Faith and life meet in a story
Spirit of the Living God,
Fall afresh on me,
Spirit of the Living God,
Fall afresh on me.
Break me, melt me, mold me, fill me.
Spirit of the Living God,
Fall afresh on me.
Daniel Iverson, 1926
Read Romans 8:9-11
This hymn, really just a chorus, should be our daily heart cry. It is a prayer for the Holy Spirit to do His work in our lives and hearts to make us more like Christ. May we yield ourselves to His work.
Refrain:
I am so glad that Jesus loves me,
Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me;
I am so glad that Jesus loves me,
Jesus loves even me.
I am so glad that our Father in heav’n
Tells of His love in the Book He has giv’n;
Wonderful things in the Bible I see —
This is the dearest, that Jesus loves me.
Tho I forget Him and wander away,
Still He doth love me wherever I stray;
Back to His dear loving arms would I flee
When I remember that Jesus loves me. [Refrain]
O if there’s only one song I can sing
When in His beauty I see the great King,
This shall my song in eternity be:
“O what a wonder that Jesus loves me!” [Refrain]
Emily Oakey, 1871
Read 1 Timothy 1:14-17
“Jesus Loves Even Me” is a simple but profound hymn. It reminds us of God’s great grace and love that He loves us even in the midst of our frailties. It is truly a wonder that Jesus loves us.
O hear my cry, be gracious now to me,
Come, Great Deliverer, come;
My soul bowed down is longing now for Thee,
Come, Great Deliverer, come.
I have no place, no shelter from the night,
Come, Great Deliverer, come;
One look from Thee would give me life and light,
Come, Great Deliverer, come. [Refrain]
My path is lone, and weary are my feet,
Come, Great Deliverer, come;
Mine eyes look up Thy loving smile to meet,
Come, Great Deliverer, come. [Refrain]
Thou wilt not spurn contrition’s broken sigh,
Come, Great Deliverer, come.
Regard my prayer, and hear my humble cry,
Come, Great Deliverer, come. [Refrain]
Refrain
I’ve wandered far away o’er mountains cold,
I’ve wandered far away from home;
O take me now, and bring me to Thy fold,
Come, Great Deliverer, come.
Fanny Crosby, 1877
Read Psalm 40:11-17
This is one of Fanny Crosby’s less popular hymns, appearing in far fewer hymnals than some of her others. But the feeling of being at the end of your rope and crying out for mercy and help is relatable to most of us. Thank God we have in Him a Great Deliverer.
Lord, for tomorrow and its needs
I do not pray;
Keep me, my God, from stain of sin,
Just for today.
Help me to labor earnestly
And duly pray;
Let me be kind in word and deed,
Father, today.
Let me be slow to do my will,
Prompt to obey;
Help me to sacrifice myself
Father, today.
Let me no wrong or idle word
Unthinking say;
Set thou a seal upon my lips
Thro’ all today.
Let me in season, Lord, be grave,
In season gay:
Let me be faithful to Thy grace,
Father, today.
Lord, for tomorrow and its needs
I do not pray;
Still keep me, guide me, love me, Lord,
Thro’ each today.
Sybil Partridge, 1876
Read Matthew 6:31-34
“Just for Today” is a tricky hymn. There are several versions and a least two authors credited with writing them. Some verses have a decidedly Anglican or Catholic bent to them, with a request for God to grant the sacrament. Other hymnals with differing theological understanding just leave those verses out. No matter which version, the hymn reminds us that we need God’s grace day by day. We are wholly dependent on Him. The beautiful side of that dependence is that we do not have to worry about tomorrow. God has that all taken care of.
Chorus:
I will arise and go to Jesus,
He will embrace me in His arms;
In the arms of my dear Savior,
O there are ten thousand charms.
Come, ye sinners, poor and needy,
Weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus ready stands to save you,
Full of pity, love, and pow’r.
Come, ye thirsty, come, and welcome,
God’s free bounty glorify;
True belief and true repentance,
Ev’ry grace that brings you nigh. [Chorus]
Come, ye weary, heavy laden,
Lost and ruined by the fall;
If you tarry till you’re better,
You will never come at all. [Chorus]
Let not conscience make you linger,
Nor of fitness fondly dream;
All the fitness He requireth
Is to feel your need of Him. [Chorus]
Joseph Hart, 1759
Read Luke 15:18-24
There are several versions of “I Will Arise.” The one I’m most familiar with has the chorus, as listed here. Other versions without the chorus have additional verses and may be listed under the title “Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy.” Regardless of which version is in your hymnbook, the key is the invitation. We need the grace and mercy of God, and the hymn assures us it is readily available. It’s up to us to respond. Do you remember the day you responded? The day that you got up and went to Jesus and felt that receiving embrace?
Jerusalem the golden,
With milk and honey blest!
Beneath thy contemplation
Sink heart and voice oppressed;
I know not, O I know not
What joys await us there;
What radiancy of glory,
What light beyond compare!
They stand, those halls of Zion,
All jubilant with song,
And bright with many an angel,
And all the martyr throng;
The Prince is ever in them,
The daylight is serene;
The pastures of the blessed
Are decked in glorious sheen.
There is the throne of David;
And there, from care released,
The song of them that triumph,
The shout of them that feast;
And they, who with their Leader
Have conquered in the fight,
Forever and forever
Are clad in robes of white.
O sweet and blessed country,
Shall I e’er see Thy face?
O sweet and blessed country,
Shall I e’er win thy grace?
Exult, O dust and ashes,
The Lord shall be thy part;
His only, His forever,
Thou shalt be, and thou art.
Bernard of Cluny, 1145; translated by J. M. Neale, 1851
Read Philippians 3:17-21
Did you catch the date for “Jerusalem, the Golden”? The words are almost a thousand years old, from the pen the monk, Bernard of Cluny. It’s easy to imagine that 12th century monastic life would cause us to long for a better world, but does our modern life do the same? Do we long for the kingdom or are we too comfortable here? Perhaps we don’t long for the New Jerusalem because we can’t imagine it. Even the hymnwriter struggled to find words. If you have extra time, read the description of the city in Revelation 21. Know that in Christ, your citizenship is there.