The classic hymn, How Great Thou Art!, has long been many people’s favorite.  It has been performed by choirs and popular musicians alike.  Today I offer you two links–the cyber-hymnal as usual–and the version performed at the Academy of Country Music Awards with Carrie Underwood and Vince Gill. 

(note: I left the link above which does not work because FB’s metaverse for How Great Thou Art says it has been removed for repetitive content.  What a world.  Try this link for Carrie Underwood and Vince Gill singing the repetitive How Great Thou Art…because God is just that great and we can’t say it or sing it enough!)

O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed:

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Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to thee:
How great thou art! How great thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to thee:
How great thou art! How great thou art!

When through the woods and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees,
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur,
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze:

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And when I think that God, his Son not sparing,
Sent him to die, I scarce can take it in,
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.

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When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration,
And there proclaim, My God, how great thou art!

This hymn, Praise the Lord, God’s Glories Show, is a tutorial on praise.  If you’re ever stuck in a rut, trying to think about new ideas for praise, this is a great start!  Click here to listen.

Praise the Lord, God’s glories show, Alleluia! Saints within God’s courts below, Alleluia! Angels round the throne above, Alleluia! All that see and share God’s love, Alleluia!

Earth to Heaven and Heaven to earth, Alleluia! Tell the wonders, sing God’s worth, Alleluia! Age to age and shore to shore, Alleluia! Praise God, praise forevermore! Alleluia!

Praise the Lord, great mercies trace, Alleluia! Praise His providence and grace, Alleluia! All that God for us has done, Alleluia! All God sends us through the Son. Alleluia!

Strings and voices, hands and hearts, Alleluia! In the concert bear your parts, Alleluia! All that breathe, your Lord adore, Alleluia! Praise Him, praise Him evermore!

In 1873, Annie Hawks penned the words of the hymn “I Need Thee Every Hour.”  About the inspiration for this hymn she wrote:

One day as a young wife and mo­ther of 37 years of age, I was bu­sy with my reg­u­lar house­hold tasks. Sud­den­ly, I be­came so filled with the sense of near­ness to the Mast­er that, won­der­ing how one could live with­out Him, ei­ther in joy or pain, these words, “I Need Thee Ev­e­ry Hour,” were ush­ered in­to my mind, the thought at once tak­ing full pos­sess­ion of me.

This is special encouragement for women who do the important work of being wives and mothers as it demonstrates that the work we do can bring glory to God.  We have a great privilege to be near to God every moment of every hour.

I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord; No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.

Refrain  I need Thee, O I need Thee; Every hour I need Thee; O bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee.

I need Thee every hour, stay Thou nearby; Temptations lose their power when Thou art nigh.

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I need Thee every hour, in joy or pain; Come quickly and abide, or life is in vain.

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I need Thee every hour; teach me Thy will; And Thy rich promises in me fulfill.

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I need Thee every hour, most Holy One; O make me Thine indeed, Thou blessèd Son.

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Here’s another hymn rich with theology:  Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.

You can listen here…or click this link if you’ve ever wondered what it means to “raise my Ebenezer.”

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing, Tune my heart to sing Thy grace; Streams of mercy, never ceasing, Call for songs of loudest praise. Teach me some melodious sonnet, Sung by flaming tongues above. Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it, Mount of Thy redeeming love.

Sorrowing I shall be in spirit, Till released from flesh and sin, Yet from what I do inherit, Here Thy praises I’ll begin; Here I raise my Ebenezer; Here by Thy great help I’ve come; And I hope, by Thy good pleasure, Safely to arrive at home.

Jesus sought me when a stranger, Wandering from the fold of God; He, to rescue me from danger, Interposed His precious blood; How His kindness yet pursues me Mortal tongue can never tell, Clothed in flesh, till death shall loose me I cannot proclaim it well.

O to grace how great a debtor Daily I’m constrained to be! Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, Bind my wandering heart to Thee. Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love; Here’s my heart, O take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above.

O that day when freed from sinning, I shall see Thy lovely face; Clothed then in blood washed linen How I’ll sing Thy sovereign grace; Come, my Lord, no longer tarry, Take my ransomed soul away; Send thine angels now to carry Me to realms of endless day.

Today is always a good day to be of the same mind as Jesus.

Philippians 2:1 If therefore there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. 3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Here is a hymn that expresses that sentiment well:  May the Mind of Christ, My Savior.  Click to listen on the cyber-hymnal

May the mind of Christ, my Savior, Live in me from day to day, By His love and power controlling All I do and say.

May the Word of God dwell richly In my heart from hour to hour, So that all may see I triumph Only through His power.

May the peace of God my Father Rule my life in everything, That I may be calm to comfort Sick and sorrowing.

May the love of Jesus fill me As the waters fill the sea; Him exalting, self abasing, This is victory.

May I run the race before me, Strong and brave to face the foe, Looking only unto Jesus As I onward go.

May His beauty rest upon me, As I seek the lost to win, And may they forget the channel, Seeing only Him.

If I had to pick one hymn–and only one–to last me the rest of my life, it would be this one.  Holy, Holy, Holy.  In case you’d like to listen as you read the words, please click here to hear it on the cyber-hymnal.  While I know the music isn’t the higher quality that you might hear on YouTube, I do like that the cyber-hymnal contains information on the hymn itself.  Enjoy!

