Archive for the 'hymnal' Category

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation

Published
by
Sam
on July 13, 2008
in hymnal, small thoughts and thanksgiving
. 0 Comments

Probably my favourite hymn that I’ve been introduced to at St. Helen’s is Praise to the Lord:

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise him, for he is your health and salvation!
Come all who hear:
brothers and sisters draw near,
praise him in glad adoration!

Praise to the Lord, above all things so mightily reigning
keeping us safe at his side, and so gently sustaining.
Have you not seen:
All you have needed has been
met by his gracious ordaining?

Praise to the Lord, who shall prosper our work and defend us;
surely his goodness and mercy shall daily attend us.
Ponder anew
what the Almighty can do,
who with his love will befriend us.

Praise to the Lord - O let all that is in me adore him!
All that has life and breath, come now with praises before him!
Let the ‘Amen’
sound from his people again,
gladly with praise we adore him!

I love the way this song links the power of the Creator with his care for his children, enjoining us to ‘Ponder anew / what the Almighty can do / if with his love he befriend thee’.

There have been several weekends where it has been real joy to spend time enjoying God’s creation and to return to church on a Sunday evening to praise with my brothers and sisters the living God, the King of Creation.

And as I look back over a year living in London, I am amazed and thankful for God for the way he has amply met all my needs by his ‘gracious ordaining’.

We sing it with a slight lilt, like this recording of the hymn from a Mars Hill band, but more upbeat.

My prayer for this week is that my worship would be acceptable to him:

Praise to the Lord, O let all that is in me adore him!
All that has life and breath, come now with praises before him!
Let the ‘Amen’
sound from his people again,
gladly with praise we adore him!

Rejoice - the Lord is King!

Published
by
Sam
on June 17, 2008
in hymnal, jesus, small thoughts and why are you downcast oh my soul?
. 1 Comment

These words have encouraged me this morning during a somewhat downbeat day:

Rejoice, the Lord is King: your Lord and King adore!
Rejoice, give thanks and sing, and triumph evermore.
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice! Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

Jesus the Saviour reigns, the God of truth and love;
when he had purged our stains, he took his seat above.
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice! Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

His kingdom cannot fail, he rules o’er earth and heav’n;
the keys of death and hell are to our Jesus giv’n.
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice! Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

He sits at God’s right hand till all his foes submit,
and bow to his command, and fall beneath his feet.
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice! Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

Rejoice in glorious hope! Our Lord, the Judge, shall come,
and take his servants up to their eternal home.
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice! Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

Some very sad things do happen, and it’s right to mourn, but 90% of the time we get upset about things that matter so little. I love the way this song corrects this attitude Biblically:

  • How can we not rejoice, when our Saviour has purged our stains?
  • How can we worry, when our Saviour’s kingdom cannot fail and all foes will submit to him?
  • How can we be sad, when we have a glorious hope?

Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,

“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
the Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and exult
and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his Bride has made herself ready;
it was granted her to clothe herself
with fine linen, bright and pure”—

for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

Revelation 19 (ESV)

Lift up your heart, lift up your voice: rejoice, again I say: rejoice!