Ship of Fools: Inspiring Hymn Verses

Thread: Inspiring Hymn Verses Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.

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Posted by Craigie (# 17364) on :

I have just been singing along to a worship CD. There was a new take on an old hymn and one of the verses hit me like a thunderbolt. It really summed me up and the last few years:-

"Just as I am though tossed about
With all my conflict all my doubt
Fightings and fears within without
Oh Lamb of God I come I come."

Has anyone else had this experience? What hymn or worship song verses have inspired you? [Angel]

Posted by Lord Jestocost (# 12909) on :

"Crown him the Lord of Years, the Potentate of Time!"

It's not only a great way to end a great hymn but it's another way of saying that God is a Time Lord. Even if the writer did then have to throw in a slightly desperate "ineffably sublime" just to find a rhyme.

Posted by Moo (# 107) on :

I love this verse from 'I Bind unto Myself Today'.

I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, his might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need,
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, his shield to ward,
The word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard.

Moo

Posted by angelfish (# 8884) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Lord Jestocost:
"Crown him the Lord of Years, the Potentate of Time!"

It's not only a great way to end a great hymn but it's another way of saying that God is a Time Lord. Even if the writer did then have to throw in a slightly desperate "ineffably sublime" just to find a rhyme.

You beat me to it. I love this one too.
Also, "the hopes and fears of all the years are met in Thee tonight". It gives me goosebumps to remember that the whole of humanity's happiness rested on a newborn baby.

Posted by Gamaliel (# 812) on :

I tend to find that it's lines from poems rather than hymns that 'do' it for me - and I think my worship song and chorus days lie well behind me ...

That said, I'm still a sucker for Welsh hymn tunes in the minor key and some of the rousing ones too. I love this bit from William Williams's famous hymn set to the tune Cwm Rhondda:

'When I tread the verge of Jordan,
Bid my anxious fears subside;
Death of death and Hell's destruction,
Land me safe on Canaan's side.'

I also like a lot of Charles Wesley's hymns and their Christology struck a deep and niggling chord with me when I was an adolescent and turning my back on church etc ... they kept echoing with me and bearing witness that Jesus is God.

Posted by Gamaliel (# 812) on :

'O Come, O come Immanuel' makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck.

'O come, O come, thou Lord of might,
Who to thy tribes on Sinai's height,
In ancient times didst give the Law,
In cloud, and majesty and awe'

The carol 'Of the Father's love begotten' does 'it' for me too, as does 'Let all mortal flesh keep silence'.

Some of the Orthodox material also has a similar effect. I wish the rest of us had some of their chants and hymns - particularly those at Christmas that deal with the Incarnation.

Posted by A.Pilgrim (# 15044) on :

For me it's the words of the hymn 'The God of Abraham praise' - they might be a bit old-fashioned, but the message is spine-tingling in its majesty:

The God of Abraham praise
Who reigns enthroned above,
Ancient of everlasting days
And God of love.
Jehovah! Great I AM!
By earth and heaven confessed;
I bow and bless the sacred name
For ever blessed.

Angus

Posted by Gamaliel (# 812) on :

Yay!

That was another one I was thinking of ...

Couldn't agree more. It tingles my spine.

Posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe (# 5521) on :

Jesus, joy of loving hearts,
The font of life, the light of men.
From all the pleasure earth imparts
We turn unfilled to you again.

Posted by Mama Thomas (# 10170) on :

Our hearts be pure from evil, that we may see aright the Lord in rays eternal of resurrection light.

Every line, every note of this hymn--but these words have to be my prayer that we may at all times and in all places see the Lord in the light of his glorious resurrection.

And of all the self-consecration hymns, I'd like this to be my mantra:

O Thou who camest from above,
the fire celestial to impart
kindle a flame of sacred love
upon the mean altar of my heart.

Link to the rest of the hymn

[Edited to add a link, to avoid reposting material that may be copyright. - Ariel]

[ 02. November 2012, 21:39: Message edited by: Ariel ]

Posted by The Sainted Percy (# 17388) on :

Does this 'count'? It's by the Angelic Doctor, and usually sung a hymn in it's own right , but it's a verse of the longer, beautiful, and less known hymn , 'Verbum Supernum Prodiens' and sung at the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

O salutaris Hostia,
Quae caeli pandis ostium:
Bella premunt hostilia,
Da robur, fer auxilium.

