SPIRIT OF THE LIVING GOD

           Today's chorus would be an excellent prayer for each believer to sing at the beginning of each new day. "Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me."

          The words were written in 1926 by Daniel Iverson (1890-1977) after hearing a sermon on the Holy Sprit during an evangelism crusade by the George Stephans Evangelistic Team in Orlando, Florida.  Later that day Iverson sat down at the piano, and wrote this song. Miss Birdie Loes, the pianist for the Stephans team, wrote it out on manuscript paper. E. Powell Lee, the team song leader, was immediately impressed and taught it to the people that evening in the tabernacle, and used it throughout the campaign.  The song was then printed in leaflets for use at other services.  

          Iverson studied at the University of Georgia, Moody Bible Institute, Columbia Theological Seminary, and the University of South Carolina. Ordained in the Presbyterian Church in 1914, he served congregations in Georgia and in North and South Carolina. In 1927 he founded the Shenandoah Presbyterian Church in Miami, Florida, and served there until his retirement in 1951. An evangelist as well as a preacher, Iverson planted seven new congregations during his ministry in Miami.

          This song is one of the most long-lasting and widely used choruses in Christian worship. Every aspect of the song embodies a simple sincerity.  The melody encompasses only five notes, with every pitch in its place. The harmonies can be played by a very modestly skilled pianist, and three of the four lines repeat the same nine words. Yet for many, the straightforward petitions of this song draw the singer into an attitude of prayer.

         The words of this chorus reflect the thoughts of Jeremiah 18:6, :"O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel" (KJV).

          Daily we should desire the Spirit of the Living God to fall afresh on us.  We need him to break us ... melt us ... mold us ... fill us.  Oh how different our days would be if this would be our prayer and our experience every day.

           Sing and pray these words daily.

 

Spirit of the Living God,

Fall afresh on me,

Spirit of the Living God,

Fall afresh on me.

Break me, melt me, mold me, fill me.

Spirit of the Living God,

Fall afresh on me.

Listen to it here.     SPIRIT

LEAD ME TO CALVARY

         Jane Evelyn Hussy (1874-1958) was an invalid from rheumatism who began writing verse as a child.   The first were published when she was thirteen. At sixteen she began to write stories, articles and designs for crochet needlework for magazines.  
          She was born in rural New Hampshire where she spent much of her life. For many years, she was the primary caregiver for an invalid sister, despite dealing with her own crippling arthritis.
          Though Jennie was born into a Quaker family that went back many generations, she chose to identify with the Baptists as an adult. Since Quakers did not practice water baptism, Jennie asked to be baptized at First Baptist Church in Concord, New Hampshire. She told the pastor, "I've spent much of my life hidden away in the country, and I'd like to have the opportunity, before God takes me home, to tell everybody, 'I love Jesus.'"¹
          Jennie had been a poet since her youth, and she used this gift to beautifully declare her love for Jesus. The hymn "Lead Me to Calvary" is said to have been born out of Jennie's painful battle with arthritis.  She prayed the words of her hymn: "May I be willing, Lord, to bear, Daily my cross for Thee; Even Thy cup of grief to share, Thou hast borne all for me."
          Other verses followed, and Jennie's hymn would later appear in over 90 hymnals. Jennie continued to show her love for the Lord in poetry, and by the end of her life in 1958, she had penned about 150 hymns.
          In this well- known hymn the first verse focuses upon Jesus' thorn-crowned brow as He hung on Calvary.  The second verse focuses upon the burial of Jesus following His death.  Verse three focuses upon the resurrection of Jesus and the empty tomb which in essence validates His death on Calvary.  The fourth verse focuses upon the application of what Jesus means to us because of His death on Calvary.  Knowing what she was going through physically with her disease and the burden of caring for her sister, the fourth verse takes on a special meaning.
          May we never forget what Jesus has done for us.  May we crown Him King of our life.  And may we never forget His love for us.

1     King of my life I crown Thee now-

Thine shall the glory be;

Lest I forget Thy thorn-crowned brow,

Lead me to Calvary.

Refrain:

Lest I forget Gethsemane,

Lest I forget Thine agony,

Lest I forget Thy love for me,

Lead me to Calvary.

2      Show me the tomb where Thou wast laid,

Tenderly mourned and wept;

Angels in robes of light arrayed

Guarded Thee whilst Thou slept.

Lest I forget Gethsemane,

Lest I forget Thine agony,

Lest I forget Thy love for me,

Lead me to Calvary.

