Favorite Hymns


Isaiah 40:1 “Comfort, O comfort My people,” says your God. 2 “Speak to the heart of Jerusalem; And call out to her, that her warfare has been fulfilled, That her iniquity has been removed, That she has received from the hand of Yahweh Double for all her sins.” 3 A voice is calling, “Prepare the way for Yahweh in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Let every valley be lifted up, And every mountain and hill be made low; And let the rough ground become a plain, And the rugged terrain a broad valley; 5 Then the glory of Yahweh will be revealed, And all flesh will see it together; For the mouth of Yahweh has spoken.”
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Hymns are a good study in themselves. Some of them have really good theology. If you read verse 4 literalistically, you would almost get an industrial sense in how we should subdue the earth and prepare it for God, and while that is true, the hymn senses something deeper, as it connects "making the rougher places plain" with the inner disposition of our hearts. It's like the hymn is saying that we prepare for God a way (or rather that we are being prepared for God) by straightening our hearts out, by mortifying our evil desires and embracing the Spirit to plant the good ones.
 
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1The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; There is no one who does good.
2The LORD has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men, To see if there are any who understand, Who seek after God.
3They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one.
4Do all the workers of wickedness not know, Who eat up my people as they eat bread, And do not call upon the Lord?
5There they are in great dread, For God is with the righteous generation.
6You would put to shame the counsel of the afflicted, But the LORD is his refuge.
7Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When the LORD restores His captive people, Jacob will rejoice, Israel will be glad.
 
Few of my favorites
1. Jesus Christ is Risen Today.
2. Hark the Harold Angels Sing
3. People Look East
4. Come now font of every blessing
5. Nearer My Heart to Thee
6. Bach's Version of a Mighty Fortress

Honorable mention: in the LBW, hymn 666 is titled "Fear Not the Foe" which I think is one of the best editorial decisions ever made by Cocordia. When my wife was a music director we picked it on a Sunday when we had a demonologist from the synod come which everyone found wonderfully picked. 😂
 
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Hast thou not seen how thy desires e'er have been granted in what He ordaineth?
My favorite line in this song. I've visited other churches and heard it rendered differently, such as: all that is needful has been sent by His gracious ordaining.

So which is it? All your desires have been granted or God has granted everything that we need? The first is the bolder claim, and for that reason I prefer it, since it bespeaks greater faith. You may say, "But I haven't yet received everything I want." But if you are in Christ, you have, and you may see it by faith. The hymn does not speak to desiring the vanities of the world but speaks to the deep longings of your soul that only God can provide, and if you are in Christ, He has provided. You have found everything that you've ever truly wanted in Christ, you don't need anything more.
 
Kido Butai said:
Trust and obey.....
I think our souls respond to the gospel. I don't like this hymn for me, because it implies an action must be taken in order to receive saving grace.
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This song is not actually about saving grace. It says Trust and Obey, for there's no other way, to be happy in Jesus, than to Trust and Obey. This is about being happy in Jesus.

John 15:10-11 says
10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
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Basically, to receive the Joy of the Lord, that passes understanding, we must obey Christ's commands. That's the message in the song.

Some would argue that Christian living is necessary to keep your salvation, and some would say that once we repent and believe in Christ we are saved once for all time, even if we fail to live a Christian life. However, even a person that says you are saved once for all will say that you can only be happy in Christ if you Trust and Obey.
 
Kido Butai said:
Trust and obey.....
I think our souls respond to the gospel. I don't like this hymn for me, because it implies an action must be taken in order to receive saving grace.
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I once heard the song in that way and didn't like it either for the same reasons you mentioned. But the hymn is not meaning to teach a works-based salvation. You can be saved, but when you sin, you feel guilt and cognitive dissonance. You know that the way you walk doesn't measure up to what you believe. It isn't a good feeling. But if your actions are consistent with what you believe, you will suffer no dissonance and will have peace and joy in the Lord.
 
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