Category Archives: Hymns

What is Prayer ~ Hymn

James Montgomery, What is Prayer?

(1771-1854) Hymnwriter from Scotland. Montgomery wrote four hundred hymns, many which, like the following classic, are still sung today.

Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire,
Unuttered or expressed,
The motion of a hidden fire
That trembles in the breast.

Prayer is the burden of a sigh,
The falling of a tear,
The upward glancing of the eye,
When none but God is near.

Prayer is the Christian’s vital breath,
The Christian’s native air,
His watchword at the gates of death;
He enters heaven with prayer.

Prayer is the contrite sinner’s voice,
Returning from his ways,
While angels in their songs rejoice
And cry, “Behold, he prays!”

O Thou by whom we come to God,
The life, the truth, the way,
The path of prayer Thyself hast trod:
Lord, teach us how to pray.

O Father, Hear My Morning Prayer ~ Hymn

yosemite to Cody 139O Father, Hear My Morning Prayer

O Father, hear my morning prayer,
Thine aid impart to me,
That I may make my life today
Acceptable to Thee.

May this desire my spirit rule,
And, as the moments fly,
Something of good be born in me,
Something of evil die.

Some grace that seeks my heart to win,
With shining victory meet;
Some sin that strives for mastery
Find overthrow complete.

That so throughout the coming day
The hours shall carry me
A little farther from the world,
A little nearer Thee.

Words: Frances A. Percy

Christ Is Mine ~ Hymn

Christ Is Mine

I have enough, for Christ is mine—
A friend that faileth never;
All earthly love may fade and die,
But His abideth ever.
With all I need from day to day
He graciously provides me,
And on life’s steep and stormy road
He gently leads and guides me.

I have enough, for Christ is mine;
How tenderly He careth!
I bring Him every anxious thought,
Each joy and grief He shareth.
When storms arise and foes ensnare,
And Satan would enslave me,
I know that naught shall bring me harm,
The Lord is strong to save me.

I have enough, for Christ is mine—
A blessing without measure;
Naught can in Heav’n or earth compare
With Him, my greatest treasure.
When all around is dark and drear,
He is at hand to cheer me;
His everlasting arms embrace;
He whispers, I am near thee!

I have enough, yet not enough,
Until I cross the river,
And see my king, my glorious king,
And dwell with Him forever.
But soon I’ll reach the promised land,
Where naught from Christ can sever;
Then I shall see Him as He is—
’Twill be enough for ever!

Words: Anonymous

Holy Father, in Thy Mercy

Holy Father, in Thy Mercy

Holy Father, in Thy mercy,
Hear our anxious prayer.
Keep our loved ones, now far distant,
’Neath Thy care.

Jesus, Savior, let Thy presence
Be their light and guide;
Keep, oh, keep them, in their weakness,
At Thy side.

When in sorrow, when in danger,
When in loneliness,
In Thy love look down and comfort
Their distress.

May the joy of Thy salvation
Be their strength and stay;
May they love and may they praise Thee
Day by day.

Holy Spirit, let Thy teaching
Sanctify their life;
Send Thy grace, that they may conquer
In the strife.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
God the One in Three,
Bless them, guide them, save them, keep them
Near to Thee.

Words: Isabella S. Stevenson, 1869.

I Cannot Tell ~ Hymn

I Cannot Tell

I cannot tell why He whom angels worship,
Should set His love upon the sons of men,
Or why, as shepherd, He should seek the wanderers,
To bring them back, they know not how or when.
But this I know, that He was born of Mary
When Bethlehem’s manger was His only home,
And that He lived at Nazareth and labored,
And so the Savior, Savior of the world is come.

I cannot tell how silently He suffered,
As with His peace He graced this place of tears,
Or how His heart upon the cross was broken,
The crown of pain to three and thirty years.
But this I know, He heals the brokenhearted,
And stays our sin, and calms our lurking fear,
And lifts the burden from the heavy laden,
For yet the Savior, Savior of the world is here.

I cannot tell how He will win the nations,
How He will claim His earthly heritage,
How satisfy the needs and aspirations
Of East and West, of sinner and of sage.
But this I know, all flesh shall see His glory,
And He shall reap the harvest He has sown,
And some glad day His sun shall shine in splendor
When He the Savior, Savior of the world is known.

I cannot tell how all the lands shall worship,
When, at His bidding, every storm is stilled,
Or who can say how great the jubilation
When all the hearts of men with love are filled.
But this I know, the skies will thrill with rapture,
And myriad, myriad human voices sing,
And earth to Heaven, and Heaven to earth, will answer:
At last the Savior, Savior of the world is king!

Words: William Y. Fullerton, 1929.

Joy in Sorrow ~ Hymn

Joy in Sorrow

I’ve found a joy in sorrow, a secret balm for pain,
A beautiful tomorrow of sunshine after rain;
I’ve found a branch of healing near every bitter spring;
A whispered promise stealing o’er every broken string,
A whispered promise stealing o’er every broken string.

I’ve found a glad hosanna for every woe and wail;
A handful of sweet manna when grapes of Eshcol fail;
I’ve found a Rock of Ages when desert wells are dry;
And, after weary stages, I’ve found an Elim nigh,
And, after weary stages, I’ve found an Elim nigh.

