This week we are going to be taking a look at some classic hymns and see what they might have in store for us.
Monday: Song: I am Thine, O Lord
Hymn writer Fanny Crosby approached Jesus with that kind of heart. She knew the difference between drawing near just to receive and drawing near to yield. She wanted “to rise in the arms of faith and be closer drawn to [God].” In “I Am Thine, O Lord,” this was her humble prayer:
“Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord, By the power of grace divine; Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope, And my will be lost in Thine.”
Read Hebrews 10:22-26. What should our attitude be when we draw near to God? If we draw near to God with the proper attitude, how will that affect our interaction with other people?
Tuesday: Song: Come thou Fount of Every Blessing”
The Philistines had been oppressing the Israelites for decades. Then God raised up a new leader—Samuel. In 1 Samuel 7, he gathers the whole nation together, probably to celebrate the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles.
Because the people repented of their sins, God allowed them to defeat the Philistines. To commemorate the victory, Samuel set up a massive boulder as a monument. He named it Ebenezer, a compound Hebrew word that means “stone of help.” Samuel said, “Thus far has the LORD helped us,” implying that not only had God helped them in that particular battle, but that God would continue to give them victory over their enemies as long as they obeyed Him (7:12).
“Commit yourselves to the LORD with all your hearts” Samuel advised (7:3). The Hebrew word translated “commit” means “to be fixed, established, or founded.” A variation of this word was used for the foundation of a city. Samuel knew that the Israelites needed to build their lives on a foundation of obedience to God’s laws and a remembrance of all God had done for them.
When Robert Robinson composed “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” he referred to this Old Testament incident:
Sorrowing I shall be in spirit,
Till released from flesh and sin, Yet from what I do inherit, Here Thy praises I’ll begin; Here I raise my Ebenezer; Here by Thy great help I’ve come; And I hope, by Thy good pleasure, Safely to arrive at home.
· The Israelites set up many monuments throughout their history to celebrate God’s goodness to them. (Examples: Genesis 28:18, Exodus 24:4, Joshua 4:20-24) How do you commemorate God’s goodness? Do you keep some kind of written record?
Wednesday: Song: Love Divine All Loves Excelling
Too often we allow other people, responsibilities, and ambitions to affect our relationship with our Savior. Like Wesley, we must guard against any other love surpassing our love for God. To love God with all our heart, soul, and mind must remain our principal goal (Matthew 22:36-38).
In one letter Charles Wesley said to Sally, “O may [our love] bring us nearer and nearer to God, till we are both swallowed up in the immensity of His love!”* May that be our prayer too. May every human relationship bring us nearer to the One who loves us most:
“Thee we would be always blessing Serve Thee as Thy hosts above Pray, and praise Thee without ceasing, Glory in Thy perfect love.”
· In what ways does God’s love excel all other loves? Rejoice in the greatness of His love as you read these passages: Psalm 36:5-8, Psalm 103:8-17, Jeremiah 31:3, Romans 8:38-39, and Ephesians 2:4-8.
Thursday: Song: Jesus, Lover of My Soul
Charles Wesley wrote a hymn during a storm in his life. He knew God heard his cry:
Jesus, lover of my soul, let me to Thy bosom fly, While the nearer waters roll, while the tempest still is high.
Wesley recalled the compassion Jesus Christ showed while He walked among needy people on earth:
Thou, O Christ, art all I want, more than all in Thee I find; Raise the fallen, cheer the faint, heal the sick, and lead the blind.
Sometimes it’s good to lose electrical power. The darkness, the cold, the total break in our usual routine makes us stop and ask, “Is God still in control? What really matters? Do I have what I need to face the storms of life?”
When Wesley placed his life in Jesus Christ’s loving care, he was able to see beyond his immediate situation:
Thou of life the fountain art, freely let me take of Thee Spring Thou up within my heart; rise to all eternity.
· Several times Jesus’ disciples almost drowned in a storm that arose when they were in a boat. Read Matthew 8:23-27 and Matthew 14:22-32. How are the accounts different? What lessons can we learn from what Jesus did?
Friday: Song: Rock of Ages
Jesus was cleft for us. “This is my body given for you,” Jesus told His disciples at their last supper as He took bread and gave it to them. Jesus’ body was given for us—cleft in crucifixion. Not only were His hands and feet pierced, but also His side. Toplady wrote of this:
“Let the water and the blood, From Thy wounded side which flowed, Be of sin the double cure; Save from wrath and make me pure.”
Whatever storms of life threatens you, remember you can feel secure because you are hidden in the Rock cleft for you.
· The word cleave means “to rip apart, to tear, to divide.” Read Numbers 20:8-12. God told Moses to speak to the rock to release the waters. Why did God punish Moses for striking the rock when he had told Him to speak to it? How did this change the image of Christ as the rock?
Saturday: Song: Wonderful words of Life.
In his hymn, “Wonderful Words of Life,” Philip Bliss writes, “Christ, the blessed One, gives to all wonderful words of life; Sinner, list to the loving call, wonderful words of life.” Jesus uses an opportunity to heal an injured man on the Sabbath to make it clearer to the Jewish leaders that his authority to heal on the Sabbath comes from His Father. “the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.” John 5:19 Jesus also states that His authority doesn’t just end at healing on the Sabbath, but to give life (John 5:25) and to execute judgment (John 5:27). Jesus even makes a prophetic statement concerning the rapture that “an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out.” (John 5:28) Jesus’ words are beautiful to some, but heretical to others. His words are eternal life to some, but eternal judgment to others. To some Jesus’ words offer peace, but to some His words execute wrath.
· Take some time today to pray for the gifts of life that Jesus offers up.