HE LEADETH ME (TH)

TIMELESS HYMN - A special feature where I highlight some of my favorite hymns that I have previously featured in this blog.  These entries are revised and expanded and shared again for your encouragement and challenge. This hymn was originally shared here on October 16, 2011.

         It is unusual when you have the words of the author of a hymn that gives the account of how he was led to write the words. Such is the case this week. Listen to story told by Joseph H. Gilmore (1834 - 1918).
         "As a young man who recently had been graduated from Brown University and Newton Theological Institution, I was supplying for a couple of Sundays the pulpit of the First Baptist Church in Philadelphia. At the midweek service, on the 26th of March, 1862, I set out to give the people an exposition of the Twenty-third Psalm, which I had given before on three or four occasions, but this time I did not get further than the words "He Leadeth Me." Those words took hold of me as they had never done before, and I saw them in a significance and wondrous beauty of which I had never dreamed. It was the darkest hour of the Civil War. I did not refer to that fact — that is, I don't think I did — but it may subconsciously have led me to realize that God's leadership is the one significant fact in human experience, that it makes no difference how we are led, or whither we are led, so long as we are sure God is leading us.
         At the close of the meeting a few of us in the parlor of my host, good Deacon Wattson, kept on talking about the thought which I had emphasized; and then and there, on a blank page of the brief from which I had intended to speak, I penciled the hymn, talking and writing at the same time.  Then I handed it to my wife and thought no more about it. She sent it to The Watchman and Reflector, a paper published in Boston, where it was first printed. I did not know until 1865 that my hymn had been set to music by William B. Bradbury.
         I went to Rochester [New York] to preach as a candidate before the Second Baptist Church. Going into their chapel on arrival in the city, I picked up a hymnal to see what they were singing, and opened it at my own hymn, "He Leadeth Me.""
           What an interesting way to find that your writing had been published and was being used to encourage believers. I hope that you can relate to these words this week and testify that indeed He leads you.

(1)     He leadeth me, O blessed thought!

O words with heav'nly comfort fraught!

Whate'er I do, where'er I be

Still 'tis God's hand that leadeth me.

He leadeth me, He leadeth me,

By His own hand He leadeth me;

His faithful follower I would be,

For by His hand He leadeth me.

(2)     Sometimes mid scenes of deepest gloom,

Sometimes where Eden's bowers bloom,

By waters still, over troubled sea,

Still 'tis His hand that leadeth me.

He leadeth me, He leadeth me,

By His own hand He leadeth me;

His faithful follower I would be,

For by His hand He leadeth me.

(3)     Lord, I would place my hand in Thine,

Nor ever murmur nor repine;

Content, whatever lot I see,

Since 'tis my God that leadeth me.

He leadeth me, He leadeth me,

By His own hand He leadeth me;

His faithful follower I would be,

For by His hand He leadeth me.

(4)     And when my task on earth is done,

When by Thy grace the vict'ry's won,

E'en death's cold wave I will not flee,

Since God through Jordan leadeth me.

He leadeth me, He leadeth me,

By His own hand He leadeth me;

His faithful follower I would be,

For by His hand He leadeth me.

Listen to it here.    LISTEN

I'VE FOUND A FRIEND

       Many inspiring hymns have been written following periods of deep distress.  Such was the case with this week's hymn choice.  Barclay Allen (1918-1966) was a very talented pianist who headlined with the Fredy Martin Band in the 1940's.  They played all over America and he accompanied people like Peggy Lee, Jane Russell, and Frank Sinatra.  

         One night in 1949, while driving in Nevada, after drinking all day, he fell asleep at the wheel, drove over an embankment, and ended up paralyzed from the neck down. He was 30 years old. At the request of his mother, a Rev. Norman Hammer launched an intensive conversion effort on the young man who was nearing death. The angry young musician's heart was finally reached by the Lord and the pastor introduced him to his friend, the Lord Jesus Christ.  

          Months later, after long and difficult rehabilitation, Barclay Allen regained a measure of his mobility. He was able to sit in a wheelchair, and even to do a limited amount of piano playing.  In 1953, Barclay Allen composed the music and a friend, Roc Hillman, supplied the lyrics for the hymn "I Found a Friend."   The hymn was made popular when it was sung by George Beverly Shea at Billy Graham rallies.  

