Category: Singing

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When Heaven Pierces Through the Clouds!

There’s a song I want to share with you from Ken Young’s group, “Hallal”.  Written in 2009, the song “Enter In” is a clear description of the final hours of life, countered with the joy we find when our loved ones leave this life and “enter in”.  You can find this song and several others on the album Highest Hope.

For strength during times of trial you will be blessed by putting thoughts of ‘home’ and Godliness into your mind.  May you be blessed as you seek comfort during difficulties in your life…

Read the words to the song: “Enter In”

 

“In a world so full of sorrows when the best so often fall.
When the prayers all go unanswered,
when the shadows seem to overwhelm,
when the light of hope has dimmed and leaves no hope at all.”
CHORUS:
“That’s when heaven pierces through the cloud of darkness,
And the glory of the Father shines from heaven’s open door.
And the Son of Man standing at the right hand of the Father,
with a warm embrace gives welcome,
and the angels are rejoicing,
and the Father with a voice like rushing wind,
Says all heaven has been waiting…Enter In!”

“When the dreams of life are shattered, and the body wastes away.
When all dignity’s abandoned,
and the ones who care, with broken hearts,
plead for mercy, but it seems that mercy hides it’s face.”
CHORUS:
“That’s when heaven pierces through the cloud of darkness,
And the glory of the Father shines from heaven’s open door.
And the Son of Man standing at the right hand of the Father,
with a warm embrace gives welcome,
and the angels are rejoicing,
and the Father with a voice like rushing wind,
Says all heaven has been waiting…Enter In!”

If you like this message and can relate to these words, I encourage you to click on the album (above) or visit Taylor Publications CLICK HERE for additional songs of encouragement and praise.  “In a world of pain and sorrow…”  prepare yourself for the day God calls you home.

Personally, I’m looking forward to the day when I hear my Savior say, “ENTER IN!”

 

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We Shall Meet…But We Shall Miss Him.

An American Icon has passed away! 

Note: Andy Taylor is the man, the icon, from Mayberry.  Andy Griffith, the man, missed the mark later in life as he embraced, in my opinion, several ‘un-Mayberry’ type policies.

Andy Taylor was a man who served as the fair and just, level headed sheriff of a small town in North Carolina.  He played the role of a young widower who loved his only son, respected his faithful aunt and selflessly served his community.  You never found a more faithful friend and advocate for an over-zealous deputy who tried to keep order (and comedy) for the daily life in the small town of Mayberry.

Born in 1926 in North Carolina, Andy Griffith, the man, lived to the ripe old age of 86.  His popularity is noted as the a fore mentioned sheriff, but he also starred in the 1980’s as the country lawyer from Atlanta, Georgia.  His Southern drawl and unmatched legal abilities set him, Ben Matlock, as the unbeatable attorney.   During the life of these two TV sitcoms it was not uncommon to hear Andy Griffith take up his guitar and sing while he played.  He was a talented singer of gospel hymns, as well as traditional songs from our country’s history.

My first exposure to this talented comedian came from one of his first monologues named, “What it was, was Football”.  Performed in 1953 and eventually sold to Capitol Records, this skit sold nearly 800,000 copies in it’s first couple of years.  This story comes from a county preacher’s perspective as he watches (for the first time) a college football game.  His accidental admission into the game is portrayed in classic Andy Taylor vernacular.  His original climactic description of “the awfullest fight that I have ever seen…in my life!”  continues to ring in my mind and bring a recollection of a simpler, more civil time.

But next to his comedy and fun-loving spirit, I remember enjoying his golden voice and God-given singing ability.  Several times in that small town of Mayberry you would see this community of believers gather on Sunday morning for church services.  The gospel songs and spiritual focus was a calling card to a life portrayed in North Carolina.  It served as the bedrock foundation for a community built to serve God and support each other.  Perhaps you’ll remember the episode when the primary focus of the day was on the church.  It aired in October of 1963 and the show was appropriately entitled, The Sermon for Today.  A strong lesson that, we often take too seriously the busyness of life (and that coming from 1963).

