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OR it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. (Romans 14:11)
This is a powerful and uplifting hymn written by Charles Wesley in 1739 to celebrate the conversion to Christ in 1938. He had already been ordained a deacon and priest, had traveled as an evangelist to Georgia (USA), but discovered that he did not have a saving knowledge of Christ. He was greatly inspired by the Moravian missionaries to a better understanding of his need for salvation. There are three tunes to which this hymn is sung: Azmon (Carl G. Glaser, arranged by Lowell Mason); Arlington (Thomas Arne’s opera, Artaxerxes); and Stracathro (by Charles Hutcheson). The latter two are included in the 1940 Hymnal, but my favorite, and the one most popular today, is AZMON. There are three verses given in our Hymnal, but Wesley’s original was made up of fifteen verses.
O for a thousand tongues to sing
O for a thousand tongues to sing
my great Redeemer's praise,
the glories of my God and King,
the triumphs of his grace!
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.
He speaks and list’ning to his voice,
New life the dead re-ceive,;
The mournful broken hearts rejoice,
The humble poor believe. Amen.
1 O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer's praise, the glories of my God and King, the triumphs of his grace! It is always interesting to learn the inspiration behind a hymn to be written. In the case of this hymn, the first line was inspired by a remark of Peter Böhler, a Moravian, who told Charles: Had I a thousand tongues, I would praise Him with them all! Truly, our tongues lack the beauty and power to praise our Lord properly, but He knows that we are frail and, like a doting Father, loves to hear His children sing praises. Though crudely uttered, the filter of the Holy Spirit transforms them into sounds of glorious beauty. With each singing of this hymn in worship, my mind goes back to the beautiful and melodious voices of the people of the Solomon Islands, Fiji, and the Philippines. Even the Islands of the Sea shall praise Him.
2 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. May I suggest that even the singing of this hymn, or any other Godly hymn, will draw us nearer to our Lord and His comforting presence in times of sorrow. Every hymn should honor the Name of Jesus if it is worth its salt. Our worship was never intended to entertain or glorify any man, or woman, or any song leader. Its sole purpose is to honor the Lord and glorify Him. Christ, not man, should be at the center of our worship. Our songs and prayers bring peace and comfort – even on a heated battlefield. A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit. (Proverbs 15:4)
3 He speaks and list’ning to his voice, New life the dead re-ceive; The mournful broken hearts rejoice, The humble poor believe. Amen. The words of another old hymn my mother used to sing comes to mind: He speaks, and the sound of His voice, Is so sweet the birds hush their singing, And the melody that He gave to me Within my heart is ringing. It is by the Power of His Word and the Sound of His Voice that breathes life eternal to the sinner’s dead soul. (Ephesians 2). We all stand poor before the Lord with our filthy rags of righteousness, but He soothes and assures us of His redeeming love and the newness of life with which He alone can endow us. If you doubt the power of these Godly hymns to lift your spirits and bring you nearer the Throne of Grace, try singing them next time some hurt comes into your life – better still, sing them every morning and evening to make that place your abiding place in Christ.
