A story of the hymn, “And Can It Be?” by William Petersen

Charles Wesley had strict religious training at home, started “Holy Clubs” in college to promote righteous living, and went as a missionary to Native Americans after college. But he was not converted. Charles had no peace in his heart. One day in 1738, he met with a group of Moravians in Aldersgate Hall in London, and there he came to realize that salvation was by faith alone. In his journal of May 21, he wrote, “At midnight I gave myself to Christ.” His brother John was converted shortly after. 

Two days later, he began writing two hymns. Both of them told of his conversion. At first, he wasn’t sure he should finish them. Was it pride, he wondered, to talk about his own experience? But then, he said, “I prayed Christ to stand by me, and finished the hymns.” Yes, it may have described his own experience, but it is also the experience of millions of others who have come by faith to Jesus Christ. In his lifetime he wrote between five and six thousand hymns, but this hymn stands as one of his most powerful and most profound. 

Scriptures: Romans 5:8; Romans 8:1-3; Hebrews 9:11-12; 1 Peter 1:18-19 
Themes: Conversion, Love, Grace, Forgiveness 

Lyrics of the Hymn:
And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain?
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me? 

He left His Father’s throne above,
So free, so infinite His grace!
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam’s helpless race!
’Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For, O my God, it found out me.

’Tis mystery all! th’ Immortal dies!
Who can explore His strange design?
In vain the firstborn seraph tries
To sound the depths of love divine.
 ’Tis mercy all! let earth adore;
Let angel minds inquire no more. 

Long my imprisoned spirit lay
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night.
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray;
I woke—the dungeon flamed with light!
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee. 

No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in Him is mine;
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach th’ eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.
CHARLES WESLEY (1707–1788)

Reference for the Hymn:
Petersen, William. The Complete Book of Hymns (pp. 472-473). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

A story of the hymn, “All Creatures of our God and King [O Sifuni Mungu],” by William Petersen

Saint Francis of Assisi is perhaps best known as a nature lover. You may recall the painting in which the Italian artist Giotto depicts him feeding the birds. One writer spoke of him this way: “With smiles he met the friendless, fed the poor, freed a trapped bird, led home a child. Although he spoke no word, his text, God’s love, the town did not forget.”

A soldier in his early years, Francis resolved to imitate the life of Christ. So, he renounced his wealth and founded the Franciscan Order of Friars. He and those who followed him became itinerant evangelists, preaching and helping the poor of Italy. He wrote sixty hymns of praise and worship and encouraged church music in every way he could.

The original text of this hymn was probably written by Francis during the last months of his life when he was suffering intense pain and was almost blind. 

Scriptures: Psalm 145:10-11; Psalm 148:1, 7-13; Romans 11:36 
Themes: Praise, Worship, Adoration 

Lyrics of the Hymn:
All creatures of our God and King, 
Lift up your voice and with us sing, 
Alleluia! Alleluia! 
Thou burning sun with golden beam, 
Thou silver moon with softer gleam! 

O praise Him, O praise Him! 
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! 

Thou rushing wind that art so strong, 
Ye clouds that sail in heaven along, 
O praise Him! Alleluia! 
Thou rising morn, in praise rejoice, 
Ye lights of evening, find a voice! 

Thou flowing water, pure and clear, 
Make music for thy Lord to hear, 
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Thou fire so masterful and bright, 
Thou givest man both warmth and light! 

And thou, most kind and gentle death,
Waiting to hush our latest breath, 
O praise Him! Alleluia! 
Thou leadest home the child of God, 
And Christ our Lord the way hath trod. 

Let all things their Creator bless, 
And worship Him in humbleness, 
O praise Him! Alleluia! 
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son, 
And praise the Spirit, Three in One! 
By FRANCIS OF ASSISI (1182–1226) Translated by William H. Draper (1855–1933)

Reference for the Hymn:
Petersen, William. The Complete Book of Hymns (pp. 3-4). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

A story of the hymn, “Amazing Grace,” by William Petersen

The tombstone of John Newton, the author of this hymn, tells his story: “John Newton, clerk, once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slavers in Africa, was, by the rich mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the faith he had so long labored to destroy.” Those words were written by John Newton himself, and they are a testimony to God’s transforming power.

