Category: Hymns

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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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Are You ‘Teachable’?

How ‘teachable’ do you think you are?  Are you open to comments, questions or even constructive criticism?  We can never be what we were intended to be if we aren’t receptive to instruction.  After 15 years in formal, public education I learned that it’s not just about how willing and eager I am to teach, but how open the student will be.  We might be able to teach, but without an audience, our words fall on deaf ears.  But are you willing to sit and listen, to learn, from the word of God?  That takes time.  It takes patience and above all (ultimately), it take obedience.

Fathers…when you come together with the Lord’s church for worship are you willing to teach your children?  Do you sing and praise God WITH your family or is it an individual activity?  Perhaps your son isn’t willing to sit and sing; because they have already learned how important that really is in watching you.  You must realize that our children will learn just as much by watching what we do as they will listening to what we say.

Jane Lesson penned the following words, and though we might not sing this hymn as often as we should, the message still rings true today.  The teacher teaches the student for one basic reason.  It’s not for the money and it’s not for the fame.  We teach because we love.  A teacher who loves his student will give time and energy to bring them to a clearer understanding of the value within the message.  Our God loves us, teaches us and guides in life.  As His child (student) do we listen to Him; do we love Him?  We do love Him (We should love Him) because;  “We love Him, because He first loved us.” I John 4:19

Savior, teach me day by day, love’s sweet lesson to obey.
Sweeter lessons cannot be, loving Him Who first loved me.

With a child’s glad heart of love at Thy bidding may I move,
Prompt to serve and follow Thee, loving Him Who first loved me.

Teach me thus Thy steps to trace, strong to follow in Thy grace,
Learning how to love from Thee, loving Him Who first loved me.

Love in loving finds employ, in obedience all her joy;
Ever new that joy will be, loving Him Who first loved me.

Thus may I rejoice to show that I feel the love I owe;
Singing, till Thy face I see, of His love Who first loved me.

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Singing a Medley

A medley is a collection of songs that are typically in the same key signature, with special attention given to the words.  The stronger, more consistent the message the more inspirational and encouraging the medley.  When a singing group presents a medley of songs the audience, the listeners, are usually inspired by the message of the songs.  But should we (can we) sing a medley of songs during our worship services?  For years I can remember our song service when the song leader (at times that was me) would stand in front of the congregation and announce the song number.  After allowing plenty of time to ‘turn in your song book’… we sang!  After the song was over, the second song number was announced and the process continued.  Nothing wrong with this, but as I stated previously, we must be sure we sing with understanding.  So how would I, should I, lead the congregation in a medley?

Let me give you an example of an medley we have sung in our home congregation on a Sunday morning.  As services began we started with an opening prayer.  Following the prayer, we sang “What a Mighty God We Serve” followed with “O Worship the King” and ending with “Doxology”.  To assist in the flow of the medley, and to avoid interrupting the thought process, I recommend having the congregation turn to the songs BEFORE you start the medley.  If your congregation uses a projector with a screen, you can project the songs (verses) and simply have the congregation follow your lead.  With the above medley, notice how these words flow to develop the thoughts of praise…

“What a mighty God we serve!  What a mighty God we serve!  Angels bow before Him, heaven and earth adore Him, what a mighty God we serve!”  “O worship the King all glorious above, and gratefully sing His wonderful love.  Our shield and defender the ancient of days.  Pavilion and splendor and girded with praise.”  “Praise God from Whom all blessing flow.  Praise Him all creatures here below.  Praise Him above ye heavenly host.  Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.”

Whether you lead a song, announce a number, and lead a song…or if your congregation is receptive and able to follow the thoughts from a medley, as children of God, we must be more diligent in giving God our best when it comes to the songs we sing.  It takes some time and you’ll need to work on what songs support the message, but with some time and determination you can bring the congregation to a closer understanding as we ‘sing with the Spirit’.  Let me encourage you to spend time singing and thinking about the message in the songs.  You will be amazed how medleys will begin to form in your mind as you sing with your heart.

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Here I raise my Ebenezer…?