3      Let me like Mary, thru the gloom,

Come with a gift to Thee;

Show to me now the empty tomb-

Lead me to Calvary. 

Lest I forget Gethsemane,

Lest I forget Thine agony,

Lest I forget Thy love for me,

Lead me to Calvary.

4      May I be willing, Lord, to bear

Daily my cross for Thee;

Even Thy cup of grief to share-

Thou hast borne all for me. 

Lest I forget Gethsemane,

Lest I forget Thine agony,

Lest I forget Thy love for me,

Lead me to Calvary.

Listen to it here.   CALVARY

NO ONE EVER CARED FOR ME (TH)

TIMELESS HYMNS - A feature where I choose a song that was posted it earlier, revise it, edit it and post it again.  This hymn was first posted on June 2, 2012.

          So often tragedy and despair have led to the writing of some of the most inspiring hymns.  This week's choice is such an example.  

          Charles Weigle (1871-1966) was an Itinerant evangelist and song writer.  One day after preaching at a gospel crusade, he came home to find a note from his wife of many years.  The note said that she did not care for the life she led being an evangelist's wife and she was leaving him.  She left with a daughter, their only child.

          The next few years were a time of despair for Weigle. He later said that he became so despondent that there were even times when he contemplated suicide. He even wondered if anyone really cared for him.  

          After a time, his faith was again restored and he became active for the Lord again.  During this time he wanted to put to paper a song that would share the feelings he had experienced during his despondent days.  From a heart that was broken came the words and the tune for this week's hymn.  

          This great testimony hymn has always been one of my favorites since it shares so well the feelings of my heart.  There are days when we all feel that nobody really cares about us.  Just recently, while facing a major trial, I confidentially shared my challenge with a person who I thought would care.  I admit that at first I was hurt when this person never said he'd pray for me and never even came back to see how I was doing.  I really don't think he cared.  But then I remembered that this is just human nature and there is one who really knows and cares for me.  

          There are no other friends like Jesus.  He cares and will not forsake you.  You can cast all your cares on Him.  I hope that you have found this true in your life.   If not, place your care upon Him today.  There's no other friend so kind and true as He.

(1)   I would love to tell you what I think of Jesus

Since I found in Him a friend so strong and true;

I would tell you how He changed my life completely -

He did something that no other friend could do.

No one ever cared for me like Jesus;

There's no other friend so kind as He;

No one else could take 

the sin and darkness from me -

O how much He cared for me!

(2)   All my life was full of sin when Jesus found me;

All my heart was full of misery and woe;

Jesus placed His strong and loving arms around me,

And He led me in the way I ought to go.

No one ever cared for me like Jesus;

There's no other friend so kind as He;

No one else could take 

the sin and darkness from me -

O how much He cared for me!

(3)   Every day He comes to me with new assurance,

More and more I understand His words of love;

But I'll never know just why He came to save me,

Till some day I see His blessed face above.

No one ever cared for me like Jesus;

There's no other friend so kind as He;

No one else could take 

the sin and darkness from me -

O how much He cared for me!

You can listen to it here.   CARES

AH HOLY JESUS

          "Ah, Holy Jesus" meditates on the events leading to the crucifixion and asks who is personally responsible for the death of the Savior.

          The text was written in 1630 by Johann Heermann (1585–1647), a 17th century Lutheran pastor and poet, as a translation and paraphrase of a medieval Latin devotion. Born in Silesia (now Poland), Heermann was the only surviving child of five. His mother vowed that he would be trained for the ministry if God spared his life. Despite personal health problems with his sight, a throat condition that hindered his preaching, and victimized by the Thirty Years' War, he became both a pastor and a scholar. His poetic skills were of such a level that he was named poet laureate in the Holy Roman Empire in 1608

          Robert Bridges (1844–1930), poet laureate of England, whose declining health caused him to give up his medical career and, as a result, focus on literature and hymnody, translated Heerman's hymn to English. Rather than attempting a complete translation of the lengthy hymn, Bridges chose in 1897 to paraphrase a part of it in five stanzas.

