Hymn Story, on COME, YE THANKFUL PEOPLE, COME, by William Petersen

Many Christians are in the habit of giving thanks before meals. It is said that Henry Alford also gave thanks after meals, standing and offering his gratitude to God for the blessings just received. He also did this at the end of the day. Indeed, Alford was one of the “thankful people” that he writes about in this hymn. 

But this song isn’t just about thanksgiving for what God has done. It is also about work completed, a job well done. It is about aching muscles and full barns, sun-reddened faces and meals of plenty. It was written to be used at harvest festivals in villages throughout England. Each village observed a celebration whenever it brought in its harvest, and Alford, one of the leading churchmen in England in the nineteenth century, provided this hymn of thanks. It was originally called “After Harvest.”

Scriptures: 1 Chronicles 16:8-9; Psalm 92:1; Psalm 146:7-11

Themes: Thanksgiving, Creation, Second Coming

Lyrics of the Hymn:
Come, ye thankful people, come,
Raise the song of harvest home;
All is safely gathered in,
Ere the winter storms begin;
God, our Maker, doth provide
For our wants to be supplied;
Come to God’s own temple, come,
Raise the song of harvest home. 

All the world is God’s own field,
Fruit unto His praise to yield;
Wheat and tares together sown,
Unto joy or sorrow grown;
First the blade, and then the ear,
Then the full corn shall appear;
Lord of harvest, grant that we
Wholesome grain and pure may be.

For the Lord our God shall come,
And shall take His harvest home;
From His field shall in that day
All offenses purge away,
Give His angels charge at last
In the fire the tares to cast,
But the fruitful ears to store
In His garner evermore.

Even so, Lord, quickly come,
Bring Thy final harvest home;
Gather Thou Thy people in,
Free from sorrow, free from sin,
There, forever purified,
In Thy presence to abide;
Come, with all Thine angels, come,
Raise the glorious harvest home.

By HENRY ALFORD (1810–1871)

Reference for the Hymn:
Petersen, William. The Complete Book of Hymns (pp. 656-657). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Hymn Story, on SWEET HOUR OF PRAYER, by William Petersen

According to one account, the author of this hymn was a blind preacher and curio-shop owner in Coleshill, England. He carved ornaments out of ivory or wood and sold them in his small store. He also wrote poetry. One day, when a local minister stopped at the store, William Walford, the blind shop owner, mentioned that he had composed a poem in his head. He asked the minister to write it down for him. Three years later, the minister visited the United States and gave the poem to a newspaper editor.

Unfortunately, no one knows what happened to William Walford of Coleshill. Researchers have found a William Walford, a minister in Homerton, England, who wrote a book on prayer that expresses many of the same thoughts that are given in this poem. That may be the true author.

But the identity of the hymnwriter is not as important as knowing a God who hears and answers prayer. In our hymns, prayer is frequently rhymed with care. This is appropriate, for whenever we are aware of care, we should be equally aware of prayer. God cares about us, and that motivates us to pray.

Scriptures: Deuteronomy 34:1; Matthew 7:11; Matthew 21:22; Ephesians 6:18
Themes: Prayer, Comfort, Hope 

Lyrics of the Hymn:
Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
That calls me from a world of care,
And bids me at my Father’s throne
Make all my wants and wishes known;
In seasons of distress and grief,
My soul has often found relief,
And oft escaped the tempter’s snare,
By thy return, sweet hour of prayer!

Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
The joys I feel, the bliss I share
Of those whose anxious spirits burn
With strong desires for thy return!
With such I hasten to the place
Where God my Savior shows His face,
And gladly take my station there,
And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!

Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
Thy wings shall my petition bear
To Him whose truth and faithfulness
Engage the waiting soul to bless;
And since He bids me seek His face,
Believe His Word and trust His grace,
I’ll cast on Him my every care,
And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!
By WILLIAM W. WALFORD (1772–1850)

Reference for the Hymn:
Petersen, William. The Complete Book of Hymns (pp. 589-591). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Hymn Story, on NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD OF JESUS, by William Petersen

Robert Lowry, who wrote this hymn, wore many hats. He was a professor of literature at Bucknell University for a while, and he served as pastor of churches in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. He liked to write music for gospel songs, and he worked with Fanny Crosby and others as a lyricist. Occasionally he would write both words and music as he did for the triumphant Easter hymn “Low in the Grave He Lay” and this one, “Nothing but the Blood of Jesus.”

There’s a simplicity about this tune. It has a five-note range, the basses have only two notes to sing, and the guitar players have just two basic chords. But Lowry might say that it is simple because salvation is simple. We try to complicate it, to add more chords and harmonies to it, but salvation is really “nothing but the blood of Jesus.”

Scriptures: Matthew 26:28; Romans 5:9; Hebrews 9:22; 

Themes: Crucifixion, Sins, Salvation.

Lyrics of the Hymn: 

What can wash away my sin? 

Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Oh! precious is the flow that makes me white as snow; 

No other fount I know, nothing but the blood of Jesus.

For my pardon this I see—

Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
For my cleansing, this my plea—
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Nothing can for sin atone—
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
Naught of good that I have done—
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

This is all my hope and peace—
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
This is all my righteousness—
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

By ROBERT LOWRY (1826–1899)

Reference for the Hymn:
Petersen, William. The Complete Book of Hymns (pp. 621-622). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

A Beautiful Way to Beat Discouragement!

Two years, five months ago, I posted an article titled, “Dealing with Discouragement.” In it, I shared about seven individuals in the Bible whom I considered “Excellent Encouragers,” in that they handled discouragement well. One of the individuals was Joseph and I noted that “he was convinced that God was with him and that He had a plan and purpose for his life.” Joseph, therefore, never lost hope.

Today, a friend shared Genesis 50:20 with me and I decided to look at the verse closely. The Scripture verse says,

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position, so I could save the lives of many people” (NLT)

After thinking about the verse, I thought of God’s purposeful intention as a beautiful way to beat discouragement in our lives. When we realize that God has a plan and purpose for what’s happening to us, we can find consolation. The apostle Paul in Romans 8:28-30 put it this way:

“Moreover we know that to those who love God, who are called according to his plan, everything that happens fits into a pattern for good. God, in his foreknowledge, chose them to bear the family likeness of his Son, that he might be the eldest of a family of many brothers. He chose them long ago; when the time came he called them, he made them righteous in his sight, and then lifted them to the splendour of life as his own sons” (J. B. Phillips New Testament)

Of course, Joseph may not have comprehended all that was happening to him at the time. However, one thing is sure: Because He depended on God and counted on the accomplishment of God’s purposes in his life, Joseph became God’s instrument not only to save the land of Egypt but also the whole nation of Israel, thus bringing about a fulfillment of his earlier dreams. When his being sold into slavery in Egypt or his being falsely accused and thrown into prison is looked at through the eyes of God’s purposeful intention, things begin to make sense. Instead of succumbing to discouragement, we can instead delight in the Lord (cf. Psalm 37:4).

God’s purposeful intention in relation to Joseph’s story in Genesis maybe summed up as follows: He turns a bad intention into a good intention and uses it to save the lives of many people through us. May the Lord perfect that which concerns each of us so He may accomplish His purposes through our lives. As a result, we will testify of His goodness and in a beautiful way beat discouragement. May God bless you, richly!

Note: You may read the article referenced above, here:Dealing with Discouragement