          While the words were penned by Hillman, they probably are the testimony of Allen  ...  when life seemed not worth living ... a friend so tender and forgiving ... now He walks beside me ... his love is overflowing ... I can depend on Him to see me through ... my soul will live in glory ... He's ever near ... I found a friend and life began anew ... He can be your friend too.  What an amazing testimony from one who was paralyzed.  If God can love and care for one like Allen, certainly He can care for you.  Have you placed your trust in Him?

1.   I found a Friend when life seemed not worth living

I found a Friend so tender and forgiving

I can't conceive how such a thing could be

That Jesus cares for even me

Each day, each year, my faith in him is growing,

He's ever near, his love is overflowing

I have no fear my worldly cares are few

I can depend on Him to see me through

I found a Friend, He can be your Friend too.

2.     I found a Friend and now He walks beside me

His hand to lead, to comfort and to guide me

When clouds appear I talk to Him awhile,

He's taught this heart of mine to smile

Each day, each year, my faith in him is growing,

He's ever near, his love is overflowing

I have no fear my worldly cares are few

I can depend on Him to see me through

I found a Friend, He can be your Friend too.

3.     Because He came, my soul will live in glory,

I'll praise His name and tell my Saviors story,

What friend so true would give his all for you,

I found a friend and life began anew

I'm sure you'll find He is your Friend too

Each day, each year, my faith in him is growing,

He's ever near, his love is overflowing

I have no fear my worldly cares are few

I can depend on Him to see me through

I found a Friend, He can be your Friend too.

Listen to it here.   FRIEND

WILL YOU LOVE JESUS MORE?

          At the beginning off the day do you ever pause to think about those who will cross your path that day?  You may have appointments scheduled.  You will spend time with family members and maybe some friends.  You will probably have discussions with coworkers.  You will have conversations with clerks and those who provide a service for you.  And you will probably have numerous unexpected contacts with folks that you meet throughout the day.  
         Many of these conversations will be about necessary business items, but some will be about other topics of interest - sports, family experiences, future plans, neighborhood and national news and other general information.  Now some of these contacts may be with those who know the Lord, but many of them will be with folks who need the Lord.  Will your words and your attitude in these conversations reflect the love of your Savior?  Will they see Jesus in you? You may be the only believer that they know and ever talk to.  
         This song raises an important question for us about them - "Will you love Jesus more when we go our different ways - when this moment is a memory?"   That doesn't mean that we need to preach to them or flood them with Bible verses.  But it does mean that we need to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit as He works through us during our conversations.
          The words of this song were penned by a contemporary Christian music trio composed of pastors Randy Phillips, Shawn Craig and Dan Dean.  According to Phillips, "Our songs are usually things that come out of our hearts as pastors. All three of us serve full-time as lead pastors, and sometimes the people sitting in the pews form what God's trying to say to you."  
         Maybe their lyrics would be a good prayer for each of us to pray early in the morning and before many of our conversations throughout the day. "I'd pray for nothing less than for you to love Jesus more."  Lord may my conversations today be acceptable in your sight.  "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer."   Psalms 19:14.

I feel quite sure if I did my best

I could maybe impress you

With tender words and a harmony

A clever rhyme or two

But if all I've done in the time we've shared

Is turn your eyes on me

Then I've failed at what I've been called to do

There's someone else I want you to see

[CHORUS]

Will you love Jesus more

When we go our different ways

When this moment is a memory

Will you remember His face

Will you look back and realize

You sensed His love more than you did before

I'd pray for nothing less

Than for you to love Jesus more

I'd like to keep these memories

In frames of gold and silver

And reminisce a year from now

About the smiles we've shared

But above all else I hope you will come

To know the Father's love

When you see the Lord face to face

You'll hear Him say "well done"

[REPEAT CHORUS TWICE]

I'd pray for nothing less

Than for you to love Jesus more

Listen to it here.   LOVE JESUS MORE

JESUS IS MINE

         It is so easy for us to become attached to the "joys" of this life whether they be things or even relationships.  But as life goes on these things that once brought "joy" to our life begin to fade and pass and we find that only our relationship with Jesus is all that is really meaningful and lasting.  