Yet perhaps my all time favorite episode from ‘The Andy Griffith Show’ came a few months later in February of 1964, Hot Rod Otis.  Otis Campbell, the town drunk, takes on a second job to raise money so he can buy a car.  Barney is determined to teach him a few safe driving skills (with two toy cars), but when the sheriff and deputy find Otis passed out on the hood of his car, drunk, they assume the worse and take him to jail.  In short order, the faithful duo come up with a scheme to ‘teach Otis a lesson so he’ll never want to drive again’.  The scene features Andy and Barney singing “The Vacant Chair” (a song from the mid-1800’s often associated with the Civil War).  For me, this song and its chorus echo though my mind as I remember a legend and miss an icon…Andy Griffith.

“We shall meet, but we shall miss him.
There will be one vacant chair.
We shall linger to caress him…
While we breathe our ev’ning prayer.”

 

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Are We Still a Great Country?

This week the United States of America will celebrate Independence Day on Wednesday, July 4th.  A time in our country’s history that commemorates the independence of our nation.  This year the USA celebrates 226 years of freedom.  Personally, it wasn’t that long ago that I can remember celebrating the 200th Anniversary during the summer of 1976.  But if you look back even further in our country’s history, when our nation celebrated during its 100th Anniversary, Daniel Roberts wrote a poem to honor our country and it soon was given a tune with the title “National Hymn”.  It’s better known today as “God of Our Fathers”.

The United States of America celebrated its 100th Anniversary in 1876.  Any monumental occasion deserves a memorable celebration and Roberts was determined to provide that memory.  But to truly see the fullness of this ‘hymn’, you need to read the lines, word by word.   Notice the scripture reference and Biblical emphasis that our country was founded on and still strove to uphold 100 years later.  (What about today?  Do we still maintain this diligence?  If you live in America today, you might take pause and remember when…)

“God of our fathers, whose almighty hand leads forth in beauty all the starry band of shining worlds in splendor thru the skies, our grateful songs before Thy throne arise.
Thy love divine hath led us in the past; in this free land by Thee our lot is cast; be Thou our ruler, guardian, guide and stay, Thy Word our law, Thy path our chosen way.
From war’s alarms, from deadly pestilence, (the Civil War was a recent memory) be Thy strong arm our ever sure defense; Thy true religion in our hearts increase, Thy bounteous goodness nourish us in peace.
Refresh Thy people on their toilsome way; lead us from night to never-ending day; fill all our lives with love and grace divine, and glory, laud and praise be thine.  AMEN”

Can we still have this devotion to God, calling on Him to be our “ruler, guardian, guide and stay”?  Why would we feel so self-reliant that we would believe our way is better than HIS path?  To be honest, we’re not much different than the Israelite nation as we read Judges 21:25.  “…everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”

Is there no standard of right and wrong?  Have we determined that morality is subject and best left to individual choice.  How do we know if there is a right or wrong…unless we follow a standard provided by one with absolute truth.  Our society and culture try to answer that too by saying, ‘there is no absolute truth’.  (Which by the very nature of the statement is an absolute!)

Our forefathers, with our new found independence, could have established any standard of governmental rule.  They could have ‘remade’ a system of government that mirrored the tyranny the fled (and bled) to escape.  They could have re-traced the steps of Roman rule (very powerful in the world during its day), but instead they sought a society that was governed by the people.  And if the people were to ‘rule’ the land, our founding fathers knew they would need a ‘guide’; an example to an new nation showing peace and providing ‘bounteous goodness’.  So you can see why it was important to hold up songs like this.

But what has happened to our country?  Did God abandon us like an unwanted puppy on the side of the road?  If you know anything about God and His nature, you know He would never abandon His children.  But as in life (and as some of you may have already experienced) the child can leave the teachings of the parent.  We, as a nation, have turned away from God’s Word, God’s Guidance and God’s Love.  How can we expect God to “Bless America” when America has denounced its God?  My objective, my aim, is to once again let His path be my chosen way.  To let His ‘true religion in my (our) heart increase’.  To seek His strong arm as my ‘ever sure defense’, and to constantly raise before His throne a ‘grateful song’.

