Sunday Hymn

We sung this hymn last Sunday morning, read the words of the last two verses carefully, I found them hard to sing. Some hymns are such a challenge. May the Lord enable each one of His people to depend upon Him entirely.

Now I have found the ground wherein
My  anchor, hope shall firm remain,
The wounds of Jesus, for my sin
Before the world’s foundation slain;
Whose mercy shall unshaken stay,
When Heaven and earth are fled away.

Jesus I know, has died for me;
Here is my hope, my joy, my rest;
Hither, when hell assails, I flee,
I look into my Saviour’s breast;
Away, sad doubt, and anxious fear!
Mercy and love are written there.

Though waves and storms go o’er my head,
Though strength, and health, and friends be gone,
Though joys be withered all and dead
And every comfort be withdrawn,
Steadfast  on this my soul relies,
Redeeming mercy never dies.

Fixed on this ground will I remain,
Though my heart fail, and flesh decay;
This anchor shall my soul sustain,
When earth’s foundations melt away;
Mercy’s full power I then shall prove,
Loved with an everlasting love.

Johann A Rothe

Translated by John Wesley

Hymntime

Sunday Hymn

Hark, my soul, it is the Lord!
’Tis thy Saviour, hear His Word;
Jesus speaks, and speaks to thee,
“Say, poor, sinner, lovest thou Me?”

“I delivered thee when bound,
And, when bleeding, healed thy wound;
Sought thee wandering, set thee right,
Turned thy darkness into light.

“Can a woman’s tender care
Cease toward the child she bare?
Yes, she may forgetful be,
Yet will I remember thee.

“Mine is an unchanging love,
Higher than the heights above,
Deeper than the depths beneath,
Free and faithful, strong as death.

“Thou shalt see My glory soon,
When the work of grace is done;
Partner of My throne shalt be:
Say, poor sinner, lovest thou Me?”

Lord, it is my chief complaint
That my love is weak and faint;
Yet I love Thee, and adore:
O for grace to love Thee more!

William Cowper

Hymntime

Out and About

My husband and son have been continuing their Offa’s Dyke path walk.  We’ve reached Llangollen. Becky and I potter around towns and villages while the men walk/ climb. It’s a beautiful part of Wales.

Becky and I have become Craft and Coffee shop connoisseurs. We have pre-arranged drop off and pick up points, the SAT NAV is very useful- I’ve not been guided to a river yet, but I refer to the map as well.

Last Saturday we had an entertaining view of remote country life. A flock of sheep were being herded back to the farm along a single track lane with passing places, one escaped, the sheep dog and three boys (presumably the farmer’s sons) chased the escapee, this sheep was one elusive character. The sheep was eventually caught and carried to the farm on the older boy’s shoulders.

Meanwhile there was a traffic queue of four vehicles in one direction and six off-road bikes in the other. The bikes were just about able to pass, however, the car at the head of the queue broke down, some of the other drivers tried to help by pushing the car along so that the driver could “jump-start” it-it wouldn’t start so they pushed the car back and tried again successfully.

We continued our drive towards World’s End, quite a queue for a country lane. The number of vehicles would inevitably have consequences for traffic heading in the opposite direction and it did! Two cars coming towards the us were able to fit into a passing place the third unfortunate driver had to reverse along the lane to another passing place. Thankfully the remainder of the journey and our journey home was uneventful.

Sunday Hymn

I’ve been to two funerals recently; one of a man in his seventies the other a man in his thirties. They’d both chosen to have this very well known hymn by John Newton sung at their funeral service. They were both were able to sing this hymn sincerely in life because they knew that God’s grace had been shown to them. Both are now with Christ which is far better…

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!

Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me,
His Word my hope secures;
He will my Shield and Portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

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.

Hymntime

Sunday Hymn

We sung this hymn last Sunday, the Scripture passage was from John 14.

O thou, my soul, forget no more
The Friend Who all thy misery bore;
Let every idol be forgot,
But, O my soul, forget Him not.

Jesus for thee a body takes,
Thy guilt assumes, thy fetters breaks,
Discharging all thy dreadful debt;
And canst thou e’er such love forget?

Renounce thy works and ways, with grief,
And fly to this most sure relief;
Nor Him forget, who left His throne,
And for thy life gave up His own.

Infinite truth and mercy shine,
In Him, and He Himself is thine:
And canst thou, then, with sin beset,
Such charms, such matchless charms, forget?

