Most of us probably learned this hymn when we were little kids.  It's a great children's hymn, but who said that it's only for children?!  I was going through a hard time the past couple of days, and it was hard to talk to God...He seemed so far away.  This hymn helped me stay joyful and secure in my walk with God.  Jesus loves me, this I know.  We need to remember this.  No matter what we feel like or what is happening, Jesus loves you, this you know.  So, read this hymn and sing it outloud, rejoicing with the fact that Jesus loves us, and we know it! 
Jesus loves me! This I know, For the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong; They are weak, but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so. Jesus loves me! This I know, As He loved so long ago, Taking children on His knee, Saying, “Let them come to Me.”Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so. Jesus loves me still today, Walking with me on my way, Wanting as a friend to give Light and love to all who live. Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so. Jesus loves me! He who died Heaven’s gate to open wide; He will wash away my sin, Let His little child come in. Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so. Jesus loves me! He will stay Close beside me all the way; Thou hast bled and died for me, I will henceforth live for Thee. Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so. Jesus loves me! Loves me still, Though I’m very weak and ill, That I might from sin be free Bled and died upon the tree.Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so.
 

   This is one of the greatest hymns that came out of the Reformation.  It's by Martin Luther, and it is all about God being our Mighty Fortress.  It helps put our lives in perspective, showing us how without God, our striving would be failing, but with the Right Man on our side, we can prevail over sin and over Satan.  I think it paints a very clear picture of life with God as our Fortress, and Satan as our enemy.  God is a bulwark never failing, a fortress that cannot be destroyed.  And, though our ancient foe (Satan) is trying to hurt us, Christ is the man who gives us the strength to confide in, for if we were left up to ourselves, we would be losing.  We tremble not for Satan, for one little word shall fell him.  I hope you enjoy this hymn as much as I have.

1. A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing; Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing: For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe; His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate, On earth is not his equal. 2. Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing; Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing: Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He; Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same, And He must win the battle. 3. And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us: The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him; His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure, One little word shall fell him. 4. That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth; The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth: Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also; The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still, His kingdom is forever.

This hymn is about worshiping our King.  Many times, it is hard for me to really grasp a good picture of God.  It is hard to understand God or know Him.  But, God has revealed Himself in His Word, and there are many things that we can understand about Him.  It helps me in my relationship with God to see who He is, and to worship Him for it.  Well, this hymn is about worshiping our King.  It gives us some good reminders of who God is.  He is our Shield and Defender.  It is sometimes very hard to overcome sin and Satan, but God is there as our Shield and Defender, aiding us in our ongoing struggle.  He is a mighty King, and the giver of Grace.  Lately, God has been showing me many of the things He has and is doing for me.  It amazes me how much God grace God has given and is giving me.  And how much I don't deserve it.  He is caring.  Many times, it doesn't seem like God is there, and it doesn't seem like He's helping us much, but never doubt His love and His care.  He is there, and He does care, even if you can't see it all the time.  The last line of the second to last verse gives us four great descriptions of God: "Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend."  He made us, He defends us, He redeemed us, and He befriends us!  In Romans it talks about how if God is for us, who can be against us?  And that if God didn't spare His Son, He will surely be with us and "graciously give us all things."  God is here, and He is on our side.  He didn't spare His Son for us, so why do we worry that He isn't helping us now?  So, let us worship our King!
1. O worship the King, all glorious above, O gratefully sing His power and His love; Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days, Pavilioned in splendor, and girded with praise. 2. O tell of His might, O sing of His grace, Whose robe is the light, whose canopy space, His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form, And dark is His path on the wings of the storm. 3. The earth with its store of wonders untold, Almighty, Thy power hath founded of old; Established it fast by a changeless decree, And round it hath cast, like a mantle, the sea. 4. Thy bountiful care, what tongue can recite? It breathes in the air, it shines in the light; It streams from the hills, it descends to the plain, And sweetly distills in the dew and the rain. 5. Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail, In Thee do we trust, nor find Thee to fail; Thy mercies how tender, how firm to the end, Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend. 6. O measureless might! Ineffable love! While angels delight to worship Thee above, The humbler creation, though feeble their lays, With true adoration shall all sing Thy praise.

     

I've posted this hymn before, but I want to do it again.  I hope it will hit you in a different way this time, and you can really apply this.  God moves in a mysterious way, so don't try to put Him in a box.  So many times I try to understand what is really God's will, or what God is really doing.  I get all worked up trying to figure it, not realizing that God's going to do it the way He wants to, and I don't have to understand.  God doesn't have to speak to me in a certain way and He doesn't have to work on me in a certain way.  We fear what we can't understand, but it should give us great peace that we don't have to figure it out, because God has it all figured out and He can actually do something about it.  So we need to try to stop trying to understand God and understand how He does everything and start to worship and fear Him for His unfathomable greatness.  This also applies to our relationship with people.  We won't be able to understand why people do certain things, but God does and He will help them, so be at peace.  This Hymn is all about what I was talking about.  God moves in a mysterious way.  Man!  I want to go through every verse specifically and talk about it, but just take your time and read through these verses and see how you can apply them to your relationship with Him.  Have a good week! 

