Tuesday, July 31, 2018

A story of the hymn, “Faith is the Victory” by William Petersen

In Batavia, New York, John Yates was the manager of the local hardware store. Shortly after he left the hardware store to become editor of a local newspaper, he wrote this hymn, “Faith is the Victory.” The key phrase is taken from the King James Version of 1 John 5:4, which says, “And this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” 

The imagery of the hymn is drawn from several sections of Scripture. In Ephesians 6, Paul speaks of the Word of God as our sword, salvation as our helmet, and truth as our belt. And faith, Paul says, is our shield. The phrase “His banner over us is love” comes from Song of Songs, and his reference to “white raiment” in the last stanza comes from the book of Revelation, which says, “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment” (3:5, KJV). No doubt about it, newspaper editor John Yates knew his Scripture, and he knew that it is true that “faith is the victory.”

Scriptures: Ephesians 6:10-17; 1 John 5:4; Revelation 3:5 
Themes: Faith, World, Conflict 

Lyrics of the Hymn:
Encamped along the hills of light, ye Christian soldiers, rise,
And press the battle ere the night shall veil the glowing skies.
Against the foe in vales below let all our strength be hurled;
Faith is the victory, we know, that overcomes the world.

Faith is the victory! Faith is the victory!
Oh, glorious victory, That overcomes the world.

His banner over us is love, our sword the Word of God;
We tread the road the saints above with shouts of triumph trod.
By faith they, like a whirlwind’s breath, swept on o’er ev’ry field;
The faith by which they conquered Death is still our shining shield.

On ev’ry hand the foe we find drawn up in dread array;
Let tents of ease be left behind, and onward to the fray.
Salvation’s helmet on each head, with truth all girt about,
The earth shall tremble ’neath our tread, and echo with our shout.

To him that overcomes the foe, white raiment shall be giv’n;
Before the angels he shall know His name confessed in heav’n.
Then onward from the hills of light, our hearts with love aflame;
We’ll vanquish all the hosts of night, in Jesus’ conq’ring name.
By JOHN H. YATES (1837–1900)

Reference for the Hymn:
Petersen, William. The Complete Book of Hymns (p. 99). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.


Tuesday, July 24, 2018

A story of the hymn, “There Shall Be Showers of Blessing” by William Petersen

As a teenager, Daniel Whittle was a cashier at the Wells Fargo Bank in Chicago, but when the Civil War erupted, he enlisted and soon became a soldier in General Grant’s Union Army. Just before he left, his mother put a New Testament in his kit, where it stayed unread. In 1863 during the siege of Vicksburg, in which nearly twenty thousand soldiers lost their lives, young Whittle was wounded and taken prisoner by Confederate troops. His right arm had to be amputated. In the hospital he finally discovered the New Testament in his kit and began to read it. 

One day an orderly came and told Whittle that a man was dying in the next room and needed someone to pray with him. Whittle protested. Just because he was reading his Bible didn’t mean he was a Christian, and he didn’t know how to pray. But because of the urgency of the situation, Whittle went to talk with him. When the man said, “Pray for me, and ask God to forgive me,” Whittle asked God to forgive his fellow soldier and then prayed for forgiveness for himself as well. Whittle got up from his knees and discovered that the soldier had died while he was praying. As for himself, Whittle had entered into new life; he had become a new creation. His mother’s prayers had been answered. 

Whittle wrote many popular gospel songs later in his life, including “There Shall Be Showers of Blessing.” This gospel song is derived from Ezekiel 34:26 in which God promises showers of blessing upon the land.

Scriptures: Psalm 72:6; Ezekiel 34:11-26; Zechariah 8:13 
Themes: Blessing, Revival, Prayer 

Lyrics of the Hymn:
“There shall be showers of blessing”:
This is the promise of love;
There shall be seasons refreshing, 
Sent from the Savior above.

Showers of blessing, showers of blessing we need:
Mercy-drops round us are falling, but for the showers we plead.

“There shall be showers of blessing”
Precious reviving again;
Over the hills and the valleys,
Sound of abundance of rain.

“There shall be showers of blessing”:
Send them upon us, O Lord;
Grant to us now a refreshing,
Come, and now honor Thy Word.

