To Thee, O Comforter Divine ~ Hymn

To Thee, O Comforter Divine

To Thee, O Com­fort­er di­vine,
For all Thy grace and pow­er be­nign,
Sing we Al­le­lu­ia!

To Thee, whose faith­ful love had place
In God’s great co­ve­nant of grace,
Sing we Al­le­luia!

To Thee, whose faith­ful voice doth win
The wan­der­ing from the ways of sin,
Sing we Al­lel­uia!

To Thee, whose faith­ful pow­er doth heal,
Enlighten, sanc­ti­fy, and seal,
Sing we Al­le­luia!

To Thee, whose faith­ful truth is shown,
By ev­ery pro­mise made our own,
Sing we Al­le­lu­ia!

To Thee, our teac­her and our friend,
Our faith­ful lead­er to the end,
Sing we Al­le­lu­ia!

To Thee, by Je­sus Christ sent down,
Of all His gifts the sum and crown,
Sing we Al­le­lu­ia!

To Thee, who art with God the Son
And God the Fa­ther ev­er One,
Sing we Al­le­lu­ia!

Words: Francis R. Havergal, 1872.

Certainly I Will Be With Thee ~ Hymn

 

Certainly I Will Be With Thee

Certainly I will be with thee!
Father, I have found it true;
To Thy faith­ful­ness and mer­cy,
I would set my seal anew.
All the year Thy grace hath kept me,
Thou my help in­deed hast been,
Marvelous the lov­ing­kind­ness
Every day and hour hath seen.

Certainly I will be with thee!
Let me feel it, Sav­ior dear,
Let me know that Thou art with me,
Very pre­cious, ve­ry near.
On this day of so­lemn paus­ing
With Thy­self all long­ing still,
Let Thy par­don, let Thy pre­sence,
Let Thy peace my spir­it fill.

Certainly I will be with thee!
Blessèd Spir­it, come to me,
Rest up­on me, dwell with­in me,
Let my heart Thy tem­ple be;
Thro’ the track­less year be­fore me,
Holy One, with me abide!
Teach me, com­fort me, and calm me,
Be my ev­er pre­sent guide.

Certainly I will be with thee!
Starry pro­mise in the night!
All un­cer­tain­ties, like sha­dows,
Fade away be­fore its light.
Certainly I will be with thee!
He hath spok­en, I have heard!
True of old, and true this mo­ment,
I will trust Je­ho­vah’s word.

Words: Frances R. Havergal, 1871.

Lord, Speak to Me ~ Hymn

 

Lord, Speak to Me

Lord, speak to me that I may speak
In living echoes of Thy tone;
As Thou has sought, so let me seek
Thine erring children lost and lone.

O lead me, Lord, that I may lead
The wandering and the wavering feet;
O feed me, Lord, that I may feed
Thy hungering ones with manna sweet.

O strengthen me, that while I stand
Firm on the rock, and strong in Thee,
I may stretch out a loving hand
To wrestlers with the troubled sea.

O teach me, Lord, that I may teach
The precious things Thou dost impart;
And wing my words, that they may reach
The hidden depths of many a heart.

O give Thine own sweet rest to me,
That I may speak with soothing power
A word in season, as from Thee,
To weary ones in needful hour.

O fill me with Thy fullness, Lord,
Until my very heart overflow
In kindling thought and glowing word,
Thy love to tell, Thy praise to show.

O use me, Lord, use even me,
Just as Thou wilt, and when, and where,
Until Thy blessèd face I see,
Thy rest, Thy joy, Thy glory share.

Words: Frances R. Havergal, 1872.

The lectern stands as the location from which Christian Biblical lessons are given. Lecterns hold the Bible in place as the church leader reads various passages from it. Lecterns in the shape of an eagle hold special value within churches.

Eagle lecterns date back to early church history. Some of the earliest examples of church lecterns that are still in existence date back to the 13th century, such as the lectern located within All Saints’ Parish Church in Bedfordshire, England.

The eagle is the symbol used to depict John the Apostle, whose writing is said to most clearly witness the light and divinity of Christ.

Another reason for eagle-shaped lecterns lies in its symbolizing the word of God being read from the lectern and soaring its way to the ears of the churchgoers.

