At
the special request of a dear friend:
Enter
into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful
unto him, and bless his name. (Psalms
100:4)
9 Eye
hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the
things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10 But God hath revealed them unto
us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of
God. (1
Cor 2:9-10)
This deeply reverential hymn, and its most commonly accompanying tune, commends
itself to the devout and humble - even to little children whose hearts can
often grasp truths that escape the pseudo-sophistication of the most
accomplished theologians. The verses were selected by the prolific hymn-writer
and preacher of the Gospel, Augustus Toplady, 1740-1778 (other hymns: Rock of
Ages, If on a Quiet Sea, and Object of my First Desire, among more
than 500 others). He chose these three verses from among seven others of a
poem, Desiring Resignation and Thankfulness by Anne Steele (1760). The
most popular tune for the hymn is "NAOMI" by Hans G. Nageli,
arranged by Lowell Mason in 1836. An alternate tune is LYSTRA by Charles
Wesley.
It will be noteworthy for the reader to learn of how Augustus Toplady came to
know Christ. "His father was an officer in the British army. His mother
was a woman of remarkable piety. He prepared for the university at Westminster
School, and subsequently was graduated at Trinity College, Dublin. While on a
visit in Ireland in his sixteenth year he was awakened and converted at a
service held in a barn in Codymain. The text was Ephesians ii. 13: "But
now, in Christ Jesus, ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood
of Christ." The preacher was an illiterate but warm-hearted layman
named Morris. Concerning this experience Toplady wrote: ""Strange
that I, who had so long sat under the means of grace in England, should be
brought nigh unto God in an obscure part of Ireland, amidst a handful of God's
people met together in a barn, and under the ministry of one who could hardly
spell his name. Surely this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous." Toplady
served as an Anglican minister all of his adult life which was short, Toplady
having lived only to the age of 38 years.
Father, Whate'er of Earthly Bliss
Father, whate’er of earthly bliss
Thy sovereign will denies,
Accepted at Thy throne, let this
My humble prayer, arise:
Give me a calm and thankful
heart,
From every murmur free;
The blessing of Thy grace impart,
And make me live to Thee.
Let the sweet hope that Thou art
mine
My life and death attend,
Thy presence through my journey
shine,
And crown my journey’s end.
Father, whate’er of earthly bliss Thy sovereign will denies, Accepted at Thy
throne, let this My humble prayer, arise: In the Providence of God, some of
His most devout servants are destined to live out their lives in Wilderness
places, yet, even His beauty paints the distant dunes as well as the fertile
meadows. I received a note from a dear friend this morning who is taking an
interlude of her labors in a mountain home. She awoke before the rest of the
family and sat on the porch overlooking a lake. She must have felt an immense
solitude in seeing the early morning vapors rising in the dawn from the lake.
She was alone - except for the gentle presence of God to say, "See, I am
here with you as you enjoy the rapture of this moment, alone." But God's
will is, indeed, sovereign and not subject to our frivolous whimsies. He knows,
far better than we do, what is best for us. Sometimes He gives us castor oil
instead of orange juice. We pray that our prayers are consistent with that
which is acceptable at His Throne of Grace, else, the prayer will not be
answered according to OUR wills, but HIS!
Give me a calm and thankful heart, From every murmur free; The blessing of
Thy grace impart, And make me live to Thee. A calm and faithful heart is a
gift of grace, too. The anxious and ungracious heart is that heart we
bring before God at the beginning of our salvation for healing - and He does!
There is one behavior that is quite displeasing to God whether it is overt, or
covert - that sin of murmuring! Murmuring is the cowardly questioning of the
will and wisdom of God in leading us. A soldier on the battlefield is trained
not to murmur at the command to go forward - there is no time for it in the
face of the enemy. The Christian soldier is constantly on the battlefield. We
trust the Captain and Bishop of our souls to know the enemy, the terrain, and
the proper approach to take in the battle. We are "Onward, Christian
Soldiers" - not sniveling spiritual cowards! The grace of God is a
calming balm that heals our inclinations of rebellion and disobedience. IT
makes us more like the One whose Name has been written in our hearts and on our
persons - Christ. If we bear the Name, we must bear the likeness as well. I
have features, in both physical appearance and personal habit, that are derived
from my mother and father. But it is to be well desired that we will bear an
even greater affinity to that One Savior who purchased our liberty and cut our
chains asunder by His own death on the cross. All that we live for on earth
should we a reflection of that righteousness that purchased our redemption for
Heaven.
Let the sweet hope that Thou art mine My life and death attend, Thy presence
through my journey shine, And crown my journey’s end. This first line of
the third verse may seem slightly off center to some Christians, however, it is
Gospel truth. At the moment of death, to know that Jesus is OUR Savior, Lord,
and King is the utmost and final bliss. It cannot be true that He is ours, if
we are not, correspondingly, His. 20 Neither
pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through
their word; 21 That they all may
be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in
us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22 And the glory
which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are
one: 23 I in them, and
thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know
that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. (John
17:20-23) He is
with us whithersoever we go in life's journey - both through the mountain
heights (which are many), as well as the Valley of the Shadow of Death. At the
very last glimmer of life in the soul of His saints, they will feel His hand
grasping theirs, drawing them higher and higher - so strong, and yet so very
gentle. It is as the twinkling of an eye - the same eye they close in death
will be the same which opens at the instant of death to behold, as the blind
Fanny Crosby did, their Savior face-to-face.
51 Behold,
I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the
twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the
dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on
incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall
have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then
shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in
victory. 55 O death, where is thy sting? O
grave, where is thy victory? 56
The sting of
death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, which
giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Cor 15:51-57)
Here are provided verses to Anne Steel's poem that are not included in the above
hymn, but perhaps should have been: 1 When I survey life's varied
scene, Amid the darkest hours, Sweet rays of comfort shine between, And thorns
are mix'd with flowers.
2 Lord,
teach me to adore thy hand, From whence my comforts flow; And let me in this
desert land A glimpse of Canaan know. 5 In griefs and pains thy sacred word, (Dear solace of my
soul!) Celestial comforts can afford, And all their power controul. 6 When present sufferings pain my
heart, Or future terrors rise, And light and hope almost depart From these
dejected eyes:
7 Thy
powerful word supports my hope, Sweet cordial of the mind! And bears my
fainting spirit up, And bids me wait resign'd. The poem is beautiful, and
inspired Toplady to compose a beautiful hymn from it. Each of us, as children
of God, should inspire those around us to built upon the works of the Lord in
which He has given us a part, to glorify, more and more, the Lord who made us
and saved us from ourselves.