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee; Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty! God in three Persons, blessèd Trinity!

Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee, Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea; Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee, Who was, and is, and evermore shall be.

Holy, holy, holy! though the darkness hide Thee, Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see; Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee, Perfect in power, in love, and purity.

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! All Thy works shall praise Thy Name, in earth, and sky, and sea; Holy, holy, holy; merciful and mighty! God in three Persons, blessèd Trinity!

Praise is good for the soul.  He is our Creator and This is My Father’s World!  Click here to listen on the cyber-hymnal.

This is my Father’s world, and to my listening ears All nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres. This is my Father’s world: I rest me in the thought Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas; His hand the wonders wrought.

This is my Father’s world, the birds their carols raise, The morning light, the lily white, declare their Maker’s praise. This is my Father’s world: He shines in all that’s fair; In the rustling grass I hear Him pass; He speaks to me everywhere.

This is my Father’s world. O let me ne’er forget That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet. This is my Father’s world: the battle is not done: Jesus Who died shall be satisfied, And earth and Heav’n be one.

This is my Father’s world, dreaming, I see His face. I ope my eyes, and in glad surprise cry, “The Lord is in this place.” This is my Father’s world, from the shining courts above, The Beloved One, His Only Son, Came—a pledge of deathless love.

This is my Father’s world, should my heart be ever sad? The lord is King—let the heavens ring. God reigns—let the earth be glad. This is my Father’s world. Now closer to Heaven bound, For dear to God is the earth Christ trod. No place but is holy ground.

This is my Father’s world. I walk a desert lone. In a bush ablaze to my wondering gaze God makes His glory known. This is my Father’s world, a wanderer I may roam Whate’er my lot, it matters not, My heart is still at home.

Another hymn to start your day.  Few things can brighten a heavy heart as well as can hymns of praise to Our God and King.  Click  the link to listen to All Creatures of Our God and King in the cyber-hymnal as you enjoy the lyrics below.

All creatures of our God and King Lift up your voice and with us sing, Alleluia! Alleluia! Thou burning sun with golden beam, Thou silver moon with softer gleam!

Refrain:  O praise Him! O praise Him! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Thou rushing wind that art so strong Ye clouds that sail in Heaven along, O praise Him! Alleluia! Thou rising moon, in praise rejoice, Ye lights of evening, find a voice!

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Thou flowing water, pure and clear, Make music for thy Lord to hear, O praise Him! Alleluia! Thou fire so masterful and bright, That givest man both warmth and light.

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Dear mother earth, who day by day Unfoldest blessings on our way, O praise Him! Alleluia! The flowers and fruits that in thee grow, Let them His glory also show.

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And all ye men of tender heart, Forgiving others, take your part, O sing ye! Alleluia! Ye who long pain and sorrow bear, Praise God and on Him cast your care!

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And thou most kind and gentle Death, Waiting to hush our latest breath, O praise Him! Alleluia! Thou leadest home the child of God, And Christ our Lord the way hath trod.

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Let all things their Creator bless, And worship Him in humbleness, O praise Him! Alleluia! Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son, And praise the Spirit, Three in One!

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More hymns today.  I am trying desperately to counteract the serious mood I’m in.  Enjoy Blest Be the Tie That Binds (words below) and click here if you’d like to hear it on the cyber-hymnal.

Blest be the tie that binds

Our hearts in Christian love;

The fellowship of kindred minds

Is like to that above.

Before our Father’s throne

We pour our ardent prayers;

Our fears, our hopes, our aims are one

Our comforts and our cares.

We share each other’s woes,

Our mutual burdens bear;

And often for each other flows

The sympathizing tear.

When we asunder part,

It gives us inward pain;

But we shall still be joined in heart,

And hope to meet again.

This glorious hope revives

Our courage by the way;

While each in expectation lives,

And longs to see the day.

From sorrow, toil and pain,

And sin, we shall be free,

And perfect love and friendship reign

Through all eternity.

Today, I need the refreshment that hymns can bring.  Read the lyrics below and click this link if you’d like to listen to the hymn For the Beauty of the Earth from the cyber-hymnal.

For the beauty of the earth For the glory of the skies, For the love which from our birth Over and around us lies.

Refrain:  Lord of all, to Thee we raise, This our hymn of grateful praise.

For the beauty of each hour, Of the day and of the night, Hill and vale, and tree and flower, Sun and moon, and stars of light.

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For the joy of ear and eye, For the heart and mind’s delight, For the mystic harmony Linking sense to sound and sight.

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For the joy of human love, Brother, sister, parent, child, Friends on earth and friends above, For all gentle thoughts and mild.

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For Thy Church, that evermore Lifteth holy hands above, Offering up on every shore Her pure sacrifice of love.

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For the martyrs’ crown of light, For Thy prophets’ eagle eye, For Thy bold confessors’ might, For the lips of infancy.

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For Thy virgins’ robes of snow, For Thy maiden mother mild, For Thyself, with hearts aglow, Jesu, Victim undefiled.

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For each perfect gift of Thine, To our race so freely given, Graces human and divine, Flowers of earth and buds of Heaven.

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