          The first verse  begins with the rhetorical question, "how hast thou offended?"  The obvious answer is that Christ did not deserve ridicule and rejection. The remaining stanzas focus on the guilty party. 
           The second verse asks, "Who was the guilty? Who brought this upon thee?" This time, the response is not rhetorical; it is declarative: "'Twas I, Lord Jesus, …  I it was denied thee … I crucified thee."  
          If the first two verses seem dark and gloomy, hope begins to glimmer in the third verse.  This verse invokes the image of the Good Shepherd (John 10:11–21), who gives his life for the sheep. "The slave hath sinned … and the Son hath suffered."  
          Building on the general hope of verse three, verse four makes personal claim to the atonement. This verse shares the purpose of the incarnation, which is ultimately "for [our] salvation."  The tone of the final stanzas moves from the harsh reality of acknowledging our complicity in Christ's suffering to adoration and gratitude for "thy pity and thy love unswerving ...  not my deserving."

          The final verse reflects on how we can respond to this amazing gift. His love inspires us to love and adoration. We cannot pay Jesus back, but we can adore him and commune forever with him.
          As the hymn, "Ah, Holy Jesus" so poignantly points out, our sin was to blame for causing Jesus death. In a heartfelt confession to Jesus, the hymn writer admits, "Who was the guilty? Who brought this upon Thee? Alas, my treason, Jesus, hath undone Thee."  Innocent and godly in every way, Jesus didn't deserve the brutal torture of crucifixion. Yet he suffered that horrible death anyway, because there was no other way to save us from our sin. Standing before the cross, we have no one else to blame: It was our sin that nailed the spikes into his hands. 

          This old hymn continues to challenge Christians today, pushing us to realize it was our personal sins that put Jesus on the cross. And beyond that, Heerman's hymn points us to a proper response, beautifully reminding us that Jesus' death for our salvation calls for us to adore and worship him.

 

1   Ah, holy Jesus, how hast thou offended, 

that we to judge thee have in hate pretended? 

By foes derided, by thine own rejected, 

O most afflicted! 

2    Who was the guilty? Who brought this upon thee? 
Alas, my treason, Jesus, hath undone thee! 
'Twas I, Lord Jesus, I it was denied thee; 
I crucified thee. 

3    Lo, the Good Shepherd for the sheep is offered; 
the slave hath sinned, and the Son hath suffered. 
For our atonement, while we nothing heeded, 
God interceded. 

4    For me, kind Jesus, was thy incarnation, 
thy mortal sorrow, and thy life's oblation; 
thy death of anguish and thy bitter passion, 
for my salvation. 

5    Therefore, kind Jesus, since I cannot pay thee, 
I do adore thee, and will ever pray thee, 
think on thy pity and thy love unswerving, 
not my deserving.

.          Listen to this hymn here.   HOLY JESUS

 

WORTHY IS THE LAMB

          "In a loud voice they were saying: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" {Revelation 5:12}

          It was This verse that inspired Don Wyrtzen to pen this praise chorus in 1970.  Wyrtzen has long been considered one of the top composers, arrangers and pianists in Christian music.

          It was in New Jersey that Don Wyrtzen took piano lessons when he was a small child.  The piano teacher was a devoted Christian and her faith made an impression on the young Wyrtzen, who would go on to make music his career and devote his talents to God.

          Wyrtzen received an early start in music and broadcasting with his father, Dr. Jack Wyrtzen, founder of Word of Life International. He is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute, The King's College, Dallas Theological Seminary, and he did graduate study at the University of North Texas. 

          With over 400 anthems and songs to his name, he received a Dove Award for his 1981 musical, The Love Story. He continues to arrange, orchestrate, and conduct for major artists, churches, universities, and seminaries. 

          Personally we remember hearing him play and teach many summers at the Pinebrook Bible Conference. in Stroudsburg, PA.  He was one of our favorite artists on their annual summer program.

          Wyrtzen wrote this famous praise chorus, and he recalls "I was in Mexico City assisting evangelist Luis Palau conduct a series of crusades. Because the messages were in Spanish, I spent the time during the sermons writing new songs. One day I became particularly impressed with the great truth of Revelation 5:12, and I thought how effective this verse could be, if only the proper music was used to enhance it. I thought about the music used in the secular song "The Impossible Dream" and decided that a similar musical style would work well with these words. God has used this song to bless and inspire His people during these past years perhaps more than any other work I have been privileged to write, for which I will be eternally grateful to Him."

          Indeed, worthy is the Lamb that was slain!.

Worthy is the Lamb that was slain

Worthy is the Lamb that was slain

Worthy is the Lamb that was slain

To receive power and riches and wisdom and strength

Honor and glory and blessing

Worthy is the Lamb

Worthy is the Lamb

Worthy is the Lamb that was slain

Worthy is the Lamb

Listen to it here.   WORTHY