“There shall be showers of blessing”:
Oh, that today they might fall,
Now as to God we’re confessing,
Now as on Jesus we call!
By DANIEL WEBSTER WHITTLE (1840–1901)

Reference for the Hymn:
Petersen, William. The Complete Book of Hymns (pp. 319-320). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Tuesday, July 17, 2018

A story of the hymn,“’Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus” by William Petersen

Louisa Stead and her husband were relaxing with their four-year-old daughter on a Long Island beach when they heard a child’s desperate cry. A boy was drowning, and Louisa’s husband tried to rescue him. In the process, however, the boy pulled Mr. Stead under the water, and both drowned as Louisa and her daughter watched.

Louisa Stead was left with no means of support. She and her daughter experienced dire poverty. One morning, when she had neither funds nor food for the day, she opened the front door and found that someone had left food and money on her doorstep. That day she wrote this hymn.

Sometimes we mouth platitudes about our Christianity—glibly quoting Scripture and singing songs about trusting Jesus. For Stead, there was nothing glib or superficial about it. Her hymn remains a timeless reminder and comfort to all believers who have experienced this same truth: “Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him! / How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er! / Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! / O for grace to trust Him more!”

Scriptures: Psalm 91:4; John 14:1-3; Ephesians 1:3-5
Themes: Trust, Confidence, Commitment

Lyrics of the Hymn:
’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to take Him at His Word,
Just to rest upon His promise,
Just to know “Thus saith the Lord.”

Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him!
How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er!
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
O for grace to trust Him more!

O how sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to trust His cleansing blood,
Just in simple faith to plunge me
’Neath the healing, cleansing flood!

Yes, ’tis sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just from sin and self to cease,
Just from Jesus simply taking
Life and rest and joy and peace.

I’m so glad I learned to trust Him,
Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend;
And I know that He is with me,
Will be with me to the end.
By LOUISA M. R. STEAD (1850–1917)

Reference for the Hymn:
Petersen, William. The Complete Book of Hymns (pp. 113-114). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Friday, July 13, 2018

Cultivating an Attitude of Thanksgiving Daily



Thanksgiving Day and days of corporate worship are excellent times for expressing our thanks to God. However, it does not mean we have to wait until those days show up on our calendars to say thank you to God. Enabled by God’s grace, we can learn to live thankfully everyday by cultivating an attitude of thanksgiving. King David knew this secret and encouraged others in Psalm 100 to “enter the gates of the Lord with thanksgiving.”

In Hebrew, the word for thanksgiving is תּוֹדָה (todah), and is derived from yadah. Its common form means “to acknowledge, confess, or praise.” Thus, todah in Psalm 100 is an acknowledgement or confession of God’s greatness. In God's presence, the worshipper extends the hand to praise Him for His greatness, and this is best accomplished through singing (Psalm 147:7). To cultivate an attitude of gratitude (thanksgiving), as we daily come before God, we must be ready to (a) give Him a sacrifice of praise in worship through singing; (b) acknowledge how great He is, as both the Creator of man and of the universe; (c) offer Him our all as an expression of our dependence on Him in all that we are, what we have, and hope to be in this life and the next.

What a big difference giving thanks makes in our lives! The apostle Paul in writing to the believers in Thessalonica gave them this exhortation: “In everything give thanks for this the will of God in Christ concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). It is probably easier to argue and complain than to discipline oneself into displaying an attitude of thanksgiving. Let us make it our goal to do everything without arguing or complaining—this is what will identify us as God’s children. We should not be like everybody else. Instead we should be different because it is the difference we make or show through our actions that will set us apart from the crowd.

Tuesday, July 10, 2018

A story of the hymn, “O Worship the King” by William Petersen

Sir Robert Grant was acquainted with kings. His father was a member of the British Parliament and later became chairman of the East India Company. Following in his father’s footsteps, young Grant was elected to Parliament and led the fight for civil rights for Jewish people. Then he became a director of the East India Company. In 1834 he was appointed governor of Bombay, and in that position, he was greatly loved. A medical college in India was named in his honor.

This hymn by Grant is based on Psalm 104, a psalm of praise. The progression of titles for God in the last line is interesting: “Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend.” We know God first as our Maker, our Creator. Then, even before our conversion, he is our Defender, our Keeper from harm. We know him then as Redeemer, our personal Savior from sin and its penalty. Finally, as we walk day by day with him, as we commune with him and enjoy his fellowship, we know him also as Friend.