God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform; He plants His footsteps in the sea And rides upon the storm. Deep in unfathomable mines Of never failing skill He treasures up His bright designs And works His sovereign will. Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take; The clouds ye so much dread Are big with mercy and shall break In blessings on your head. Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, But trust Him for His grace; Behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face. His purposes will ripen fast, Unfolding every hour; The bud may have a bitter taste, But sweet will be the flower. Blind unbelief is sure to err And scan His work in vain; God is His own interpreter, And He will make it plain.

Happy Easter everyone!  This is my favorite Easter hymn of all time.  It talks about the many things that happened because of Christ's resurrection.  It is such a joyful hymn for the most joyful day of the year.  Let us all rejoice that though we may have troubles in this life, and the fight with sin is so hard sometimes, Christ died our souls to save, and He rose again from the grave. He has broken the curse of sin and it's power, and has given us something to rejoice in, no matter what our circumstances are like.  I hope you have a very happy Easter and I hope this hymn enhances your understanding and appreciation for what our Lord and Savior did.  He is risen! 

Christ, the Lord, is risen today, Alleluia! Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia! Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia! Sing, ye heavens, and earth, reply, Alleluia! Love’s redeeming work is done, Alleluia! Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia! Lo! the Sun’s eclipse is over, Alleluia! Lo! He sets in blood no more, Alleluia! Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia! Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia! Once He died our souls to save, Alleluia! Where thy victory, O grave? Alleluia! Soar we now where Christ hath led, Alleluia! Following our exalted Head, Alleluia! Made like Him, like Him we rise, Alleluia! Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia! King of glory, Soul of bliss, Alleluia! Everlasting life is this, Alleluia! Thee to know, Thy power to prove, Alleluia! Thus to sing and thus to love, Alleluia! Hymns of praise then let us sing, Alleluia! Unto Christ, our heavenly King, Alleluia! Who endured the cross and grave, Alleluia! Sinners to redeem and save. Alleluia! Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia! Our triumphant holy day, Alleluia! Who did once upon the cross, Alleluia! Suffer to redeem our loss. Alleluia!

Whew!  I love this hymn!  It is yet another song that affirms us in our belief that God truly is Sovereign over all creation, that He is truly in control, and that He truly has a plan.  Verse two tells us that He is sovereign in all affairs of man.  It's such a comfort that when we turn on the news or read a newspaper and it's talking about all the stuff going on in the world, that God is in control over that.  No powers of death or darkness can thwart His perfect plan.  We need not worry about world events, because God has got it under His control.  We also see that He is sovereign over our circumstances, and will turn our earthly sorrow into gold of heavenly gain.  He will pursue our souls eternal good--what a comfort that the only one who can actually change our hearts and develop us spiritually, will actually do it!  But, though we know this, we still only see God dimly.  As Emma said on my last post, if we only saw God fully, how we would run to Him and desire Him.  But, we only see Him dimly, which is why it is so important to trust that He really is in control.  And, we can look forward to the day when we don't see God dimly anymore, and we will be with Him in heaven forever--so let us trust and worship Him! 

O Father, You are sovereign In all the worlds You made; Your mighty Word was spoken, And light and life obeyed. Your voice commands the seasons And bounds the ocean’s shore, Sets stars within their courses And stills the tempests’ roar. O Father, You are sovereign In all affairs of man;No powers of death or darkness Can thwart Your perfect plan.All chance and change transcending,Supreme in time and space,You hold your trusting children Secure in Your embrace. O Father, You are sovereign The Lord of human pain, Transmuting earthly sorrows To gold of heavenly gain, All evil overruling,As none but Conqueror could,Your love pursues its purpose--Our souls’ eternal good.O Father, You are sovereign! We see You dimly now, But soon before Your triumph Earth’s every knee shall bow.With this glad hope before us our faith springs forth anew: Our Sovereign Lord and Savior,We trust and worship You!

This hymn is based off of Psalm 42.  Each verse speaks of something different, yet God is the center of each verse.  The first verse talks about longing and thirsting for God--the verse ending with "When shall I come and see thy face?"  This is what my newest blog post is about.  The next verse is about God's name.  It's about being jealous for His name when others are mocking it, and the days of praising His name in His courts.  The third verse is about not needing to toil or mourn within because God is our help and He is our hope.  We hope and trust in Him and we praise Him for it.  So, I hope you enjoy this hymn, and I hope that you will continue to thirst for God as the hart thirsts for flowing streams:


As the hart longs for flowing streams, So longs my soul for You, O God. My soul does thirst for the living God. When shall I come to see Your face? My tears have fed me day and night While men have said, “Where is your God?” But I recall as my soul pours dry The days of praise within Your house. Why do I mourn and toil within When it is mine to hope in God? I shall again sing praise to Him; He is my help; He is my God.