“Lord, Speak to Me” ~ Hymn

Lord, Speak to Me

Lord, speak to me that I may speak
In living echoes of Thy tone;
As Thou hast sought, so let me seek
Thy erring children lost and lone.

O teach me, Lord, that I may teach
The precious things Thou dost impart;
And wing my words, that they may reach
The hidden depths of many a heart.

O fill me with Thy fullness, Lord,
Until my very heart o’erflow
In kindling thought and glowing word
Thy love to tell, Thy praise to show.

O use me, Lord, use even me,
Just as Thou wilt and when and where;
Until Thy blessed face I see,
Thy rest, Thy joy, Thy glory share. Amen.

Words: Frances R. Havergal

 

Like A River Glorious

Like A River Glorious

Like a river glorious, is God’s perfect peace,
Over all victorious, in its bright increase;
Perfect, yet it floweth, fuller every day,
Perfect, yet it groweth, deeper all the way.

Refrain

Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blest
Finding, as He promised, perfect peace and rest.

Hidden in the hollow of His blessed hand,
Never foe can follow, never traitor stand;
Not a surge of worry, not a shade of care,
Not a blast of hurry touch the spirit there.

Refrain

Every joy or trial falleth from above,
Traced upon our dial by the Sun of Love;
We may trust Him fully all for us to do.
They who trust Him wholly find Him wholly true.

Refrain

Words: Frances R. Havergal, 1876.

Standing at the Portal ~ Hymn

Standing At the Portal

Standing at the portal
Of the opening year,
Words of comfort meet us,
Hushing every fear;
Spoken thru the silence
By our Savior’s voice,
Tender, strong and faithful,
Making us rejoice.

Refrain

Onward, then, and fear not,
Children of the day;
For His Word shall never,
Never pass away.

I, the Lord, am with thee,
Be thou not afraid;
I will help and strengthen
Be thou not dismayed.
Yea, I will uphold thee
With My own right hand;
Thou art called and chosen
In My sight to stand.

Refrain

For the year before us,
O what rich supplies!
For the poor and needy
Living streams shall rise;
For the sad and sinful
Shall His grace abound;
For the faint and feeble
Perfect strength be found.

Refrain

He will never fail us,
He will not forsake;
His eternal covenant
He will never break.
Resting on the promise,
What have we to fear?
God is all sufficient
For the coming year.

Onward, then, and fear not,
Children of the day;
For His Word shall never,
Never pass away.

Words: Francis R. Havergal, January 4, 1873.

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Happy New Year everyone. Here’s a antique post card from one hundred seven years ago.

 Glory to God in highest heaven,

Who unto man His Son hath given;
While angels sing with tender mirth,
A glad new year to all the earth.
~Martin Luther

С новым годом!

Happy 2017 dear readers!

I Could Not Do Without Thee ~ Hymn

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I Could Not Do Without Thee

I could not do without Thee
O Savior of the lost,
Whose precious blood redeemed me
At such tremendous cost.
Thy righteousness, Thy pardon
Thy precious blood, must be
My only hope and comfort,
My glory and my plea.

I could not do without Thee,
I cannot stand alone,
I have no strength or goodness,
No wisdom of my own;
But Thou, belovèd Savior,
Art all in all to me,
And weakness will be power
If leaning hard on Thee.

I could not do without Thee,
For, oh, the way is long,
And I am often weary,
And sigh replaces song:
How could I do without Thee?
I do not know the way;
Thou knowest, and Thou leadest,
And wilt not let me stray.

I could not do without Thee,
O Jesus, Savior dear;
E’en when my eyes are holden,
I know that Thou art near.
How dreary and how lonely
This changeful life would be,
Without the sweet communion,
The secret rest with Thee!

I could not do without Thee;
No other friend can read
The spirit’s strange deep longings,
Interpreting its need;
No human heart could enter
Each dim recess of mine,
And soothe, and hush, and calm it,
O blessèd Lord, but Thine.

I could not do without Thee,
For years are fleeting fast,
And soon in solemn oneness
The river must be passed;
But Thou wilt never leave me,
And though the waves roll high,
I know Thou wilt be near me,
And whisper, It is I.

Words: Frances R. Havergal, May 7, 1873.