If I can encourage my country men to do the same; if we will turn our hearts and minds back to God, then perhaps we can see fulfillment when God speaks to Solomon in 2 Chronicles 7:13, 14.  “…if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who call by My name HUMBLE THEMSELVES and PRAY and SEEK MY FACE and TURN FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”  Can you be humble, pray, seek God, and turn from a life of sin?  When we do that we’ll be returning to the roots that made this country great!

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Area-wide Singing…

Recently a friend of mine shared with me this newspaper article from McNairy County Independent Appeal newspaper in west Tennessee.  The article announces a Sunday morning singing in Finger, Tennessee, just south of Henderson, Tennessee.  The date of this article is August 15, 1913.  Step back in time and read how a small, rural community viewed opportunities to fellowship and worship together…

“Notice:  We will sing at Lain’s School House all day the third Sunday in August, 1913.  Bring all your song books, and especially your old ones, as we will sing more old songs than new ones.  These new songs are cheap stuff anyhow at meetings like these.
An organ will be there, and a trained organist playing it. (this was the Christian church)
We rather see boxes than bottles, baskets than bruises, peace than pistols, worship than war, joy than jugs, beef than beer, knowledge than ‘knuckles’, water than wine, a song feast than a series of  fistfights, a manifestation of a spiritual out pour than the laying on of hands of a civil law officer, pies than pipes, mutton than murmuring, rounding of voices in song than the result of vices, good behavior and orderly conduct than bad manners and wretched confusion, there that day.  We will begin at 10 a.m.

Remember the date, please, and come prepared to sing and not to talk politics, argue scripture, swap horses, raise the tick quarantine, trade knives, tell big fish tales, opine what the price of cotton will be by Christmas, prophesy for dry weather, inquire into the whereabouts of Dick, Tom and Harry’s missing watermelons, recite Paul’s charge to Timothy, tinker with the tariff, announce the exact age of a mule by looking into said mule’s mouth, or explain what the Good Book meant when it said: ‘One woe is past: and, behold there come two woes more hereafter.’

Several good leaders promised to come.
Let’s have a first class singing.
A stock of new yarns will be disposed of at reduced prices that day.” (the author of this news paper article Hodges, operated a store)

Harvey Hodges

It’s interesting to read from years gone by the simplicity of daily life and the planning that went toward getting the community together to sing.  In 1913 our country was a much different place than you and I live in today.  Life styles were simple and the concern for what was important took precedence.  If we were to step back in time and live a day in the early 1900’s, most of us won’t survive more than a few weeks.  Without air conditioning, running water and indoor plumbing there would be little to ‘sing about’.  Why did folks in this time period dedicate a full day to singing praises to God?  Did they know something we don’t know?

Simply put…we have become too busy to slow down and praise God in song.  We are more interested in finding the newest ipad app rather of finding peace in praising God.  Our schedules are so full of self that we forget each other.  Of course even those in the 1913 had to be reminded to put aside selfish ideas and opinions and focus on the task at hand.  It would be interesting to find out how many came to the Lain’s School House on that Sunday morning in August.  Then again, if we called for folks to join us THIS coming Sunday…how many do you think would come?

“Come, let us all unite to sing, God is love.  Let heaven and earth their praises bring, God is love.  Let every soul from sin awake, each in his heart sweet music make, and sing with us for Jesus’ sake, for God is love.”  Written in 1849 (54 years before this ‘Tennessee singing’) and published in Millard & Badger’s Hymns, this song reminds us of the importance of coming together and singing.  Join us on Sunday!

 

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Down to the River…

Today is the ‘kickoff’ of the 26th Annual Red River Family Encampment in Red River, New Mexico.  In 1987 more than 400 brothers and sisters in Christ met in the New Mexico mountains for the first RRFE.  As we plan for this year’s encampment we are excited about the speakers and lessons that have been planned.  My family and I first experienced Red River in 2002.  We were blessed by the week and from that experience a song was set in my mind.

You may remember the movie with Alison Krauss, “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” released in 2000.  This movie gave popularity to the song, “Down in the River to Pray”.  For the last several years this song has found its way into some of our worship services.   But where did it come from?  Is there Biblical precedence for this ‘spiritual song’?  Some historians claim that this song was originally composed and known as “The Good Old Way”.  G.H. (George H.) Allen is recognized as the composer for this piece, and its contents can be found in a section of an old slave song book from 1867.  The song is also known as “Come, Let Us All Go Down”, but has most recently been known as “Down to the River to Pray”, and alternately as “Down in the River to Pray”.  However, the original song, calls for the worshiper to ‘go to a valley’…not a river.  Notice the original words.

