I love old hymns.
I'll admit, I didn't always love them. I used to be a punk teenager that thought I was too cool for hymns. Who wants to listen to old boring songs?? Laaame.
But over the years, I've grown in my appreciation for these beloved spiritual songs of the faith. I love how these hymns have so much theological meat to them. They're beautifully written. They don't just say, "I love Jesus...God is awesome...Praise Him." They say so much more.
One of my favorites is called "Be Thou My Vision."
Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
Another old favorite is "My Hope is Built," (I know it as "On Christ the Solid Rock").
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.
On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.
And then there are modern-day hymns written by people like the Gettys and Stuart Townend.
In Christ Alone, How Deep the Father's Love, Before the Throne of God Above. I love all of these songs and I love how they point to God and remind me of His love, greatness, and sovereignty. They really touch me in a deep way.
Here are the lyrics to Before the Throne...this one seriously gets me every time. The beauty of my God and the deep unconditional love He has for me is so overwhelming.
Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea
A great High Priest whose name is love
Who ever lives and pleads for me
My name is graven on His hands
My name is written on His heart
I know that while in heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart
No tongue can bid me thence depart
When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free
For God, the Just, is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me
To look on Him and pardon me
Behold Him there! The risen Lamb
My perfect, spotless, Righteousness
The Great unchangeable I AM
The King of Glory and of Grace
One with Himself I cannot die
My soul is purchased by His blood
My life is hid with Christ on high
With Christ my Savior and my God
With Christ my Savior and my God
Do you have any favorite hymns? Please share!
11 comments:
I have to admit that I still sometimes act like a punk teenager when it comes to hymns (I'm 27) because I did go to an ultra-traditional church years ago with a whole bunch of cranky old people. It was my husband's family's church--enough said.
But I have to admit that one of the most simple hymns, Blessed Assurance, will move me to tears in a heartbeat.
This is my story
This is my song
Praising my Savior
All the day long
BTW, I'm excited about The Summit in North Raleigh starting up this fall. I wanted to check The Summit out when we start visiting churches (in less than a month--wowza!), but we really don't want to drive to Durham. We want to stick around WF/N. Raleigh, so now The Summit is on our list! I know they're still preparing and working out details, but do you know where they meet this fall yet?
I love Lift High the Cross from the Lutheran Hymnal, it is so beautiful.
I couldn't agree more. I love when people join the side of loving hymns, now if we can all get on the bandwagon of bringing back choirs and robes. :)
As a recovering little legalist, the words in Before the Throne that get me are,
"When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin."
Other favorites of mine: Be Thou My Vision, Come Thou Fount and Jesus Paid It All.
Now I'm in the mood to listen to some hymns. Thanks!
My absolute favorite hymn is How Great Thou Art. I love hymns too! They really have such powerful meaning behind them.
This is my favorite: HOW GRET THOU ART:
Verse 1:
O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder
Consider all the works Thy hands have made.
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
Refrain:
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee:
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Verse 2:
When through the woods and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze:
(Repeat Refrain.)
Verse 3:
And when I think that God, His Son not sparing,
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin:
(Repeat Refrain.)
Verse 4:
When Christ shall come with shouts of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration,
And there proclaim, my God, how great Thou art!
(Repeat Refrain.)
You took a few faves of mine ("My name is graven on His hands, My name is written on His heart" - Wow!) "For All the Saints" is a great one to me, too. I love how it imagines the celebration of all the saints coming into the New Heaven:
From Earth's wide bounds, from ocean's farthest coast,
Through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,
Singing to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost:
Alleluia, Alleluia!
What a great future to look forward to! Thanks for your posts on this subject!
(PS - I work with @theCreativeAlex and @DeeDooDaniel, whose post led me here.
@tsmyther
I can't name exact hymns but it's my favorite part of church. In high school I think it's how my parents even got me to go. I now go to an alternative church that actually has original music. It put me off at first and now I sincerely adore it.
Ramblings of a Small Town Girl
I'm glad I passed by your blog today and saw your post about hymns. One of my favorite hymns is It Is Well.
Verse 3:
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
Verse 6:
And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.
-naty r. :)
Great post Kristel. I fully agree with you. A book you may be interested in is "Why Johnny Can't Sing Hymns: How Pop Culture Rewrote the Hymnal" it's by T. David Gordon.
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