A lot of Latin, but utterly beautiful.

In English, it translates as:

O saving Victim, opening wide
The gate of Heaven to us below;
Our foes press hard on every side;
Your aid supply; Your strength bestow.

I won't try to describe why it's so beautiful, as if you do not believe in and try to understand the sheer exquisite, inexpressible majesty and glory and beauty and deep sadness and everything else of the Real Presence, it will not be.

[ 02. November 2012, 21:36: Message edited by: The Sainted Percy ]

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :

Gentle reminder: we need to be careful about copyright, so if you could just post one short verse at most, that would be great. Links to the words are always good, too.

Thanks!

Ariel
Heaven Host

Posted by Robert Armin (# 182) on :

Is this your first Hostly post Ariel? If so, does some arcane Heavenly rite follow?

Posted by Jolly Jape (# 3296) on :

The last verse of "Lord, for the years" always does for me.

Posted by bib (# 13074) on :

The fourth verse from 'How sweet the name of Jesus sounds' always does it for me and at times can reduce me to tears.

Jesus my Shepherd, Brother, Friend
My Prophet, Priest and King,
My Lord, my Life, my Way, my End,
Accept the praise I bring.

This hymn is a product of the great writer John Newton and is a powerful declaration of faith.

Posted by art dunce (# 9258) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Craigie:
I have just been singing along to a worship CD. There was a new take on an old hymn and one of the verses hit me like a thunderbolt. It really summed me up and the last few years:-

"Just as I am though tossed about
With all my conflict all my doubt
Fightings and fears within without
Oh Lamb of God I come I come."

Has anyone else had this experience? What hymn or worship song verses have inspired you?

Too freaky. When I saw the title of your thread I thought of this very hymn. I was raised Baptist (left in my teens) and it was the standard altar call hymn and then last week the organist played it during Eucharist at my Episcopal church and I realized that I remembered every word. My mother loved Johnny Cash's rendition.

Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on :

This hymn makes me cry every time:

quote:
chorus of "I Want to walk as a Child of the Light":

In him there is no darkness at all;
The night and the day are both alike;
The Lamb is the Light of the City of God;
Shine in my heart, Lord Jesus.

Certainly not complex poetry, but... [Tear]

Posted by Jade Constable (# 17175) on :

O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing

quote:
Jesus! the name that charms our fears,
that bids our sorrows cease;
'tis music in the sinner's ears,
'tis life, and health, and peace.

Posted by Spike (# 36) on :

A few years ago while going through a pretty tough time, I felt a tingle down my spine at the words

quote:
O Jesus thou has promised
to all who follow thee
that where thou art in glory
there shall thy servant be

It reminded me that no matter how shitty life can get, Jesus is always there for us.

Posted by leo (# 1458) on :

On my birthday I like

quote:
When in the slippery paths of youth
With heedless steps I ran,
Thine arm unseen conveyed me safe,
And led me up to man.

Posted by ArachnidinElmet (# 17346) on :

pretty much the whole of 'My Song is Love Unknown'. It always makes me tear up, making it very difficult to sing. [Waterworks]

Especially:
"Love to the loveless shown, that they might be lovely be", which is pretty much the complete description of how we should act towards others in 1 sentence.

Posted by Oxonian Ecclesiastic (# 12722) on :

From Cowper's 'There is a fountain filled with blood':

The dying thief rejoiced to see
that fountain in his day;
and there have I, as vile as he,
washed all my sins away.

Posted by Galilit (# 16470) on :

Verse 4 of For All the Saints (who from their labours rest).

And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long,
Steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
And hearts are brave again, and arms are strong
Hal-le-lu-jah, Hal---le-lu-jah!

Posted by balaam (# 4543) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Jolly Jape:
The last verse of "Lord, for the years" always does for me.

For me it's the second verse, the line Spirits oppressed by pleasure, wealth and care is a reminder that the comforts of life might not be that good for us.

Posted by balaam (# 4543) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Spike:
A few years ago while going through a pretty tough time, I felt a tingle down my spine at the words

quote:
O Jesus thou has promised
to all who follow thee
that where thou art in glory
there shall thy servant be
It reminded me that no matter how shitty life can get, Jesus is always there for us.

For the same reason I like this verse from Amazing Grace:

Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come;
'Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far
and Grace will lead me home.