“As I went down in de valley to pray,
Studying about dat good old way,
When you shall wear de starry crown,
Good Lord, show me de way.
O mourner, let’s go down, let’s do down, let’s go down,
O mourner, let’s go down, Down in de valley to pray”

Since these are the original words, what is to be said about ‘de valley?’  If, as some suspect, George Allan was a slave in Nashville, one could conclude the valley is somewhere in Tennessee, since there are many valleys there.  Or is there a Biblical reference here from Joel 3:14, “Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decisions!  For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision!”  There is much more that is intriguing about this song, and many questions still linger.  But what about the word changed from ‘valley’ to ‘river’, what was significant (or Biblical) about going to a river?  And, for those who want to go into the river to pray (and not just to the river), would this be an implied message about baptism?  Perhaps we can find a clearer understanding from John 7:37, 38 when Christ said, “If anyone is thirst, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'”  Whatever the message, the composer was most likely thinking of family, as mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers are ‘called’.  One can almost imagine a slave family clinging to one another in this song’s embrace.  And, as verse 5 closes, we are all sinners.  It is interesting that a song which may have found it’s origin from slaves, still resonates in our culture 150 years later.

And today, as I sit in the small mountain town of Red River, New Mexico I encourage those who would read these words to ‘go down’ (to the valley or the river) and pray.  This week at RRFE we’ll be singing, studying, learning, listening and praying…down in the river.

Look again and read this old spiritual song…

“As I went down in the river to pray, studying about that good old way and who shall wear a robe and crown.  Good Lord, show me the way!
O sisters let’s go down, let’s go down, come on down.
O sisters let’s go down, down in the river to pray.”

“As I went down in the river to pray, studying about that good old way
and who shall wear a robe and crown.  Good Lord, show me the way!
O brothers let’s go down, let’s go down, come on down.
Come on brothers let’s go down, down in the river to pray.”

“As I went down in the river to pray, studying about that good old way
and who shall wear a robe and crown.  Good Lord, show me the way!
O fathers let’s go down, let’s go down, come on down.
O fathers let’s go down, down in the river to pray.”

“As I went down in the river to pray, studying about that good old way
and who shall wear a robe and crown.  Good Lord, show me the way!
O mothers let’s go down, come on down, don’t you want’a go down.
O mothers let’s go down, down in the river to pray.”

“As I went down in the river to pray, studying about that good old way
and who shall wear a robe and crown.  Good Lord, show me the way!
O sinners let’s go down, let’s go down, come on down.
O sinners let’s go down, down in the river to pray.”

“As I went down in the river to pray, studying about that good old way
and who shall wear a robe and crown.  Good Lord, show me the way!”




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Let’s Gather at the River!

When we read Revelation chapters 21 and 22, John is describing a vision of heaven as he spends his last days in exile on the island of Patmos.  From the beginning of this book to its close, we come to understand God’s desire for men to realize His promise of heaven and the assurance of Jesus Christ as our Redeemer.  Actually, the first three chapters are Christ’s words as He details the future of seven churches in Asia (a lesson for each of us to take to heart).  But as we read the first verse of chapter 22, the description of heaven includes, “…a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb.”

Many have tried to capture the image of heaven; as they draw a picture of the pearly gates and streets of gold (Revelation 21:21).  But in 1864 Robert Lowry, sweltering in the summer heat of New York, began to imagine and visualize the ‘cool, crystal river flowing by the throne of God.’  His inspiration brought him to write this classic hymn that many still sing today.  Notice the message of heaven as he writes:

“Shall we gather at the river, where bright angel feet have trod;
With it’s crystal tide forever flowing by the throne of God?”

This verse he penned comes as a question.  A call to those who sing as well as to those who hear, do you want to come to the river by God’s throne?  He continues with his encouragement as he writes about being with God in heaven.  The song continues…

“On the margin of the river, washing up it’s silver spray;
We will walk and worship ever all the happy, golden day.”

