Category Archives: Hymn Study

Telling God of Our Dependence and “I Need Thee Every Hour” (#220)

It is the height (or should we say, the depth!) of foolishness to think that we can handle all the challenges of life on our own.  We are dependent on help from many people and sources in all kinds of … Continue reading

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Asking “Where Was God?” and “Lord, My Weak Thought in Vain Would Climb” (#219)

It can be very hard to live with painful experiences as Christians, wondering “Where was God?”  We love Him and trust Him, but still struggle when His providence permits heartbreaking events.  He is our Heavenly Father; we are His adopted … Continue reading

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The Olympics and “Awake, My Soul, Stretch Every Nerve” (#218)

The summer and winter Olympic games draw the attention of the entire world every four years.  Thousands of athletes from hundreds of countries who have trained very hard for many years gather to compete in challenging sporting events in the … Continue reading

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Music in Worship and “When In Our Music God Is Glorified” (#217)

Why do we use music in our worship, and what is its purpose?  We take for granted that there will be music in Christian worship, but how many of us have stopped to consider those two questions?  Music, especially singing, … Continue reading

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A Presidential Assassination Attempt and “Amid the Fears That Oppress Our Day” (#216)

Even though it has happened in the past (Lincoln, Kennedy, Reagan), it was still shocking when news media began reporting that former president Donald Trump had been shot at an open air rally in northwestern Pennsylvania.  This hymn study is … Continue reading

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Sweden’s Fanny Crosby and “Day by Day and with Each Passing Moment” (#215)

It should come as no surprise that many of our most beloved hymns were written as a result of some extremely painful experience.  We have examples of that with “It Is Well with My Soul” (four daughters lost in a … Continue reading

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Praying for Peace and “God the Omnipotent” (#214)

Ours is a time when a longing for peace grows stronger by the day in each of our hearts.  We watch heart-breaking video news reports of the suffering in Gaza and Ukraine.  We get details about oppression by tribal lords … Continue reading

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A Sweet Farewell and “Blest Be the Tie That Binds” (#213)

When new members are publicly received into a church during a morning worship service, it is quite common that to welcome them, people will sing together the familiar hymn, “Blest Be the Tie That Binds.”  While that 1772 text is … Continue reading

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Sandra McCracken and “We Will Feast in the House of Zion” (#212)

How often do we think about what it will be like to be in glory?  Jesus has promised that He has gone there to prepare a place for us (John 14:1-6), and that He will come again to take us … Continue reading

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The Church Militant and “Onward, Christian Soldiers” (#211)

Notice in the heading, it’s “the church militant,” not “the church military!”  Christians are called to battle every day against the world, the flesh and the devil.  This is the spiritual warfare that is everywhere addressed throughout Scripture, and which … Continue reading

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