Have you ever sang through a song and wondered; ‘What was it that song was saying?’  We sing but do we really know what it is we are saying?  Look at this old hymn that dates back more than 250 years.  A song where we ask God to let His goodness be like a fetter; a song where we say we’ll ‘raise our Ebenezer’.  What does that all mean?  What are you saying as you sing this old hymn.  Let’s look into this hymn from the mid 1700’s.

Robert Robinson wrote a song of praise simply entitled, “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing”.  His original song had 6 verses where as today we typically only sing three.  Perhaps the drawing force for me is the old English, the thoughtful poetry that isn’t necessarily easy to interpret but beautiful when we come to understand it.  Just remember ‘I will sing with the Spirit and I will sing with the mind also.’ (I Cor. 14:15)

Learn more about the message within this old hymn!

1. Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet, (more recently we sing ‘Teach me ever to adore Thee’
Sung by flaming tongues above. (May I still Thy goodness prove,)
Praise the mount, I’m fixed upon it, (While the hope of endless glory)
Mount of Thy redeeming love. (Fills my heart with joy and love.)

2. Sorrowing I shall be in spirit,
Till released from flesh and sin,
Yet from what I do inherit,
Here Thy praises I’ll begin;
Here I raise my Ebenezer; (This is referring to a ‘stone of help’, NOT the scrooge.)
Here by Thy great help I’ve come; (see I Samuel 7:12 for Biblical clarity…)
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.

3. Jesus sought me when a stranger, (These next four lines have become the last few lines
Wandering from the fold of God; (of OUR second verse…in most hymnals)
He, to rescue me from danger, (A strong, Biblical reminder of the saving grace…)
Interposed His precious blood; (through the blood of Christ.)
How His kindness yet pursues me
Mortal tongue can never tell,
Clothed in flesh, till death shall loose me
I cannot proclaim it well.

4. O to grace how great a debtor (Follow the thought process here…)
Daily I’m constrained to be! (I’m indebted to the grace of God so much that I should…)
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, (want the goodness of God to chain my heart to Him.)
Bind my wandering heart to Thee. (The fetter is another word for ‘shackles’!)
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, (Some hymnals read, ‘Never let me wander from Thee,)
Prone to leave the God I love; (…never leave the God I love.‘)
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

5. O that day when freed from sinning,
I shall see Thy lovely face;
Clothèd then in blood washed linen
How I’ll sing Thy sovereign grace;
Come, my Lord, no longer tarry,
Take my ransomed soul away;
Send thine angels now to carry
Me to realms of endless day.

Would that we sing with the heart AND sing with the mind also.  (I Corinthians 14:15) Perhaps singing with the mind is actually understanding what it is we’re singing!  Now, next time you sing this hymn you’ll remember; ‘Here I raise my Ebenezer, here by Thy great help I come; and, ‘Let Thy goodness like a fetter bind my wandering heart to Thee.

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Are You Listening?

Remember those early years in your life when playing outside until dusk was a common occurrence?  Staying out and playing from early morning until late in the day was simply not a problem?  My mother would simply open the front door and yell out my name, “Myron, it’s time to come home!”  (By the way, only the fool hearty would ignore that call…)  It’s funny, but I was never so far from home that I didn’t hear my mother calling.  Unfortunately, many today not only have wander far away from home, they aren’t even listening for the call to come back home.  Let me suggest, the longer we stay out, the darker it will become.

For many, the idea of needing help indicates weakness and a lack of control.  We understand and believe in pulling ourselves up by the bootstraps, but without doubt all of us need help every now and again.  So perhaps the question really is, are we willing to admit we need some help?

Notice what Paul says in Romans 1:5, 6, “…Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake, among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;”  When we obey the calling of Christ, we are joined into the family of God, we come into His fellowship.  Many say, they want to follow Christ and others take the steps to be His child and yet when we fall short of His glory (when we sin), He calls us back.  If we are listening to (reading) His word we hear His voice calling us home.  It’s like the old hymn…

“When my Savior calls I will answer,
When He calls for me, I will hear.
When my Savior calls I will answer,
I’ll be somewhere listen for my name.”

Give Him your life and stay close to His will.  We often leave the safety of His embrace because we want to ‘play outside’.  But when you hear the call to come in you’d better answer it.  Folks, it’s getting dark out, listen for your Savior’s voice and come home!