          And as we commit all of these earthly joys to him, our heart should cry out "Jesus Is Mine".   Jane Catharine Lundie (1921-1884) wrote this hymn in 1843. She married famed Scottish preacher and hymn writer Horatius Bonar that same year. Though he was thirteen years her senior, they had a loving marriage, and fruitful ministry together for over four decades. 

          She wrote other hymns, but Mrs. Bonar is chiefly remembered for this one, originally entitled "Jesus, All in All", now known as "Jesus Is Mine" or "Fade, Fade Each Earthly Joy".  The Bonars knew the reality of fading earthly joys.  Of their nine children, five died young.  Bonar himself was sorely afflicted during the last two years of his life.  So they knew what it meant to yield all to the Lord and His will.  

          It is an outlook that Jane Bonar expresses so beautifully and passionately in her hymn, repeating twelve times the key phrase, "Jesus is mine." Though many things (even good things) crowd into our days, our desire should be "that in all things He may have the preeminence" (Col. 1:18). By comparison, the things of this world are merely "perishing things of clay, born but for one brief day"    

          This song speaks of an intimate fellowship with our Lord both here and in eternity.  Stanza one suggests that Jesus should be more important to us than any earthly joy while stanza two indicates that Jesus should be more important to us than anything that would tempt us away from Him  Stanza three suggests that Jesus should be more important to us than whatever is found in the darkness of night and stanza four says that Jesus should be more important to us than everything related to mortality.  

          Are the words of this old hymn your experience and your desire?  And can you claim the words of the final verse, "Farewell, mortality, Jesus is mine!  Welcome, eternity, Jesus is mine!  Welcome, oh, loved and blest, Welcome, sweet scenes of rest, Welcome, my Savior's breast, Jesus is mine!"

1.     Fade, fade, each earthly joy,

Jesus is mine!

Break every tender tie,

Jesus is mine!

Dark is the wilderness,

Earth has no resting place,

Jesus alone can bless,

Jesus is mine!

2.     Tempt not my soul away,

Jesus is mine!

Here would I ever stay,

Jesus is mine!

Perishing things of clay,

Born but for one brief day,

Pass from my heart away,

Jesus is mine!

3.     Farewell, ye dreams of night,

Jesus is mine!

Lost in this dawning bright,

Jesus is mine!

All that my soul has tried

Left but a dismal void;

Jesus has satisfied,

Jesus is mine!

4.     Farewell, mortality,

Jesus is mine!

Welcome, eternity,

Jesus is mine!

Welcome, oh, loved and blest,

Welcome, sweet scenes of rest,

Welcome, my Savior's breast,

Jesus is mine!

Listen to it here.    MINE

CONSTANTLY ABIDING (TH)

TIMELESS HYMN  - Another revised and repeated blog of one of the great hymns of the faith originally shared on August 1, 2010.

  

          This year is the 70th anniversary of our church and  I am now the oldest living charter member.  I have many memories of the early years when we struggled to get established.  

          In those days we didn't have very many musicians so we were happy to use almost anyone who was willing to sing or play.  That included my family.  None of us were trained, but we learned to sing hymns as soon as we could sing. We didn't have a car until I was in second grade and, if I recall correctly, we didn't  even have a radio in our first car. So everywhere we went, we would sing together as we traveled. As a result, I grew up knowing the words of all the verses to hundreds of hymns. 

          For some reason the hymn "Constantly Abiding" was one that together we sang several times as "special music" in church.  Maybe it was the words, maybe it was the harmony or the back time in the chorus, but whatever it was, we enjoyed it. My mother sang soprano, my dad bass, I sang tenor, and I think my brother and sister either sang melody or else harmonized. 

          I could not find out much about the background of this hymn. It was written by Anne Murphy (1878 - 1942) whose husband ran a pottery business in Ohio. However, she was widowed around 1929. Having lost her wealth, she then moved to California to live with her sister. I don't know what her music background was or even if she wrote other hymns. I can only guess that this hymn was written as a personal testimony to the hard times she had endured after her husband's death. She must have experienced the peace that she writes about that believers can experience in times of trial. She must have experienced the constant abiding of the Holy Spirit in her life. And she knew that some glorious day her Savior would take her to her heavenly home. So I do believe this was her personal testimony.

