A few weeks ago I preached about the focus of the Christian Life: Maturity (from Ephesians 4:13-16)
One of the central places where we should be striving for maturity is in our corporate worship. I have spent far too many hours in congregations where the gathered worship was far more like Children’s Church!
Much of what is sung in contemporary Christendom is designed to keep the worshiper in perpetual immaturity, namely choruses, which are repetitive and mantra-esque, and almost totally devoid of Scriptural content.
In contrast, our hymnal (the Trinity Hymnal) is packed with 742 hymns and psalm settings designed for mature worship. One of our favorite hymns is #598, “Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah”.
When the American Protestant Hymns Project was developed by Prof. Stephen Marini of Wellesley College, he ranked the 300 most reprinted hymns of all American Protestant hymnals for the last 250 years. “Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah” was ranked seventh for “popularity”, meaning it was found in almost every hymnal published, even Roman Catholic hymnals!
The hymns author, William Williams (1717-1791), was a strident Calvinist and a noted preacher during the great Welsh Revivals that were occurring at the same time as The Great Awakening was happening in America. But his more lasting contribution was as a hymn-writer.
Williams composed several hymnals (Yes…plural) that were so well-received that they went thru several printings. During his life he penned over 850 hymns in both English and Welsh
No less than David Martyn Lloyd-Jones compared Williams to Isaac Watts, as a hymnwriter- who packed his hymns with both theology and Christian experience.
Several factors go into making a hymn memorable and beloved, but just to note two
a.) The tune is vigorous and manly and easily memorable
b.) The hymn drips with biblical allusions. Anyone who has ever read Scripture will immediately find themselves familiar with the phrases of the hymn.
As you read the stanzas of “Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah” note a few of the biblical references:
- Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah, Pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak, but Thou art mighty, Hold me with Thy pow’rful hand (Deut 9:29)
Bread of heaven, Bread of heaven, Feed me till I want no more (Exodus 16:18)
Feed me till I want no more. - Open now the crystal fountain (Rev 22:1) Whence the healing stream doth flow;
Let the fire and cloudy pillar Lead me all my journey through (Ex 13:21-22)
Strong Deliv’rer, strong Deliv’rer (2 Samuel 22:2-3) Be Thou still my Strength and Shield;
Be Thou still my Strength and Shield (Psalm 28:7) - When I tread the verge of Jordan (Joshua 3:17) Bid my anxious fears subside;
Death of death and hell’s Destruction (Rev. 1:18) Land me safe on Canaan’s side.
Songs of praises, songs of praises, I will ever give to Thee (Psalm 27:4-6)
I will ever give to Thee.
By the way, as with many historic hymns, our hymnal only prints SOME of the stanzas. Here are some more of the original stanzas, penned by Williams:
Lord, I trust Thy mighty power, Wondrous are Thy works of old;
Thou deliver’st Thine from thralldom, Who for naught themselves had sold:
Thou didst conquer, Thou didst conquer,
Sin, and Satan and the grave, Sin, and Satan and the grave.
Musing on my habitation, Musing on my heav’nly home,
Fills my soul with holy longings: Come, my Jesus, quickly come; Vanity is all I see;
Lord, I long to be with Thee! Lord, I long to be with Thee
- The Well-Ordered Home - May 16, 2017
- Grace-Based Parenting - March 8, 2017
- The Civil Government Has Asked Us to Pray - November 16, 2016