An Elim with its coolness, its fountains, and its shade;
A blessing in its fullness, when buds of promise fade;
O’er tears of soft contrition I’ve seen a rainbow light,
A glory and fruition, so near! yet out of sight,
A glory and fruition, so near! yet out of sight.

My Savior, Thee possessing, I have the joy, the balm,
The healing and the blessing, the sunshine and the psalm;
The promise for the fearful, the Elim for the faint,
The rainbow for the tearful, the glory for the saint!
The rainbow for the tearful, the glory for the saint!

Words: Jane F. Crewdson, A Little While, and Other Poems, (Manchester, England: 1864).

hat tip: Cyberhymnal

hat tip: I was inspired to share this hymn today because of seeing it mentioned on Linda’s blog. Thank you for directing me to her inspirational post Vee.

Elim:

Exodus 15:24-27 (ESV)

24 And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” 25 And he cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.

There the Lord made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them, 26 saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.”

27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there by the water.

Eshcol:

Numbers 13:23 ~And they came to the Valley of Eshcol and cut down from there a branch with a single cluster of grapes, and they carried it on a pole between two of them; they also brought some pomegranates and figs.

Numbers 13:24 ~That place was called the Valley of Eshcol, because of the cluster that the people of Israel cut down from there.

Numbers 32:9 ~For when they went up to the Valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the people of Israel from going into the land that the Lord had given them.

Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart ~ Hymn

Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart

Spirit of God, descend upon my heart;
Wean it from earth; through all its pulses move;
Stoop to my weakness, mighty as Thou art;
And make me love Thee as I ought to love.

I ask no dream, no prophet ecstasies,
No sudden rending of the veil of clay,
No angel visitant, no opening skies;
But take the dimness of my soul away.

Teach me to feel that Thou art always nigh;
Teach me the struggles of the soul to bear.
To check the rising doubt, the rebel sigh,
Teach me the patience of unanswered prayer.

Hast Thou not bid me love Thee, God and King?
All, all Thine own, soul, heart and strength and mind.
I see Thy cross; there teach my heart to cling:
O let me seek Thee, and O let me find!

Teach me to love Thee as Thine angels love,
One holy passion filling all my frame;
The kindling of the heaven descended Dove,
My heart an altar, and Thy love the flame.

Words: George Croly, 1854.

Clap Hands, O Ye Heavens ~ Hymn

Clap Hands, O Ye Heavens

Clap hands, O ye heavens,
Thou firmament ring!
From highest to lowest,
Thou universe sing!
The darkness and tumult
Have ended in calm;
And glory has come,
And victory’s palm.

Refrain

Clap your hands, all ye mountains!
Ye valleys, all ring!
O warble, ye fountains,
Ye little hills, sing!
He liveth again, as truly He said.
Unconquered, unharmed,
He has come from the dead.

Come forth, O ye flowers,
Come forth with the Spring!
And deck the fair plains with
Each blossoming thing.
With violets humble
Let roses be joined,
And marigolds bright,
With lilies combined.

Refrain

Thou song of rejoicing,
Rise higher and higher,
Thou spirit of gladness,
Breathe forth from the lyre.
For Jesus is risen,
As truly He said,
Unconquered, unharmed,
He’s come from the dead.

Refrain

Words: 16th Century

Light of the World, Forever, Ever Shining ~ Hymn

Light of the World, Forever, Ever Shining

Light of the world! forever, ever shining,
There is no change in Thee;
True light of life, all joy and health enshrining,
Thou canst not fade nor flee.

Thou hast arisen, but Thou descendeth never;
Today shines as the past;
All that Thou wast Thou art and shalt be ever,
Brightness from first to last.

Night visits not Thy sky, nor storm, nor sadness;
Day fills up all its blue—
Unfailing beauty, and unfaltering gladness,
And lover forever new.

Light of the world! undimming and unsetting,
O shine each mist away;
Banish the fear, the falsehood, and the fretting;
Be our unchanging day.

Words: Horatius Bonar, 1808-1889.

Hallelujah! Christ Is Risen ~ Hymn

Hallelujah! Christ is Risen

Hallelujah! hallelujah!
Heart and voice to Heaven raise,
Sing to God a hymn of gladness,
Sing to God a hymn of praise;
He who on the cross a ransom
For the world’s salvation bled,
Jesus Christ the King of glory
Now is risen from the dead.

Now the iron bars are broken,
Christ from death to life is born,
Glorious life, and life immortal
On this holy Easter morn:
Christ has triumphed, and we conquer
By His mighty enterprise,
We with Him to life eternal
By His resurrection rise.

Christ is risen, Christ the firstfruits
Of the holy harvest field,
Which will all its full abundance,
At His glorious advent, yield;
Then the golden ears of harvest
Will before His presence wave,
Rising in His sunshine joyous,
From the furrow of the grave.

Christ is risen; we are risen!
Shed upon us heavenly grace,
Rain and dew and gleams of glory
From the brightness of Thy face,
That we, Lord, with hearts in Heaven
Here on earth may fruitful be,
And by angel hands be gathered,
And be ever safe with Thee.

Hallelujah! hallelujah!
Glory be to God above!
Hallelujah, to the Savior,
Fount of life and source of love;
Hallelujah, to the Spirit
Let our high ascriptions be;
Hallelujah, now and ever,
To the blessèd Trinity.

Words: Christopher Wordsworth, 1862.