  

 We've all sung the Doxology before.  Most of us know it by heart.  Many of us know different tunes to it.  But, I wanted to put this up as the hymn of the week anyway.  Among Christians, there are many things that make us distinct.  Many different denominations.  Many different theologies.  Many different forms of worship and teaching.  The Doxology was written for the purpose of bringing Christians together.  The majority of churches sing the Doxology every Sunday--it is a way that through our differences, all Christians can join and sing this short praise hymn to God.  Isn't that really cool? There is a couple of things that are really good about this hymn.  First, is that all blessings come from God.  "Every good thing comes from the Father of Lights."  It is from God that all blessings come, and He deserves praise from that.  Second, all creatures should praise Him.  Now, when many of us speak of praise, we think singing.  But, most creatures can't sing.  So, how do they praise their creator?  I  think, by doing what they were created to do.  And what are we created to do?  "Fear God and keep His commandments."  This is a comfort to me, because sometimes I have trouble giving God praise through my speech.  I know that another way I can give God speech is by obeying Him.  Thirdly, we should praise all members of the Trinity.  We should praise the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.  Something, that is hard sometimes.  Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading the Doxology and thinking about some of these things in the process! 

Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him all creatures here below Alleluia Alleluia!
Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
Alleluia Alleluia Alleluia Alleluia Alleluia!

This hymn is about Jesus.  Jesus the man.  Jesus the Christ.  Jesus the Son of God.  Jesus the KING.  After Jesus ascended into heaven, God the Father made Him ruler over the universe.  Jesus is out King, and He deserves to be crowned King.  This hymn is so cool because it shows us so many things we need to crown Him for.  King. Son of God. Son of Man.  Lord of Life. Lord of Peace. Lord of Love.  Lord of Lords.  But this hymn isn't just about giving Jesus titles of honor, it is about worshiping Him for all He is and has done.  I could spend page after page describing all that this hymn says about Christ (and these are only six of the nine verses), but instead I want you to read over this slowly and see all the things it says about Jesus.  He is much more than just the Son of God who died for our sins.  He is much more, and is doing much more today, as the Lord of Lords, and King through all eternity, "Who every grief hath known that wrings the human breast, And takes and bears them for His own, that all in Him may rest."  I hope you enjoy this one!

1. Crown Him with many crowns, the Lamb upon His throne. Hark! How the heavenly anthem drowns all music but its own. Awake, my soul, and sing of Him who died for thee, And hail Him as thy matchless King through all eternity. 2. Crown Him the Son of God, before the worlds began, And ye who tread where He hath trod, crown Him the Son of Man; Who every grief hath known that wrings the human breast, And takes and bears them for His own, that all in Him may rest. 3. Crown Him the Lord of life, who triumphed over the grave, And rose victorious in the strife for those He came to save. His glories now we sing, who died, and rose on high, Who died eternal life to bring, and lives that death may die. 4. Crown Him the Lord of peace, whose power a scepter sways From pole to pole, that wars may cease, and all be prayer and praise. His reign shall know no end, and round His piercèd feet Fair flowers of paradise extend their fragrance ever sweet. 5. Crown Him the Lord of love, behold His hands and side, Those wounds, yet visible above, in beauty glorified. No angel in the sky can fully bear that sight, But downward bends his burning eye at mysteries so bright. 6. Crown Him the Lord of lords, who over all doth reign, Who once on earth, the incarnate Word, for ransomed sinners slain, Now lives in realms of light, where saints with angels sing Their songs before Him day and night, their God, Redeemer, King.

How Can I Say Thanks
for The Things You Have Done For Me?
things So Undeserved,
yet You Gave To Prove Your Love For Me;
the Voices Of A Million Angels
could Not Express My Gratitude.
all That I Am And Ever Hope To Be,
I Owe It All To Thee.

To God Be The Glory,
to God Be The Glory,
to God Be The Glory
for The Things He Has Done.

With His Blood He Has Saved Me,
with His Power He Has Raised Me;
to God Be The Glory
for The Things He Has Done.

Just Let Me Live My Life,
let It be Pleasing, Lord To Thee,
and If I Gain Any Praise,
let It Go To Calvary.

It's simple, yet profound.  It's short, yet says what it needs to.  Many times I know I need to give thanks to God but I just can't express words.  And many times, I know I need to give Him thanks, but I just don't feel like it.  This hymn helps with both.  I only wish I had this mind set in my everyday life.  To God be the Glory.  I especially love the last part.  "Just let me live my life--let it be pleasing, Lord to Thee, and if I gain any Praise, let it go to Calvary."  I hope you think about these things this week....