August 14, 1949 HYMNS FOR OUR DAY Psa. 95:1-11; Col. 3:16
God has inspired men and women to write hymns for every situation in life and every condition of the heart. There are songs of salvation and hymns of consecration. There are wonderful melo dies for the comfort of broken hearts and there is music to inspire the soul to zealous efforts in the harvest field. Our Lord Jesus sang a hymn with His dis ciples before He went to Gethsemane. Paul urged the saints of Ephesus and at Colosse to sing and make melody in their hearts to the Lord. One has written about the God who gives “songs in the night.” Someone has called the Twenty- third Psalm the “nightingale Psalm” because it is used sof often when the shadows have fallen. There Are Songs About the Blood Many of the modem hymnals have omitted the songs about the precious blood of Jesus and have thus ignored one of the basic principles of our faith. God raised up P. P. Bliss to sing about the precious “fountain opened for sin and uncleanness.” Towner wrote much about the blood and its saving power. Mason, gave to the church some of its sweetest melodies about the value of the blood which cleanseth from all sin. The saints love to sing, “There is a fountain filled with blood,” and “ There is Power in the Blood,” and “ Down at the cross where my Saviour died.” There Are Songs About the Return of Our Lord Many triumphant hymns have been written about the return of our Lord. This event is worth singing about. The earth will sing anew when Christ comes to reign. James M. Gray wrote a won derful song entitled, “ Bringing Back the King.” It thrills the heart and inspires the soul. Whitcomb wrote about the re turn of the Lord he loved and the Christ he adored. Turner expressed in song some of the wonderful facts concerning the rule and reign on earth of our absent Christ. The heart rejoices as we sing, “We Shall See the King Some Day.” There Are Songs of Consecration The heart that is in love with Christ desires to be wholly His. The heart that has been divorced from earth and mar ried to Christ expresses its gladness in wonderful hymns. Maxwell wrote, “ Chan nels only, Blessed Master.” This song has traveled around the world to bring honor to Jesus’ name. Brown wrote, “ I’ll go where you want me to go, dear Lord.” He knew that love would sur mount all barriers and overcome all obstacles. Havergal wrote, “ Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.” Our Lord will take all that we offer Him. Page Twenty-one
X/s/WsOP
Aug. 7, 1949 BETWEEN THE COVERS OF OUR HYMNAL Psa. 9:1, 2; 98:1-9
Music occupies a very prominent place in God’s program. The saved man has a song in his heart which he cannot but utter. David sang his way out of trouble in almost every instance. Solomon sang in the midst of wealth and Miriam sang in the midst o f trial. Paul sang in prison with his back torn and bleeding and his feet in stocks. Heaven is filled with the songs of the redeemed as they sing about the worthiness of Christ and the great ness of our God. The songs recorded in the book of Revelation give us a preview of the joys that await us when we depart through the gates of glory. There Are Devotional Hymns Psalm 100 is an example of the songs which the Psalmist sang and in which he invites the fellowship of those in every land who have known and loved the God of heaven. We sing, “My Jesus, I Love Thee.” Our hearts rejoice in “Jesus, Lover of My Soul.” We worship in sing ing “Majestic Sweetness Sits Enthroned.” Our hearts are filled with divine ecstasy as we sing “The Lamb is all the Glory of Immanuel’s Land.” Saints and sages through the centuries have poured out their hearts in adoration, love, and wor ship to the Shepherd of the sheep, the King of kings, the Saviour of men. There Are Hymns of Thanksgiving Psalm 117 Our Lord loves to have our thanks giving which is an expression of the gratitude of our hearts. One has writ ten, “We praise Thee, 0 God! for the Son of Thy love.” Another has written a song which millions have sung, “To our bountiful Father above.” At meal time we sing, “We thank Thee, Lord, for this our food, but most of all for Jesus’ blood.” Thanksgiving ascends to our God for eternal mercies and for temporal blessings. The gratitude of our hearts is expressed in the Word, “ Our God, our help in ages past.” We love to sing, “There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus.” We express a testimony in the song, “ What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.” J U L Y , 1 9 4 9
There Are Pleading Hymns Psalm 142
Some of David’s sweetest prayers were set to music. Some of man’s deep est desires are expressed in song. Who has not opened his heart in that lovely melody, “ Jesust Saviour, Pilot Me” ? The faithful heart has sung, “ The Lord’s our A stranger met a boy every g g evening on the streets. Finally he $ $ asked the lad why he spent so § J much of his time that way. He ^ g was shocked at the reply: "I j know the street is not the best g ¡f* place for a boy, but you see, | 5 there is no place for me at $ g home." | g g Rock, in Him we hide, a shelter in the time of storm.” The hungry heart has expressed its need in those beautiful words, “ Bread of heaven, feed me till. I want more.” We are blessed by the song, “ Hide me, O my Saviour, hide me.” Thus we pray as we sing and the God of heaven grants His gracious care and deliverance. There Are Songs of Instruction Psalm 119 We need to be informed in regard to God’s ways and God’s will. We have the hymns of David and of others to enrich the heart and instruct the mind. David thus instructs us about trusting the Lord in Psalm 63. John instructs us respect ing the way of salvation, as in Revela tion 5. Solomon gave delightful instruc tions in regard to the vanities of life and verities of faith in his beautiful Canticles. Others have instructed us in regard to missions as we sing, “ Far and near, the fields are teeming with the waves of ripened grain.” And one has written instruction concerning consecra tion as we sing the words, “ Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.” 5* ^
«5*
Made with FlippingBook HTML5