          Is it yours?  Have you experienced the peace that the world can't give or take away?  Can you say with the hymn writer, "Jesus is mine"?  Concentrate and meditate on the words of this hymn as you read them and also as you listen to it.

(1)    There's a peace in my heart that the world never gave,

A peace it cannot take away;

Though the trials of life may surround like a cloud,

I've a peace that has come here to stay!

Constantly abiding, Jesus is mine;

Constantly abiding, rapture divine;

He never leaves me lonely, whispers, oh, so kind:

"I will never leave thee"— Jesus is mine.

(2)    All the world seemed to sing of a Savior and King,

When peace sweetly came to my heart;

Troubles all fled away and my night turned to day,

Blessed Jesus, how glorious Thou art!

Constantly abiding, Jesus is mine;

Constantly abiding, rapture divine;

He never leaves me lonely, whispers, oh, so kind:

"I will never leave thee"— Jesus is mine.

(3)    This treasure I have in a temple of clay,

While here on His footstool I roam;

But He's coming to take me some glorious day,

Over there to my heavenly home!

Constantly abiding, Jesus is mine;

Constantly abiding, rapture divine;

He never leaves me lonely, whispers, oh, so kind:

"I will never leave thee"— Jesus is mine.

Listen to it here.    LISTEN

SPEAK, LORD, IN THE STILLNESS

         Do you find that your life has become more busy, hectic and stressful?  Do you find it hard to find time to get everything done?  Do you long for periods of quietness to rest and meditate?    I imagine that this is a problem that we all deal with today, although isolation during the pandemic may have changed some of that.  
         But we do need to find quiet times to sit and listen for the Lord's voice. We need to quiet our heart and wait expectantly for His voice.  Psalm 27:14 tells us "Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.".  We need to be quiet in our hearts and expect to hear His voice.  Now he will not speak to us in a direct, supernatural communication but He will speak to us through His Word.  So, whenever we approach God's Word, whether in our private study or in hearing it preached by another, we should quiet our hearts and say, "Speak, Lord, in the Stillness."  
          This was the experience and desire of Emily Grimes Crawford (1864-1927) when in 1919 she penned the words to The Quiet Hour which later became known as Speak Lord in the Stillness.  She was a missionary serving in Pondoland, South Africa.  There she married Dr. T. W. W. Crawford, an Anglican minister.  The tune (Quietude) was composed by Harold Green (1871-1930) who was also a missionary in Pondoland.  Green provided this music for Mrs. Crawford's words around 1925, about five years before his death on the mission field. 
          The song quickly became a favorite at the Keswick Convention in northern England and appeared in The Keswick Hymnbook of 1936 in England. From there it found its way into the Inter-Varsity hymnbooks of England and America.  
          The hymn suggests that we should listen to God's Word because it is the Lord speaking, because it gives power, because it is life, because it brings us into His presence, because it helps us yield to Him and because it fills us with the knowledge of His will.  Isaiah 58:11 is a reminder of the message of the prophet Isaiah to Israel,  "The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail".  And while Isaiah didn't say it, this is true even during a pandemic.
         May we be reminded to find that quiet time daily to spend with the Lord and may the words of this hymn be our prayer as we do this.

1.     Speak, Lord, in the stillness,

  While I wait on Thee;

Hushed my heart to listen,

  In expectancy.

2     Speak, O blessed Master,

  In this quiet hour;

Let me see Thy face, Lord,

  Feel Thy touch of power.

3     For the words Thou speakest,

  They are life indeed;

Living bread from heaven,

  Now my spirit feed!

4     All to Thee is yielded,

  I am not my own;

Blissful, glad surrender,

  I am Thine alone.

5     Speak, Thy servant heareth,

  Be not silent, Lord;

Waits my soul upon Thee

  For the quickening word.

6     Fill me with the knowledge

  Of Thy glorious will;

All Thine own good pleasure

  In Thy child fulfill.

7     Like a watered garden,

  Full of fragrance rare,

Lingering in Thy presence,

  Let my life appear.