After years as a hardened slave trader, Newton met Jesus Christ, and his life was dramatically turned around. Throughout his years of ministry, God’s amazing grace remained central to his thinking. When it was suggested he retire at the age of eighty-two due to poor health and a failing memory, he responded, “My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things: that I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Savior.”

Scriptures: John 1:16-17; Romans 5:20-21; Ephesians 2:6-9

Themes: Grace, Salvation, Conversion

Lyrics of the Hymn:

Amazing grace! how sweet the sound—

That saved a wretch like me!

I once was lost but now am found,

Was blind but now I see.

’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,

And grace my fears relieved;

How precious did that grace appear

The hour I first believed!

The Lord has promised good to me,

His word my hope secures;

He will my shield and portion be

As long as life endures.

Through many dangers, toils and snares

I have already come;

’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,

And grace will lead me home.

When we’ve been there ten thousand years,

Bright shining as the sun,

We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise

Than when we’d first begun.

By JOHN NEWTON (1725–1807) Stanza 5 by John P. Rees (1828–1900)

Reference for the Hymn:

Petersen, William. The Complete Book of Hymns (p. 611). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

A story of the hymn, “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” by William Petersen

Robert Robinson had always been prone to wander. Apprenticed to a barber at fourteen, he spent more time reading and playing with friends than cutting hair. He became the leader of a notorious gang, and he shamed his family so much that they practically disowned him. Then, still a teen, he went to a George Whitefield meeting, intending to ridicule it; instead, he almost fell asleep in it. But then the preacher shouted out a Bible verse: “O generation of vipers; who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come” (Matthew 3:7, KJV). That evening Robinson was converted. After his apprenticeship was over, Robinson went into the ministry. He wrote this hymn at the age of twenty-three as he served at the Calvinistic Methodist Church in Norfolk, England.

Late in life, Robinson did stray from the faith and drifted far from the Fount of every blessing. One day he was riding in a stagecoach and sitting by a woman who was reading a hymnbook. She showed him the hymn, “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” saying how wonderful it was. He tried to change the subject but couldn’t. Finally, he said, “Madam, I am the poor man who wrote that hymn many years ago, and I would give a thousand worlds to enjoy the feelings I had then.”

Scriptures: 1 Samuel 7:10-12; Zechariah 13:1; 1 Peter 2:23-25

Themes: Praise, Redemption, Grace

Lyrics of the Hymn:

Come, Thou Fount of ev’ry blessing,

Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;

Streams of mercy never ceasing,

Call for songs of loudest praise:

Teach me some melodious sonnet,

Sung by flaming tongues above;

Praise the mount—O fix me on it,

Mount of God’s unchanging love.

Here I raise mine Ebenezer;

Hither by Thy help I’m come;

And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,

Safely to arrive at home:

Jesus sought me when a stranger,

Wand’ring from the fold of God;

He, to save my soul from danger,

Interposed His precious blood.

O, to grace how great a debtor

Daily I’m constrained to be!

Let that grace, Lord, like a fetter,

Bind my wand’ring heart to Thee.

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it;

Prone to leave the God I love;

Here’s my heart; Lord, take and seal it;

Seal it for Thy courts above.

By ROBERT ROBINSON (1735–1790)

Reference for the Hymn:

Petersen, William. The Complete Book of Hymns (pp. 371-372). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

What’s on your mind: A consideration of opposite kinds of thinking

The wise King Solomon coined the aphorism, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so he is” (Proverbs 23:7, KJV), in accordance with the inspiration of the Lord.  An online source indicates that the saying “not only embraces the whole of a man's being but is so comprehensive as to reach out to every condition and circumstance of his life. A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts.”[1] Depending on the thoughts entertained, a man or woman will either think positively or negatively. Consequently, his or her life will be shaped for good or for bad.

On one hand, positive thoughts are powerful and praiseworthy. On the other hand, negative thoughts are nagging and do not help us accomplish God’s purposes. We must, therefore, choose our thoughts carefully. The Bible encourages us to think positive thoughts, i.e. “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, and whatever is lovely, [and] whatever is admirable...” (Philippians 4:8, NIV).