“Ere we reach the shining river, lay we every burden down;
Grace our spirits will deliver and provide a robe and crown.”

“Soon we’ll reach the shining river, soon our pilgrimage will cease;
Soon our happy hearts will quiver with the melody of peace.”

As we read/sing this poem describing heaven we harken back to the chorus (the refrain) which in essence answers the question from verse one.  With a unified voice, the congregation responses, “Yes we’ll gather at the river!  The beautiful, the beautiful river.  Gather with saints at the river that flows by the throne of God.”  Next time you sing this song I hope you will think about and anticipation the excitement we have to look forward to in heaven.

But there is more to my motivation for writing about this song than just remembering an old hymn from Robert Lowry.  As I write this article more than 1000 Christians from across the country are converging in on Red River, New Mexico for the 26th Annual RRFE (Red River Family Encampment).  A week dedicated to Bible study, wonderful Bible-based lessons, worship, singing and fellowship in the cool, Rocky Mountains of New Mexico.  This year it is my honor to lead singing for the encampment as well as teach three classes on understanding and appreciating congregational singing.  If you live somewhat close to Red River, New Mexico you might want to come on down this year.  But certainly you’ll want to mark your calendar for next summer, June 22-26, for RRFE.

Heaven will be more than we can imagine.  Whether the streets are pure gold and the twelve gates are made of pearl, I don’t know.  But this I know…it will be more beautiful and more fantastic than you and I can picture.  Words fall short of describing the elegance and majesty we’ll see when we meet around God’s throne.  Red River isn’t heaven, but the joy of being with fellow Christians, and sharing in hours of singing and praise to God is perhaps as close as we’ll get to heaven here on earth.  So next year, I hope you’ll join us and let’s, “Gather with the saints at the river…”

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What’s in a Word?

Do you take the time to think about words?  In my speech I typically use words to which I know the meaning.  But how very often do we find ourselves singing songs, and saying words we don’t know?  This can happen when you consider the poetry of our hymns.  The rhyme and meter of a song might call for a word that is uncommon in our every day vernacular.  So we are faced with one of three options.  Not that these are our only choices, but most likely this is what it will come down to.

Option #1:  We can throw the song out.  That is a common response because some will say, “I don’t know what I’m saying anyway.”  Personally, I believe this is an easy way out and one that will ultimately cheat you of spiritual growth and knowledge.  (Hosea 4:6, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…)

Option #2:  We keep on singing the song even though we don’t understanding what we’re singing.  This is where most of us are today.  A song so familiar I know it by heart.  Actually, for many, we don’t even need the book.  Memorization and having a ‘ready recollection’ is a good thing, but this can be a danger if you’re not aware of the trap.  In regards to our faith, Paul admonishes us to ‘examine (y)ourselves‘, I Corinthians 13:5.  The same holds true to our singing of songs.

Option #3:  (In my opinion this is the ONLY option for Christians…)  We must learn what the words mean that we are singing.  In must be reiterated over and over again…if you don’t know what a word or phrase means, look it up.  Christ says it perfectly in Matthew 6:33, “Seek first (or continually seek) His kingdom and His righteousness…”.  It might take some time but don’t be afraid to ask someone for understanding.  You will be doing yourself a favor.  In a word, be diligent and search for understanding.

Now let’s put it to work!  Find a song that has a word (or words) you don’t recognize and then search out the meaning.  To get you started let’s look at song from the mid-1700’s penned by the renowned hymn writer, Charles Wesley. 

“Soldier’s of Christ, Arise and put your armor on;
Strong in the strength which God supplies…Thru His beloved Son.”

“Strong in the Lord of hosts and in His mighty power;
Who in the strength of Jesus trust…is more than conqueror.”

“Stand then, in His great might, with all His strength endued;
But take, to arm you for the fight, the panoply of God.”

Two words might have caught your eye here, endued and panoply.  By definition endue means to provide or be endowed with something.  A panoply is “A complete or impressive collection of things” or “a splendid display.”  Now sing this verse again;

“Stand then, in His great might, with all His strength endued (provided); but take, to arm you for the fight, the panoply (complete, impressive collection of His armor {see verse 1}) of God.”  Let’s keep ‘singing’!