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Study to Show Yourselves Approved

How much work goes into an individual’s personal study time?  Each of us know the importance of working toward a task.  It takes time, work and practice if we hope to achieve any element of success.  The student may find himself up late at night studying and preparing himself for a final exam.  At the same time, teachers and professors spend an untold amount of time not only preparing that exam, but grading it over the weekend.  A policeman who has never prepared himself to ‘serve and protect’ would fail miserably when facing a crime scene.  Any ‘professional’ knows the importance of preparation, studying.

In the Lord’s church any preacher who is worth his salt, will spend years training, days preparing and hours studying to present a lesson that will inspire and motivate the congregation of God’s people.  The uninformed might say, ‘All he does is preach a Sunday morning sermon; no big deal.’  But the minister of God’s Word knows differently.  There is a burden on his back to ‘study to show himself approved unto God…rightly dividing the word of truth.’ (2 Timothy 2:15, KJV)

If each of these ‘professions’ dedicate themselves to the task at hand, including the preacher of the Gospel of Christ, would it be any different for the song leader?  Perhaps the song leader could be more diligent when it comes to his ‘job’ as well.  How often do we see song leaders flipping through their song books minutes before the service starts?  More than once, in a small congregation, have I been asked, ‘can you lead the singing for us this morning?’  Never mind preparing yourself for the job; besides, all you have to do is just sing, right?  The seminar, Singing with the Spirit, identifies this topic of preparing to leading singing as well as various areas of preparing for ‘The Song Leader’s Job’.

Consider this quote from Darryl Tippens’ book, “That’s Why We Sing”, page 24.

“Elders, ministers, youth ministers have all sorts of meetings, conferences and associations, yet today few churches invest in programs that really teach everyone to sing.  Where are the regional and national meetings devoted to enhancing congregational singing?  How many Bible lectureships give special attention to teaching new hymns (or the translation of some of our older, traditional hymns)?  Where is the Christian university willing to establish a Center for A Cappella Worship?  Where do worship leaders meet to share their knowledge of hymns, their methods of  teaching new songs and old?  Who is helping to revitalize the singing in old churches, small churches?  It has been said, ‘The Christian church was born in song.’ (Ralph Martin, Worship in the Early Church)  Perhaps the church in our day will be reborn through songs as well.”

We can teach and we should learn, but we must come to realize that singing in the Lord’s church is not an obligation or burden.  We have a direct command and a beautiful opportunity to sing to the glory of God.  Let’s unite in this effort of teaching, learning and singing from our hearts, with the voice and the spirit to praise the King of Kings.

Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts for training, teaching and learning more ways to grow in our congregational singing.  If you’re interested, we can discuss the possibility of scheduling a seminar for 2013.

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Then Sings My Soul!

Have you ever considered the impact you might have on the lives of others based on what you might, write, say or do?  You might go throughout life unaware that there are people watching, listen and learning from you.  Let’s look at one event that continues to impact millions of lives…

In the late 1880’s, a poet from Sweden by the name of Carl Boberg, was inspired by the beauty of God’s creation.  His friend, J. Irving Erickson, capturing this awe inspiring moment wrote the following: “Carl Boberg and some friends were returning home to Mönsterås from Kronobäck (Sweden), where they had participated in an afternoon service. Nature was at its peak that radiant afternoon. Presently a thundercloud appeared on the horizon, and soon sharp lightning flashed across the sky.  Strong winds swept over the meadows and billowing fields of grain.  The thunder pealed in loud claps.  Then rain came in cool fresh showers.  In a little while the storm was over, and a rainbow appeared.

When Boberg arrived home, he opened the window and saw the bay of Mönsterås like a mirror before him…From the woods on the other side of the bay, he heard the song of a thrush…the church bells were tolling in the quiet evening.  It was this series of sights, sounds, and experiences that inspired the writing of the song.”

Carl Boberg recounted the following information behind the inspiration for his poem:

“It was that time of year when everything seemed to be in its richest colouring; the birds were singing in trees and everywhere. It was very warm; a thunderstorm appeared on the horizon and soon thunder and lightning. We had to hurry to shelter. But the storm was soon over and the clear sky appeared.

