Manifest Destiny: God will lead us from the war and pestilence of our earlier captivity to the freedom and light of peace.

A nation is only Christian when its citizens love and serve Jesus Christ. Therefore, when we pray for our country, let us first pray for the conversion of her citizens.

Today, when it seems that to be "in" one is expected to rule patriotism "out," it is necessary to recall the emphasis of Scripture regarding a Christian’s duty to country. "Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s" commanded the perfect Patriot in Mark 12: 17. And one of Christ’s chief disciples wrote, "Submit yourself for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the King, as the supreme authority, or to governors who are sent by him.” (1 Peter 2:13)

 

I am indebted to the following resources:

Songsandhymns.org

Barryshymns.blogspot.com

Umcdiscipleheship.org, Dr Hawn

By His Grace . . .