Ah! no—till life itself depart,
His Name shall cheer and warm my heart;
And lisping this, from earth I’ll rise;
And join the chorus of the skies.

Ah! no—when all things else expire,
And perish in the general fire,
This Name all others shall survive,
And through eternity shall live.

Krishna Pal

Hymntime

Sunday Hymn

In the hour of trial, Jesus, plead for me,
Lest by base denial I depart from Thee.
When Thou seest me waver, with a look recall,
Nor for fear or favour suffer me to fall.

With forbidden pleasures would this vain world charm,
Or its sordid treasures spread to work me harm,
Bring to my remembrance sad Gethsemane,
Or, in darker semblance, cross-crowned Calvary.

Should Thy mercy send me sorrow, toil and woe,
Or should pain attend me on my path below,
Grant that I may never fail Thy hand to see;
Grant that I may ever cast my care on Thee.

When my last hour cometh, fraught with strife and pain,
When my dust returneth to the dust again,
On Thy truth relying, through that mortal strife,
Jesus, take me, dying, to eternal life.

James Montgomery

Hymntime

Sunday Hymn

Jesus! the Name high over all,
In hell or earth or sky;
Angels and men before it fall,
And devils fear and fly.

Jesus! the Name to sinners dear,
The Name to sinners giv’n;
It scatters all their guilty fear,
It turns their hell to Heav’n.

Jesus! the prisoner’s fetters breaks,
And bruises Satan’s head;
Power into strengthless souls it speaks,
And life into the dead.

O that mankind might taste and see
The riches of His grace!
The arms of love that compass me
Would all the world embrace.

His only righteousness I show,
His saving grace proclaim;
’Tis all my business here below
To cry “Behold the Lamb!”

Happy, if with my latest breath
I may but gasp His Name,
Preach Him to all and cry in death,
“Behold, behold the Lamb!”

Charles Wesley

Hymntime

Sunday Hymn

Psalm 31

I’ve found the words of this hymn to be  a comfort when life is perplexing.

Sovereign Ruler of the Skies.
Ever gracious, ever wise;
All my times are in thy hand,
All events at thy command.

His decree who formed the earth
Fixed my first and second birth;
Parents, native place, and time,
All appointed were by him.

He that formed me in the womb,
He shall guide me to the tomb;
All my times shall ever be
Ordered by his wise decree.

Times the tempter’s power to prove;
Times to taste the Saviour’s love;
All must come, and last, and end,
As shall please my heavenly Friend.

Plagues and deaths around me fly;
Till He bids, I cannot die;
Not a single shaft can hit,
Till the God of love sees fit.

John Ryland

Newington (Hymntime)

Sunday Hymn

Titus 3:1-8    ….the kindness and love of God our Saviour.

O the bitter shame and sorrow,
That a time could ever be,
When I let the Saviour’s pity
Plead in vain, and proudly answered,
“All of self, and none of Thee!”

Yet He found me; I beheld Him
Bleeding on th’accursèd tree,
Heard Him pray, “Forgive them, Father!”
And my wistful heart said faintly,
“Some of self, and some of Thee!”

Day by day His tender mercy,
Healing, helping, full and free,
Sweet and strong, and ah! so patient,
Brought me lower, while I whispered,
“Less of self, and more of Thee!”

Higher than the highest heavens,
Deeper than the deepest sea,
Lord, Thy love at last hath conquered:
Grant me now my supplication,
“None of self, and all of Thee!”

Theodore Monod

Hymntime

Some thoughts…

We’ve had a letter from Bernard and Joyce recently so I’ve updated their site.

Bernard has some really helpful thoughts about his walk with the Lord which I think are relevant to all.

Ephesians 4:1-2 ….to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,  with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love. He can see that he is growing in patience and longsuffering by being in a very remote part of Africa. He said he “used to moan about poor facilities” until a missionary said to him “Do you realise that God may not have sent you to change Africa, but that Africa might change you”- do I/we think like this about the way the Lord leads us?

Apparently people in North West Africa have a sense of right and wrong but think being found out is the sin not breaking God’s law- familiar.

We must not limit God.

On prayer, it’s not about  asking God for what we want or people’s health problems, it’s asking what the Lord requires of us. It made me think of the verses in Deuteronomy 10:12-13 … now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statutes which I command you today for your good?

I enjoy reading the  blogs of “missionary” families (I read Pat’s blog regularly), they remind me of the church in the book of Acts,

Acts 2:44-47 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.