God may not save us from the shitty stuff in life, but he does see us through it. In fact he is with us in our bad times.

Posted by Pia (# 17277) on :

But we make his love too narrow
By false limits of our own;
And we magnify his strictness
With a zeal he will not own.

And all the verses that surround it, really, but I like this verse for those days when I don't feel good enough, and for those days when I feel frustrated by the failings of others, and for those days when I know that I have disappointed others... which, between the three of 'em, covers most days, really.

Oh, and all of the above. Lovely thread. [Smile]

Posted by Percy B (# 17238) on :

I love:

Drop thy still dews of quietness
Till all our strives cease
Take from our minds the strain and stress...

Etc.

From Dear Lord and Father of Mankind.

And I like

Look Father look on his anointed face ...

Posted by Rosa Winkel (# 11424) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Lord Jestocost:
the Potentate of Time!"

A good line for choirs to demonstrate their command of hard consonants. I always remember a choir master I knew, who I didn't always get on with, who made us pronounce each "T" and had a big smile on his face.

Anyway, for me, the last verse of "In heavenly love abiding" (a hymn sadly missing in most hymn books in England):

Green pastures are before me,
which yet I have not seen;
bright skies will soon be o'er me
where the dark clouds have been;
my hope I cannot measure,
my path to life is free;
my Saviour has my treasure,
and he will walk with me.

[Tear]

Lyrics

The reference to the "storm" of the first verse puts in pictures of me cycling through the wind and rain (well, "through the wind and rain" is another classic hymn) to a village church on Ynys Cybi.

Posted by Curious (# 93) on :

Oh I love that verse,Rosa Winkel.

Posted by churchgeek (# 5557) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Gamaliel:

'When I tread the verge of Jordan...'

That is a great hymn, although, as a verger, I find myself wondering who Jordan is and why we're trampling her/his verge. [Razz]

quote:
Originally posted by Pia:
But we make his love too narrow
By false limits of our own;
And we magnify his strictness
With a zeal he will not own.

And all the verses that surround it, really, but I like this verse for those days when I don't feel good enough, and for those days when I feel frustrated by the failings of others, and for those days when I know that I have disappointed others... which, between the three of 'em, covers most days, really.

Yes, that's an all-time favorite of mine! I learned it in my home church, the Episcopal cathedral in Detroit (whose high altar is in my avatar) to a tune that's not in The Hymnal 1982. It makes a difference because the words are a little different. The version I learned ends with a half-stanza, "If our love were but more simple..." (I don't want to quote more because of copyright.) Anyone know what that tune might be? I've heard it on a CD I have from some English choir or other, maybe it's in the English hymnal?

I always feel empowered by this hymn from "Come, Labor On":

quote:
Come, labor on!
Away with gloomy doubts and faithless fear!
No arm so weak but may do service here:
By feeblest agents may our God fulfill
His righteous will.

(Full hymn at cyber hymnal)

And speaking of Christmas hymns/carols, "O Holy Night" always gets me with:

"Truly he taught us to love one another:
His law is love, and his Gospel is peace.
Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother,
And in his name all oppression will cease."

That last line especially strikes me as a beautifully prophetic prayer every time I sing it or hear it sung.

Posted by Pia (# 17277) on :

quote:
Originally posted by churchgeek:
Yes, that's an all-time favorite of mine! I learned it in my home church, the Episcopal cathedral in Detroit (whose high altar is in my avatar) to a tune that's not in The Hymnal 1982. It makes a difference because the words are a little different. The version I learned ends with a half-stanza, "If our love were but more simple..." (I don't want to quote more because of copyright.) Anyone know what that tune might be? I've heard it on a CD I have from some English choir or other, maybe it's in the English hymnal?

Was it Corvedale, churchgeek?

Posted by Lothlorien (# 4927) on :

Thank you all who have posted here. I know and love practically every hymn quoted here and it's been good to be reminded of them. Life is very stressful here at the moment with a nasty family problem and the quotes remind me of the care and power of God.

[ 07. November 2012, 21:48: Message edited by: Lothlorien ]

Posted by Starbug (# 15917) on :

This is such an uplifting thread! [Axe murder]

I love the hymns of the late Fred Pratt Green, especially this one:

"When our confidence is shaken in beliefs we thought secure,
when the spirit in its sickness seeks but cannot find a cure,
God is active in the tensions of a faith not yet mature...