I had some difficulty finding a link for this hymn because none of the ones that I could find were the tune that I remember.  Apparently many tunes have been used over the years.  So here is one for you to listen to.    STILLNESS

BLESSED BE THE FOUNTAIN

          "In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness" (Zech. 13:1).   This prophecy of Zechariah uses the word fountain in connection with cleansing from sin.   "...For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.'" (Hebrews 9:22) 
         Sometimes this Gospel song is called "Whiter Than The Snow", using the first line of the chorus. The song conveys a clear message of the death of Christ on the cross and the cleansing available to sinners through the blood of Christ.  The text of this hymn was written in 1881 by Eden Reeder Latta (1839-1915). I recall how it used to be one of the favorite songs years ago in our Sunday evening services when I was growing up, but I don't know when I last heard it sung. 
         Latta inherited his musical talent from his parents. His father was a noted singing teacher, his mother was an excellent vocalist and his older brother, William O. Perkins, was also a hymn tune compose.  Mr. Latta composed this week's hymn for a Dr. Henry Perkins in Chicago, who then provided the music. The song gained immediate popularity. Not only was it published in many song books, but it was also translated into other languages for the use of missionaries.  It is said that Latta wrote about 1,600 hymns during his life, writing many for musicians who then added the tunes.  Many of his texts were purchased by William Ogden, a boyhood friend, who completed the hymns. It is said that on one occasion he actually wrote nine hymns in one day for a James McGranahan.  I
         In this week's hymn choice Mr. Latta shares the need for ta fountain of blood for a world of sinners.  But he also makes the need personal.  "Only by His stripes we are healed. Tho I've wandered far from His fold, bringing to my heart pain and woe"  The second verse shares how the fountain flowed and how Christ suffered for this to happen.  In the final verse he again makes the need personal.  "Often has my heart gone astray."  But his response is "Jesus, to the Fountain of Thine, leaning on Thy promise, I go;  Cleanse me by Thy washing divine, And I shall be whiter than snow."  We need to remember that there is only one way in which we can be reconciled with God and cleansed from our sin and that is through the blood of Christ.  Have you experienced the cleansing that this hymn shares? 

1      Blessed be the Fountain of blood,

To a world of sinners revealed;

Blessed be the dear Son of God -

Only by His stripes we are healed.

Tho I've wandered far from His fold,

Bringing to my heart pain and woe,

Wash me in the blood of the Lamb,

And I shall be whiter than snow.

Chorus:

Whiter than the snow,

Whiter than the snow,

Wash me in the blood of the Lamb,

And I shall be whiter than snow.

2      Thorny was the crown that He wore,

And the cross His body o'ercame;

Grievous were the sorrows He bore,

But He suffered thus not in vain.

May I to that Fountain be led,

Made to cleanse my sins here below;

Wash me in the blood that He shed,

And I shall be whiter than snow. 

Chorus:

Whiter than the snow,

Whiter than the snow,

Wash me in the blood of the Lamb,

And I shall be whiter than snow.

3      Father, I have wandered from Thee,

Often has my heart gone astray;

Crimson do my sins seem to me—

Water cannot wash them away.

Jesus, to the Fountain of Thine,

Leaning on Thy promise, I go;

Cleanse me by Thy washing divine,

And I shall be whiter than snow. 

Chorus:

Whiter than the snow,

Whiter than the snow,

Wash me in the blood of the Lamb,

And I shall be whiter than snow.

Listen to it here.   FOUNTAIN

DO YOU KNOW MY JESUS?

