August 20, 2006
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O Worship the King!
Aren’t hymns and praise songs wonderful? I have almost every song I’ve ever sung stuck in my head, so I’m particularly glad that I’ve got praise songs to block out all the garbage I listened to in high school. I’d much rather have “Joyful, joyful we adore Thee, God of glory, God of love…” going through my mind than, “Raspberry beret, the kind you find in a second-hand store. Raspberry beret, and if it was warm…”
I know that many of us have our favorites when it comes to music styles and hymns and songs, but I thought I’d share my favorite hymn with you because of its lyrics. No, it’s not the one that’s the most fun to sing or the one which gives goosebumps at the power and majesty of it. Instead, it’s a simple prayer of what I’d like my life to be. I suspect it was the same for its author, Kate B. Wilkinson.
I’ve tried to find out more about the author, but there is little information. She lived from 1859-1928 in England, was the wife of a minister, and was involved in a ministry to girls: an ordinary woman with an extraordinary prayer set to music.
Although I seldom read lyrics when people post them and assume that you’ll probably not read these either, I’ll post them anyhow. If you know the song, sing along! If you don’t know the song, you can hear it HERE.
May the mind of Christ, my Saviour,
Live in me from day to day,
By His love and pow’r controlling
All I do and say.May the Word of God dwell richly
In my heart from hour to hour,
So that all may see I triumph
Only through His pow’r.May the peace of God, my Father,
Rule my life in ev’rything,
That I may be calm to comfort
Sick and sorrowing.May the love of Jesus fill me,
As the waters fill the sea;
Him exalting, self abasing,
This is victory.May I run the race before me,
Strong and brave to face the foe,
Looking only unto Jesus
As I onward go.May His beauty rest upon me
As I seek the lost to win,
And may they forget the channel,
Seeing only Him.What hymn or praise song speaks to your heart? Why does it?
Comments (21)
Ever seen Monty Python? Probably not. But there’s a group of monks who walk around slapping their foreheads with slabs of wood. So I impersonated one such monk….Most people didn’t get it, but it was hilarious for those who did!;)
That is a beautiful hymn. I read the post earlier and have been humming the tune all evening. My favorite hymn is He Leadeth Me. We really don’t sing that song very often, but it always reminds me that He is in control of my life and leads me every step of the way.
I love the old song “And Can It be That I Should Gain?” ~ by Charles Wesley
And can it be that I should gain
An interest in my Savior’s blood
Died He for me, I caused His Pain
For me, who Him to death pursued
(chorus)
Amazing love, How can it be
That thou my God would die for me
Amazing love, How can it be
That thou my God would die for me
So long my imprisoned spirit lay
Vast bound in sin and nature’s night
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray
I woke, my dungeon flamed with light
My chains fell off, my heart was free
I rose went forth and followed thee
My chains fell off, my heart was free
I rose went forth and followed thee
(chorus)
I just love reading your blog……
Ha ha, well, they often do take over.
This time last year all my ambitions weren’t stressful at all, because I only worked 15 hours a week and wasn’t going to school. Now it seems my undertakings have doubled, as well as my work load (22 hours of work per week and 15 credit hours per week.) I’ll try to remember not to get stressed out. You’re right, it should be fun!
Day by Day is a personal favorite.
How Great Thou Art!
“Spirit of God Descend Upon My Heart”
My idea of the ideal music for a church service would be two hymns and about three worship songs. I haven’t found a church that does that yet. It’s either heavily weighted on one side or another. The church I have been attending throws in a hymn about twice a month, but one of those was to a new tune, so it doesn’t count. I always read the lyrics, I want to know what made the writer take the trouble to post it.
“Come Thou Font of Every Blessing”
This might be an even better one.
Oh! I like that one. We did that one for our Bible Study Hymn last book. Every time we finish a book we pick a new hymn to sing at the start of every study while we do the new book.
I have so many favorites, but probably my very favorite praise song is “Make My Life A Prayer To You” by Keith Green (speaking of music from childhood!)
The chorus goes:
I want to thank You now, for being patient with me
Oh it’s so hard to see, when my eyes are on me
I guess I’ll have to trust and just believe What you say
Oh You’re coming again, coming to take me away
no i didn’t actually take that pic. i found it in Dibbie’s pic folder.
I like many hymns and songs (but I am a music person. lol) but my favorite is a hymn entitled “Hymn” of all things (has a celtic sound to it):
O Refuge of my hardened heart/ O fast persuing Lover, Come/ As angels dance around Your throne/ My life by captured fare, You own
Not silhouette of trodden faith/ Nor death shall not my steps be guide/ I’ll pirouette upon my grave/ For in Your path, I’ll run and hide
O gaze of Love, so melt my pride/ That I may in Your house, but kneel/ And in my brokenness to cry/ Spring worship unto Thee
When beauty breaks the spell of pain/ The bludgeoned heart shall burst in vain/ But not when Love be pointed King/ And Truth shall Thee forever reign
Sweet Jesus carry me away/ From cold of night and dust of day/ In ragged hour or salt worn eye/ Be my desire, my well spring lye
O gaze of Love so melt my pride/ That i may in Your house, but kneel/ And in my brokenness to cry/ Spring worship unto Thee
Spring worship unto Thee……… Spring worship unto Thee……
I like your favorite hymn too. I have been singing your and the others as I read your blog. lol What a great post–and just think of us all singing to Him as we read it!