“Leave no unguarded place, no weakness of the soul;
Take every virtue, every grace, and fortify the whole.”

Again, two words might have caught your eye here, virtue and fortify.  For clarification, virtue is ‘moral excellence’ and with it you can ‘strengthen or make strong’ the soul.  To interpret this verse… “Don’t leave any weak point in your spiritual life.  Take every morally excellent thing along with God’s grace and use it to strengthen your soul.”

“That having all things done, and all your conflicts past,
You may overcome through Christ alone, and stand entire at last.”

Translated;  “When this life is over and all our struggles are complete, if you have held on to the armor of God and lived a life worthy of His calling…you will be prepared to stand before God at judgment.”  Notice Romans 4:10, “For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.” and again in II Corinthians 5:10, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ…”  Sing from your heart (spirit) and you’ll be singing with understanding (your mind).  I Corinthians 14:15

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What is the Meter? Part 2

Last time we discussed the idea of, “…recognizing the music, but not the words?”  It’s important to note that the opposite can be true too.  Sometimes I’ll recognize the words, but can’t place the tune.  Let’s continue to investigate and determine the idea of METER.  (Note: Some have been know to refer to “meter” as the time signature. For example, saying that a song has 4/4 meter means that it is sung in 4/4 time. This use of the word “meter” is not applicable in this dialogue.)

If you are unsure of the tune for a particular hymn, you can use any tune which has the same meter.  However, it is best to match the ‘musical rhythms’ with the ‘literary rhythms’ in order to match the tune with the correct mood.  Fortunately some of our hymnals have lists of tunes sorted by meter; such as “Songs of Faith and Praise”, page 1042.  This is great help to introduce a new thought (song) with a familiar tune.  In addition, I would recommend checking out the extensive list found on the Cyberhymnal web site (www.cyberhymnal.org) and search under the tab Tunes by Meter.

In some cases, you might see a “D” added to the end of a meter.  This means that the meter repeats itself…to be clear, it’s “doubled”.  An example of this can be found in the song I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say by Horatius Bonar.  We see it has eight lines.  The first four lines are in Common Meter, as are the second four lines (86 86 and 86 86).  That is what makes the meter for this hymn CMD (Common Meter, Doubled: 86 86 D).  In addition, an interesting note comes for those who might have seen “86 86D w/Refrain” in regards to the meter of the song.  This means that the verses are in Common Meter, Doubled, plus a refrain.  An example of this song could be found in John Yakes song, Faith is the Victory.  In order to determine the meter of the refrain, you’ll simply need to count syllables.

Some hymns do not have a regular meter, either because there is no consistent number of syllables per line, or because the number of syllables per line is not consistent in the verses.  Examples include The Battle Belongs to the Lord by Jamie Owens-Collins or E.M Barlett’s song, Victory in Jesus.  Such songs will have the notation “Irregular.”

For almost four century, it was common for a congregation to sing/know only about 10-12 specific tunes. It was believed during this time that this was a adequate number of tunes for any congregation to handle with efficiency. Historians believe and stand by the idea that all songs with Common Meter were sung to with the same one or two tunes.  The same was true for Short Meter and Long Meter.

Please keep in mind, as you ‘experiment’ with different tunes and match up different words (creating ‘new songs’), you will want to find ones in which 1) the meter fits, 2) the proper mood is established (words match tempo and rhythms), and 3) start with songs and tunes which you know, you can learn and you are able to teach.  Singing with understanding is important…even as we consider the meter!

 

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What is the Meter? Part 1

Have you ever found yourself singing a song and thinking, “I recognize the music, but I don’t recognize these words?”  Reading this post will hopefully help you answer and understand this question.   This is the first of a two part blog as we strive to understand the importance of singing and learning the meter of a song.

A song typically begins as a poem, and then is paired with an appropriate tune.  (However, it’s true that at times song writers have written the musical signature and then added the words.)  In either case, a musician builds a song for presentation (or teaching).  Whether the words come first or the notes, he or she will first determine the musical meter.

