Lord Jesus, when I think on Thee,
Of all Thy love and grace,
My spirit longs and fain would see,
Thy beauty face to face.
The accomplishment of our Lord Jesus Christ in His life, death and resurrection allows us free and unhindered access to His loving and gracious presence. The fitting response in us is to have a heart filled with longing, love and affection for Him, and this mutual love with the Lord carries us through all stages of the Christian life. Once we are born again, we love because He first loved us. Growing in our love for the Lord will bring us deeper into the obedience of faith. Then when situations in the church become complicated, this tenderness will keep us simple, wanting only to see His interests advanced today. And on that day, when the Lord returns to be glorified in His saints, this love will enjoy a long-awaited, unfettered union.
The songs and hymns of the Lord which the Church throughout the ages has produced are a testament to this sustaining love that the Lord has shed abroad in the hearts of His saints. These hymns in turn have become a precious means of cultivating that love in new generations of believers. Knowing, preserving and treasuring this cream of the Church’s legacy is the privilege and balm of the saints today.
Many are familiar with singing songs of faith when gathered together as a church, and some still keep a tradition of singing to the Lord with family and friends around the dinner table or in the living room, but many today do not have a devotional, personal singing of hymns. Next to the open Bible and coupled with prayer, singing these gems of experience to the Lord fortifies the soul and joins us to the narrow way of the pilgrims who have gone before us.
Now, many are familiar with singing to the Lord with what is currently on the radio during their morning commute. I propose that that is not the same as becoming familiar with a hymnal filled with songs from the past. The virtue of these hymns is not their age, but that they have aged well. They have weathered the test of time because there is something solid, descriptive, applicable and spiritual that has maintained an impact on each generation of singers for them to have been passed on. Spiritually speaking, these songs bring us beyond the “milk” that so many can write and onto the “solid food” experiences that only a few in each generation can produce.
The purpose of this blog series is to inspire a new generation of hymn singers by introducing classics as well as hidden gems with musical, historical and devotional insights. Lyrics, music notation, and links to sound files will be included when available,but the best way to engage these posts will be with your hymnal open. Numbers for the Songs and Hymns of Life hymnal* will be included, and most can be commonly found among classic hymnals. May your hymnal become as worn as your Bible!
Do you have a favorite hymn that you’d like to share? Do you spend personal time with the Lord through song or is this new to you? Is there a hymn you’d like to see covered? Do you have questions about hymns? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
*If you’re looking for a hymnal to start your new habit of devotional hymn singing, contact us to get a copy of Songs and Hymns of Life.