I forgot to answer your second question. I like this hymn because it really speaks to my heart about my relationship with Christ. He is the one Who loves me, redeems my sorry self (lol), and saves me. My heart is so full when I am able to worship Him with thankfulness (in music or other ways). I have been studying alot about brokenness and sorrow these past few years and have found that offering our brokenness to God is as desireable a form of worship to Him as offering our praise. I rejoice that death has no hold over us at all and we do not have to live our lives in fear of its approaching shadow. I can instead concentrate on Christ, my Great Love!
funny that Kat thought you had never seen Monty Python!
Wow, tough question, as I have so many that have impacted me at different points of my life. Since there were so many responses of hymn favorites, I’ll stick to choruses. Keith Green’s Asleep in the Light always challenges me to remember that what Jesus did for me should affect how I live for Him. But Third Day’s Your Love Oh Lord is such a beautiful and worshipful rendition of Psalm 36.
Kim’s pic is on her xanga.
Your pic done got beat by a potty tooooo!! =D
By the way, I AM definitely glad you liked my picture (I guess this is my more sensitive side kicking in here hahaha). ttyl, daniel
I enjoyed the lyrics of your favorite song
Sherry
I absolutely love hymns & I think it’s sad that many churches have forgotten them, as of late. I like lots of different styles of music, though, and do enjoy the newer worship music as well. One of my favorite hymns is “Be With Me, Lord” by L.O. Sanderson ……the first verse is:
……Be with me, Lord, I cannot live without Thee, I dare not try to take one step alone. I cannot bear the loads of life unaided, I need Thy strength to lean myself upon……
I could name a hundred that are my favorites, but will spare you! In the church where I was “raised” (only the1st 12 years of my life, really), they did not have instrumental music (bummer!) and relied soley on vocal harmonies…… it was truly beautiful and a lost art today. My family was uncommonly ALL (except my grandmother) gifted with good singing voices and would sing hymns together for special ocassions. As a little girl, I felt like the angels were just singing right there with us, it was so lovely!! When my grandmother’s health was failing, and I had come to visit her in Texas for the last time before she died, my mother and I sat at the side of her bed and sang hymns to her, one after the other. It was surreal. She just lay there with her eyes closed and we would ask her if she could hear us. She told us she could and that it was just beautiful. I don’t know how many songs we sung, but we kept having to wipe the tears away & control our quivering voices. We knew she wouldn’t be with us much longer. It was such a sorry, yet touching sight; two women in a nursing home, crying and singing her favorite songs like: “No Tears in Heaven”, “What a Day That Will Be”, “Farther Along” & “Safe In the Arms of Jesus” by the bed of a 91 year old woman. We were laughing at our own patheticness! The most wonderful thing about it all is that we’ll get to see her again in heaven & she’s so much happier there! It’s so hard to let go of a loved one, but it sure does help to know that it’s just for a short while!!
Whew! Didn’t mean to turn that into a short story!! Guess I just needed to share!
So you start school in 2 weeks?
All of the schools around here started in the middle of last week……..I have this “thing” about always starting on a Monday……so today it was! It went fine……..I had a good day and Amanda thinks there is entirely TOO MUCH homework with ABeka! Oh well……..that is how it goes
Sherry
Oh, I had to post, even if only to be the **20th person** to comment on this entry. (That’s quite an impressive number of comments!) For me, it has to be “Nothing But The Blood” – not only do I love the message of the hymn, but the bass part is just gorgeous and quite straightforward.
Mary—today is our 22nd anniversary!! One of my favorite hymns was played during the recessional of our wedding: Praise Him! Praise Him! It is a wonderful hymn and we hardly ever hear it any more. Here are the words!
Praise him! Praise him! Jesus our blessed redeemer!
Sing O Earth his wonderful love proclaim!
Hail him! Hail him! highest arch angels in glory,
Strength and honor give to his holy name.
Like a shepherd, Jesus will guard his children,
In his arms he carries them all day long:
Praise him! praise him! tell of his excellent greatness! Praise him! praise him! ever in joyful song.
Praise him! praise him! Jesus our blessed redeemer!
For our sins he suffered and bled and died;
He our rock, our hope of eternal salvation,
Hail him! Hail him! Jesus the crucified.
Sound his praises! Jesus who bore our sorrows,
Love unbounded, wonderful, deep and strong.
Praise him! praise him! tell of his excellent greatness! Praise him! praise him! ever in joyful song!
Praise him! praise him! Jesus our blessed redeemer!
Heav’nly portals loud with hosannas ring!
Jesus, Savior, reigneth forever and ever;
Crown him! crown him! prophet and priest and King!
Christ is coming, over the world victorious, Pow’r and glory unto the Lord belong;
Praise him! praise him! tell of his excellent greatness! Praise him! praise him! ever in joyful song!
- this was written by Fannie Crosby in 1869