“A good man [woman] produces good deeds from a good heart. And an evil man produces evil deeds from his hidden wickedness. Whatever is in the heart overflows into speech” (Luke 6:45, TLB). Indeed, our speech is the result of our thoughts. The Lord sets a good example for us:

He never utters any untruth about us.

He never belittles or despises us, especially as we humble ourselves before Him. Instead, the Lord welcomes us into His presence and presents us as friends.

He dines with us and does not show disdain to our unfamiliarity or unpreparedness.

He longs to spend time with us and can’t wait to reveal more of Himself to us.

He has nothing to hide and He’s never too busy to hang out with us.

He daringly and dearly invites us:

“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3, NIV)

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[1]https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/As_a_Man_Thinketh

A story of the hymn, “I Need Thee Every Hour,” by William Petersen

You don’t often think of hymns being written by a thirty-seven-year-old homemaker from Brooklyn, but that’s the story behind this hymn. Annie Hawks was busy with household chores when the words came to her. Later she recalled the day, “I was so filled with a sense of nearness to my Master that.... these words, ‘I need Thee every hour,’ were flashed into my mind.” It was a bright June day, so she sat by an open window, picked up her pencil, and wrote the entire hymn. She gave the words to her pastor, who wrote the music and the chorus.

When evangelist Dwight L. Moody discovered the simple hymn and began using it in his meetings, the hymn became famous, much to the amazement of Annie Hawks, a simple homemaker from Brooklyn.

Scriptures: Psalm 86:1-4; Psalm 109:22; Philippians 4:19

Themes: Prayer, Meditation

Lyrics of the Hymn:

I need Thee ev’ry hour,

Most gracious Lord;

No tender voice like Thine

Can peace afford.

I need Thee, O I need Thee;

Ev’ry hour I need Thee!

O bless me now, my Savior,

I come to Thee.

I need Thee ev’ry hour,

Stay Thou nearby;

Temptations lose their pow’r

When Thou art nigh.

I need Thee ev’ry hour,

In joy or pain;

Come quickly, and abide,

Or life is vain.

I need Thee ev’ry hour,

Teach me Thy will,

And Thy rich promises

In me fulfill.

By ANNIE SHERWOOD HAWKS (1835–1918) Robert Lowry (1826–1899)

Reference for the Hymn:

Petersen, William. The Complete Book of Hymns (pp. 178-179). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition. 

A story of the hymn, “When We All Get to Heaven” by William Petersen

Retreats and conferences can be mountaintop experiences. Sometimes we come away from such a time and say, “Heaven can’t be much better than this.” Of course, it will be, but that was the feeling Eliza Hewitt and Emily Wilson had at the Ocean Grove Conference Grounds in New Jersey.

Eliza Hewitt was a Presbyterian and a schoolteacher. Emily Wilson was a Methodist and a pastor’s wife. They both lived in Philadelphia, but the time that they looked forward to was the time in the summer when they would meet in Ocean Grove. It was almost like heaven.

One summer when they got together, Eliza Hewitt brought along a poem she had written. She thought it might be a good song for their Sunday schools to sing. Since Emily was a musician, Eliza asked her to write the music for it. We may have mountaintop experiences here on earth, but we still look forward to the time when we all get to heaven and see Jesus. “What a day of rejoicing that will be!”

Scriptures: 2 Corinthians 4:17-18; 1 Thessalonians 4:17-18; 1 John 3:2

Themes: Heaven, Joy, Fellowship

Lyrics of the Hymn:

Sing the wondrous love of Jesus,

Sing His mercy and His grace;

In the mansions bright and blessed,

He’ll prepare for us a place.

Chorus:

When we all get to heaven,

What a day of rejoicing that will be!

When we all see Jesus,

We’ll sing and shout the victory.

While we walk the pilgrim pathway,

Clouds will over-spread the sky;

But when trav’ling days are over,

Not a shadow, not a sigh.

Let us then be true and faithful,

Trusting, serving ev’ry day;

Just one glimpse of Him in glory

Will the toils of life repay.

Onward to the prize before us!

Soon His beauty we’ll behold;

Soon the pearly gates will open,

We shall tread the streets of gold.

By ELIZA EDMUNDS HEWITT (1851–1920)

Reference for the Hymn:

Petersen, William. The Complete Book of Hymns (pp. 468-470). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.