          Did I know President Ronald Reagan?  Well I read about him.  I saw him on television. I even voted for him.  I  talked to him on the White House Lawn where I also shook his hand and took his picture,  But did I know him?  No way.  Even though I admired him as a president. I never had a personal relationship with him.  
         In the same way, today many people claim to know Jesus.  Some may even attend church, especially on holidays,  and listen to sermons about him.  But they don't know him. Unfortunately today a growing number of people don't even have an intellectual knowledge of him and who he is.  Actually "knowing Jesus" is incomplete unless it results in a change in our lives.  
         Vesphew Benton Ellis (1917-1988), one of the most prolific and beloved songwriters in Southern Gospel, raised this important question in this week's hymn choice.  Actually the chorus, which is the heart of the song, was written first by William F. Lakey.  Ellis then wrote the stanzas, posing questions about the hearer's life. which lead into the chorus in a natural progression of thoughts. In stanza 1, the song asks,  "Have you a heart that's weary, tending a load of care; are you a soul that's seeking rest from the burden you bear?"  Stanza 2  asks, "Where is your heart, O pilgrim, what does your light reveal; who hears your call for comfort when naught but sorrow you feel?"   Stanza 3 asks "Who knows your disappointments, who hears each time you cry; who understands your heartaches, who dries the tears from your eyes?"  How do you answer these questions? 
         Then comes the important, penetrating question, "Do you know my Jesus?"  My friend, how do you answer that one today?  In Matthew 7:23 Jesus warned that some who claim to follow Him, but who do so in disobedience or insincerity, will hear the tragic words, "I never knew you."  Don't let that be your eternal destiny.

1.     Have you a heart that's weary,

Tending a load of care;

Are you a soul that's seeking

Rest from the burden you bear?

Do you know my Jesus?

Do you know my friend,

Have you heard He loves you,

And that He will abide till the end?

2.     Where is your heart, O, pilgrim,

What does your light reveal;

Who hears your call for comfort

When naught but sorrow you feel?

Do you know my Jesus?

Do you know my friend,

Have you heard He loves you,

And that He will abide till the end?

3.     Who knows your disappointments,

Who hears each time you cry;

Who understands your heartaches,

Who dries the tears from your eyes?

Do you know my Jesus?

Do you know my friend,

Have you heard He loves you,

And that He will abide till the end?

Listen to it here.    KNOW

MY REDEEMER IS FAITHFUL AND TRUE (TH)

TIMELESS HYMN  - Another revised and repeated blog of one of the great hymns of the faith originally shared on June 12, 2011.  

          Faithfulness seems to be an unknown quality in today's society. Marriages fall apart because of unfaithfulness to wedding vows. Employee and employer long time relationships are quickly broken when times get tough. People hop from one church to another and attend only when it is convenient. Churches and even community organizations have challenges functioning because volunteers won't put in time or just quit. Even highly paid athletes jump from team to team for larger salaries. But God's faithfulness endures. He will never change his mind or fail His children. His promises are secure. He is always there, in the good times and the bad times. Hopefully you recognize and can testify of God's faithfulness in your life. It was His faithfulness in a very tragic time that stirred Steven Curtis Chapman to pen the words of this week's choice. Psalm 103:17 (KJV) "But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children;" came to his mind as he stood at the hospital, not as a Christian music singer comforting a little child, but as a father praying for a miracle. He held onto his wife that night and prayed for their 5-year-old Maria, their youngest adopted daughter, who had been accidentally struck in the family's driveway by one of her brothers returning home in his truck. Chapman had tried CPR at his house. The paramedics had tried to revive her but she had been pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. Later he teamed with James Isaac Elliott to pen these words and music.  Today Chapman says that this hymn is the most meaningful of his songs that he sings.  Can you testify too that your Redeemer is faithful and true and every morning His mercies are new?   What a precious truth for the believer!

As I look back on the road I've traveled,

I see so many times He carried me through;

And if there's one thing that I've learned in my life,

My Redeemer is faithful and true.

My Redeemer is faithful and true.

[Chorus:]

My Redeemer is faithful and true.

Everything He has said He will do,

And every morning His mercies are new.

My Redeemer is faithful and true.

My heart rejoices when I read the promise

'There is a place I am preparing for you.'

I know someday I'll see my Lord face to face,

'Cause my Redeemer is faithful and true.

My Redeemer is faithful and true.

[Chorus:]

My Redeemer is faithful and true.

Everything He has said He will do,

And every morning His mercies are new.

My Redeemer is faithful and true.

And in every situation He has proved His love to me;

When I lack the understanding, He gives more grace to me.

[Chorus:]

My Redeemer is faithful and true.

Everything He has said He will do,

And every morning His mercies are new.

My Redeemer is faithful and true.

You can hear it here.    FAITHFUL