God is love, and thus redeems us in the Christ we crucify;
this is God's eternal answer to the world's eternal why.
May we in this faith maturing be content to live and die!"

Sorry for quoting two verses. I couldn't decide between them.

Posted by PeteC (# 10422) on :

quote:
To Jesus Christ, our Sov'reign King,
Who is the world's salvation,
All praise and homage do we bring,
And thanks and adoration.

Refrain:
Christ Jesus Victor, Christ Jesus Ruler!
Christ Jesus, Lord and Redeemer!

Posted by Mary LA (# 17040) on :

So many of my favourites quoted. This verse too:

O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.

From O Love That Will Not Let Me Go

And this from the great Pange lingua, the verses known as Tantum Ergo Sacramentum, something I heard first as a child when the Blessed Sacrament was held up in a darkened church

Down in adoration falling,
This great Sacrament we hail,
O'er ancient forms of worship
Newer rites of grace prevail;
Faith will tell us Christ is present,
When our human senses fail.

Posted by Stejjie (# 13941) on :

The only hymn that has ever reduced me to tears is the first verse of "I heard the voice of Jesus say":

I heard the voice of Jesus say,
"Come unto me and rest;
lay down, thou weary one, lay down
thy head upon my breast."
I came to Jesus as I was,
weary and worn, and sad;
I found in him a resting place,
and he has made me glad.

Link to the whole hymn.

It spoke exactly to where I was at that time (absolutely worn out in every way) that I was stood at the front of the church with tears streaming down my face, hoping the minister wouldn't see me and offer to pray for me (don't know why I hoped that - seems a bit silly...).

Still gets me - as long as it's sung to Vox Delecti.

Posted by ArachnidinElmet (# 17346) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Stejjie:
The only hymn that has ever reduced me to tears is the first verse of "I heard the voice of Jesus say"

Oh, that's a lovely hymn. I'd like it played at my funeral (if I have any say in the matter).

Posted by Pine Marten (# 11068) on :

So much good stuff! One of my favourites is the last verse of 'Praise, my soul':

Angels, help us to adore him;
Ye behold him face to face;
Sun and moon bow down before him
Dwellers all in time and space...

Just the thought of the sun and moon bowing down makes me shiver. Cosmic!

Posted by kingsfold (# 1726) on :

quote:
Originally posted by ArachnidinElmet:

quote:
Originally posted by Stejjie:
The only hymn that has ever reduced me to tears is the first verse of "I heard the voice of Jesus say"
Oh, that's a lovely hymn. I'd like it played at my funeral (if I have any say in the matter).

I plan on having this at my funeral too. It (the whole hymn) just says so much to me.

However, I'm going to have to diasgree with Stejjie about the choice of Vox Dilecti as the tune. But then I would, wouldn't I [Big Grin]

Posted by Felafool (# 270) on :

For me it's the last verse of Wesley's 'And Can it Be?':

No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in Him, is mine!
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach the eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own

Hard to sing with a lump in the throat!

Posted by Moo (# 107) on :

I love the last verse of "My Shepherd Will Supply My Need".

The sure provisions of my God
attend me all my days;
O may thy house be my abode,
and all my work be praise.
There would I find a settled rest,
while others go and come;
no more a stranger, nor a guest,
but like a child at home.

Moo

Posted by balaam (# 4543) on :

The song 'O for a thousand tongues to sing' has some good verses, but one single line stands out:

He breaks the power of cancelled sin.

Simple yet profound.

As this is about hymn verses, here's the rest:

He breaks the power of cancelled sin,
He sets the prisoner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean,
His blood availed for me.

[Edit because the word canceled has two l's.]

[ 08. November 2012, 22:49: Message edited by: balaam ]

Posted by jedijudy (# 333) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Felafool:
For me it's the last verse of Wesley's 'And Can it Be?':

No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in Him, is mine!
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach the eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own

Hard to sing with a lump in the throat!

That whole hymn is my very favorite of all. Expresses my personal theology and, like you Felafool, it's hard for me to sing it. I read 'And Can It Be?' for a devotion for staff meeting once. At least I tried to read it. That lump in the throat you mention is pretty powerful!

Posted by Abigail (# 1672) on :

At my church we mainly sing modern worship songs. Some are good, but none seem to have so much meaning in the words as some of the hymns mentioned here - some of which I remember from my schooldays.

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