Yes, Sir Robert Grant was acquainted with kings, but he treasured most of all his friendship with the King of kings.

Scriptures: Psalm 47:6-7; Psalm 104:1-4; 1 Timothy 6:15-16
Themes: Worship, Praise, Titles of God

Lyrics of the Hymn:
O worship the King, all glorious above,
O gratefully sing His power and His love;
Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days,
Pavilioned in splendor, and girded with praise.

O tell of His might, O sing of His grace,
Whose robe is the light, whose canopy space;
His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form,
And dark is His path on the wings of the storm.

The earth with its store of wonders untold,
Almighty, Thy power hath founded of old,
Hath established it fast by a changeless decree,
And round it hath cast, like a mantle, the sea.

Thy bountiful care, what tongue can recite?
It breathes in the air, it shines in the light;
It streams from the hills, it descends to the plain,
And sweetly distills in the dew and the rain.

Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,
In Thee do we trust, nor find Thee to fail;
Thy mercies how tender, how firm to the end,
Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend.
By ROBERT GRANT (1779–1838)

Reference for the Hymn:
Petersen, William. The Complete Book of Hymns (pp. 58-59). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.


Friday, July 6, 2018

Thankful for God's Word Today!






One spring, I and a few friends from church attended a conference in Springfield, Missouri. The emcee of the conference shared a joke in which a friend called him early one morning. He responded with something to the effect of, “Brother, I can’t talk with you right now; I’m in the book!” This was the emcee’s coded expression of saying, “I’m still asleep.” LOL. 

Don’t we all want to sound spiritual, or at least want to give the impression to our friends, that we have faithfully read God’s Word? I must confess that despite owning several Bible versions and having a couple of Bible apps on my smartphone, there are times when I have been so busy that I have not read God’s Word. 

Last week was different for me in my Bible reading. By God’s grace, I had a “perfect week.”  I hope to continue with this practice, because it is so important for me to connect with the Lord and hear His voice through reading His Word. The practice of Bible reading allows me to receive guidance from the Lord for each passing day, week or season. Reading God’s Word also equips me for preaching and/or personal witnessing.

The psalmist knew the power of God’s Word. He testified about it: “Your Word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105, NKJV). Let us thank God for His Word today.

Monday, July 2, 2018

A story of the hymn, “How Great Thou Art” by William Petersen


In 1885, Carl Boberg, a twenty-six-year-old preacher, wrote a poem titled in Swedish, “O Store Gud.” Translated into English, it’s “O Great God.” Boberg had no thought of his poem’s becoming a hymn, so a few years later he was surprised to hear his poem sung to the tune of an old Swedish melody.

A generation later, in the early 1920s, English missionaries Stuart Hine and his wife were ministering in Poland, where they learned the Russian version of Boberg’s poem sung to the Swedish melody. Later, Hine created English words for it and arranged the Swedish melody to fit. This is the hymn we now know as “How Great Thou Art.”

The first three stanzas were inspired by an experience Stuart Hine had as he ministered in the Carpathian Mountains and heard the mighty thunder echoing all around him. As he pushed on, he was deeply impressed by the beauty of the woods and forest glades as well as the singing of the birds. The fourth stanza came after he returned to England.

The song became popular in America in the 1950s, and before long it was the number-one hymn on both sides of the Atlantic.

Scriptures: Deuteronomy 3:24; Job 38:1-7; Psalm 8:1-4; Isaiah 40:26; Romans 1:20
Themes: Worship, Creation, Praise

Lyrics of the Hymn:
O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed,

Then sings my soul, My Savior, God, to Thee:
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, My Savior, God, to Thee;
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!

When through the woods and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees,
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze,

And when I think that God, His Son not sparing,
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin,

When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration
And there proclaim, my God, how great Thou art!

By STUART K. HINE (1899–1989) © 1941, 1953, 1955 Stuart K. Hine Renewed 1981 Manna Music, Inc. ARR UBP of Manna Music, Inc. (35255 Booten Rd. Pacific City, OR 97135) All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Reference for the Hymn:
Petersen, William. The Complete Book of Hymns (pp. 34-35). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.