Musical meter refers to the numbers of syllables per line of the verse of the song.  This can be a excellent way to teach singing to younger children.  In the song book edited by Alton Howard (Songs of Faith & Praise), this information is provided for the reader on page 1042.  Yet in many cases, you will need to count the syllables for yourself.  This tends to ring true especially in many of our older hymnals.

To explore this further, let’s take a look at the first verse of the song When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.  To find the meter for this song we would simply count the number of syllables in each line (hyphens have been added to make it easy to see the syllables):

When I sur-vey the won-drous cross
On which the Prince of Glor-y died
My rich-est gain I count but loss
And pour con-tempt on all my pride.

As we count the number of syllables within each line of this song, we see each line contains eight (8) syllables.  Understanding this, we can see the meter of this old hymn by Issac Watts, is 88 88.  An interesting point comes in knowing that some meters occur on such a regular basis that we have given them names.  For example…

  • Like the song noted above, 88 88 is referred to as Long Meter (abbreviated LM).  Another example would be Father and Friend, Thy Light, Thy Love by John Bowring as well as Lord, Speak to Me by Frances R. Havergal.

  • Another popular meter for songs is Common Meter (abbreviated CM) and the meter for these songs is simply 86 86.  Familiar songs for this meter would include; I’m Not Ashamed to Own My Lord and How Shall the Young Secure Their Hearts both written by Isaac Watts and/or How Sweet, How Heavenly by Joseph Swain.

  • 66 86 is called Short Meter, and is abbreviated SM.  Some songs you might recognize that are SM are, God Is the Fountain Whence by Benjamin Beddome, Rise Up, O Men of God by William Merrill and This Is My Father’s World by Maltbie D. Babcock.

There’s so much more to discuss and explore when it comes to understanding and appreciating meter with our songs.  (As a matter of fact, try it out and you’ll see how fun it is to sing the words of old songs to ‘new’ tunes.)  Come back again and we’ll consider another thought as we continue to better understand the meter of a song.

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Why Not…Tonight?

“O do not let the Word depart, and close thine eyes against the light; Poor sinner, harden not thy heart: be saved, O tonight.  Tomorrow’s sun may never rise to bless my long deluded sight.  This is the time, O then be wise: be saved, O tonight.  Our God in pity lingers still, and wilt thou thus His love requite?  Renounce at once thy stubborn will: be saved O tonight.  Our blessed Lord refuses none who would to Him their souls unite; Believe, obey, the work is done: be saved O tonight.”

You can’t sing this old hymn without hearing the urgency in the words to turn your life around and giving your life over to God.  But if you read these words closely you might be uncertain as to what you’re actually saying.  For example; what does it mean when you sing verse 3… “and wilt thou thus His love requite?”  The Old English in this verse is rich, so let’s break it down word by word.  ‘Wilt’ is the same as saying will, ‘thou’ is ‘you’ and thus is the same as therefore.  But what does the word ‘requite’ even mean?  In Webster’s dictionary the word requite means to “repay or return”.  Now notice this verse again; “Our God in pity lingers still (translated: God is waiting with compassion for us to come to Him), and wilt thou thus His love requite? (translated: and will you therefore return His love?)  Renounce at once thy stubborn will (translated: declare now that you will stop being so stubborn and…) be saved, O tonight.

Elizabeth Reed penned this old spiritual song in 1842.  Her message of urgency is clear within the chorus as we repeat the pressing question; “O why not tonight?  O why not tonight?  Wilt (will) thou (you) be saved?  (Do you want to go to heaven?)  Then why not tonight?  Written more than 150 years ago and the plea is strong and true today.  But is there still any urgency in this busy life to change our life styles?  Fast cars, tight schedules and misplaced priorities equal a life that is too busy (too stubborn) to slow down and requite anything.  However, if we are really wise we’ll come to realize that this is the time, be saved tonight!

 

If you have never opened God’s word to see what He calls you to do, do that today!  Start in the book of Acts and read how God’s church started.  This a good day to start and remember, Elizabeth Reed was right when she wrote, “tomorrow’s sun may never rise”.  We’re never guaranteed another day, but unless you realize why you have the day you have you will never come to see the urgency of ‘being saved’.