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14 And God said,
Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the
night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.” (Gen 1:14)
12 So teach us to
number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. (Psalm 90:12)
This
is another gem of a hymn[1]
from that old saintly hymn writer, Frances Havergal (daughter of an Anglican
clergyman) written in 1874. The lyrics were written by Miss Havergal as
greetings included on her New Year’s cards to friends. The tune of choice for
the hymn is Aurelia by Samuel Wesley (1864). An alternate tune
is Llangloffan by Daniel S. Evans.
I
hesitated to write about this hymn since the biblical new year (Nisan – Spring)
does not coincide with the secular New Year. It would not be unlike the Creator
to have begun His Creation at the beginning of the Season of Life which is
Spring. Many other significant spiritual events occur during that period of
time.
I offer brief
examples of the manner in which God’s plan is consistent with that Spring
possibility. 1) New Years is recognized by Judaism to be Nisan (March-April).
2) the Middle Eastern Countries still celebrate the first day of Spring as
Now-Ruz (New Years). 3) The Ark of Noah came to rest on Ararat on the 17th Nisan. 4)
Christ was crucified on the 14th Nisan
(beginning of Passover), rose from the dead on 16th Nisan, and
appeared to the disciples in the closed room on the 17th Nisan (see
John 20:19-23). And 5) It was the first month of Nisan in which the
children of Israel left Egypt and observed the Lord’s Passover. Later in Hebrew
law, the lamb was to be sacrificed around 3 PM on 14 Nisan, and the Passover
observed beginning that evening and next day (being a High Sabbath). Christ
died at 3 PM on 14 Nisan and spent the Passover Sabbath at rest in the tomb.
The first day of the week began at sundown at end of 15 Nisan – the 16th Nisan. At the
end of the first day of the week would have been the beginning of 17thNisan. It is
interesting to speculate that if the conception of Jesus had occurred in Nisan,
His birth would have occurred in December. (I do not proffer this as biblical
proof, but merely something worthy of consideration amidst all the doubts being
shed on the observance of Christmas.)
Even
given my doubts on the scriptural merit of celebrating January 1 as New Year,
consistent with my belief that it is absolutely appropriate to celebrate
Christmas every day of the year, so must it be appropriate to celebrate every
day the Lord has given us on His green earth as the first day of the New Year
of our lives – even January 1st. As well, the devotion was the request of a
dear friend.
Another Year Is
Dawning
Another year is
dawning, dear Father, let it be
In working or
in waiting, another year with Thee.
Another year of
progress, another year of praise,
Another year of
proving Thy presence all the days.
Another year of
mercies, of faithfulness and grace,
Another year of
gladness in the shining of Thy face;
Another year of
leaning upon Thy loving breast;
Another year of
trusting, of quiet, happy rest.
Another year of
service, of witness for Thy love,
Another year of
training for holier work above.
Another year is
dawning, dear Father, let it be
On earth, or
else in Heaven, another year for Thee.
“Another
year is dawning, dear Father, let it be In working or in waiting, another year
with Thee. Another year of progress,
another year of praise, Another year of proving Thy presence all the days.”
The first conscious thoughts of our daily awakening should be to thank God for
the coming light of day and the blessings of joy and service it may offer.
O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul
thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where
no water is; 2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I
have seen thee in the sanctuary. (Psalm
63:1-2)
Of course, it should be granted that our souls can neither thirst after God,
nor long for Him when in a dry and thirsty land, unless we have first sought
after Him under intimate joy in the sanctuary of our hearts. We had best pray
for the benefits of the day at hand rather than the whole year itself. “Give
us this day, our daily Bread” – the only blessing besought in the Lord’s
Prayer.
“Another
year of mercies, of faithfulness and grace, Another year of gladness in the
shining of Thy face; Another year of leaning upon Thy loving breast; Another
year of trusting, of quiet, happy rest.” Frances Havergal is surely
resting on the reminiscences of blessings of past years as she asks for the
same in future years. To one such as Frances was, she is assured not only of
another year of mercies, faithfulness, and grace; of gladness in the shining of thy
face; but an eternity of such bliss. In that sense, she asks too
little in a YEAR. She, and millions of other faithful saints, now enjoy that
trusting, happy rest for which she prayed. 24 The LORD bless
thee, and keep thee: 25 The LORD make
his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: 26 The LORD lift
up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. (Num 6:24-26)
“Another
year of service, of witness for Thy love, Another year of training for holier
work above. Another year is dawning, dear Father, let it be On earth, or else
in Heaven, another year for Thee.” This perfectly summarizes the
sentiments expressed in the first two verses. We do not ask, in earnest faith,
for another year of prosperity (for God will provide whatever is needful), but
rather for another year of privilege in service to the King of Kings and Lord
of Lords. If we are dutiful in that service, our joys and blessings will exceed
every expectation. The life of Frances Havergal was consecrated to her Lord in
a measure seldom achieved in modern times. As her words above reveal, another
year is dawning beyond the last horizon, and her work is still blessing souls
untold in number today as much, or even more, than while she was with us and
writing hymns about the goodness of the Lord. Instead of another year of
service, Frances now has an Eternity of privilege in service.
NOTE: We would be advised to learn of the works
of such saints as Frances Havergal, and emulate their example in Christian
service and love. She authored hundreds of hymns among which are these old
standards; Like a River
Glorious, Take my
Life and Let it Be, I
Gave my Life for Thee, and Who is on the Lord’s Side. Of the composition of the second
hymn, Frances says:
“"I went for a little visit of five days," wrote Frances Havergal, explaining what prompted her to write her well-known hymn, "Take My Life and Let it Be."
“"There were ten persons in the house; some
were unconverted and long prayed for, some converted but not rejoicing
Christians. [God] gave me the prayer, 'Lord, give me all in this house.' And He
just did. Before I left the house, everyone had got a blessing. The last night
of my visit I was too happy to sleep and passed most of the night in renewal of
my consecration, and those little couplets formed themselves and chimed in my
heart one after another till they finished with "ever only, ALL FOR
THEE!"”
“ALL FOR THEE!” A peculiar reference to God
found only in Shakespearean English and in the King James Bible. The word ‘you’
falls short of an English equivalent.
[1] This hymn is often used, as
it was this year, as the New Year’s Message in the AOC Sunday Report.