“When I came home I opened my window toward the sea. There evidently had been a funeral and the bells were playing the tune of ‘When eternity’s clock calling my saved soul to its Sabbath rest.’ That evening, I wrote the song, ‘O Store Gud.'”

Years later a British missionary, Stuart K. Hine, was motivated by the poem (‘O Store Gud’, translated means ‘O Mighty God’) and wrote the words to a hymn that has touched million’s world wide.  Baptized in 1914, Hine penned the words to the hymn, “How Great Thou Art” in 1949.  Read this poem (sing this song) again…

“O Lord my God!  When I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds  (works) Thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!”

The second verse references ‘the woods and forest’ and the ‘birds sing(ing) sweetly’.  Like the first verse, the second gives us a reminder to the original poem.  But here is a forgotten verse we need to reintroduce and bring back to life.  This verse is a needed reminder from the unique, original work of Stuart Hine.

“When burdens press, and seem beyond endurance,
Bowed down with grief, to Him I lift my face;
And then in love He brings me sweet assurance:
‘My child! for thee sufficient is My grace’.”

If you enjoy learning about the history of our hymns (traditional and contemporary), I encourage you to look into the resources that can give you better understanding and clarity for the back ground of our songs of praise.  The chorus of this hymn begins, “Then Sings My Soul…”, this is also the title of a great resource for hymn history.  I encourage you to see for yourself the joy in Hymnology.  You can find it on Amazon.com

Keep your mind on heaven, your eyes on God’s word and your focus on praising the King of Kings.  When I stay close to Him, lift my voice and my heart to worship God…

“Then Sings My Soul!”

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What Are You Reaching For?

Have you seen how a small child acts when he wants something from his parents?  He might hold his arms out and plead for the ‘gift’.  His actions might look sincere and earnest, or they might just be cute.  But either way, it’s obvious that he is earnest in his request.  He might even be unaware of how much he does, or doesn’t, need what he seeks.  But nonetheless…he wants it!  Even the undisciplined child, sometimes in an inappropriate manner, might beg for something.  Again, he doesn’t think about whether or not he ‘needs’ it, he just wants it.  But this pleading isn’t limited to children.  We as adults are often guilty of ‘begging’ for things.

It might come in the ‘professional venue’ as we approach our boss and ask for a raise.  You know you work hard and perhaps feel that you ‘deserve’ the salary increase.  Or it might be as simple as waving your hand in the restaurant and desperately signaling your waitress for a refill.  In either case, though we most likely would not consider this ‘begging’, we are taking three short steps: 1) we’re seeking 2) we’re seeking something specific 3) we’re seeking something specific from someone who has the ability to give it to us…just like a child.

Now let’s ask the pressing question, what are you seeking?  What is it that you either feel you can’t live without or that you desperately need?  If you cherish this world and things of this world, be careful!  God’s Son (our Savior) told us to be careful about what we plead for.  What we treasure in this world, and think to be important isn’t long term, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, whether moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  Matthew 6:19-21

It’s natural, God-given, that we recognize when our bodies are hungry and thirsty; that we seek something to quench that thirst and fill that void.  When you work hard, your labor is to be rewarded (Luke 10:7, “…the laborer is worthy of his wages.” Christ is referring to the preaching of the word.)  So it makes sense that we should seek for something specific, and we seek from the One who can fulfill our needs.  The beggars outside the city gates was pleading for alms (money), but notice the response he was given, “I do not posses silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you…” Acts 3:6.  Peter & John knew this man needed something physical, but instead they gave him something spiritual.  Too often we are stuck in the same situation; looking for physical handouts when our real need is from God.  Would that we truly understand, accept and sing this old hymn.

Give me the Bible, Star of Gladness gleaming
To cheer the wander, lone and tempest tossed
No storm can hide that radiance peaceful beaming
Since Jesus came to seek and save the lost.

Chorus:
Give me the Bible, Holy message shining
Thy Light shall guide me in the narrow way.
Percepts and promise, law and love combing
Till night shall vanish in eternal day!

I pray that we will eagerly reach out and take hold of the Bible.  That we will desire God’s Word.  That we’ll seek it, ask for it and come to know that it is exactly what we’re needing.