I was introduced to this hymn Thursday and want to share it with you.
Like a river glorious, is God’s perfect peace,
Over all victorious, in its bright increase;
Perfect, yet it floweth, fuller every day,
Perfect, yet it groweth, deeper all the way.
Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blest
Finding, as He promised, perfect peace and rest.
Hidden in the hollow of His blessed hand,
Never foe can follow, never traitor stand;
Not a surge of worry, not a shade of care,
Not a blast of hurry touch the spirit there.
Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blest
Finding, as He promised, perfect peace and rest.
Every joy or trial falleth from above,
Traced upon our dial by the Sun of Love;
We may trust Him fully all for us to do.
They who trust Him wholly find Him wholly true.
Finding, as He promised, perfect peace and rest....Charles Wesley
I'm hanging on this today. Maybe you know someone who could use it, too...
35 comments:
Z, Thanks for this find. I am sending it to my friend who was just diagnosed with breast cancer.
Z, this is a nice hymn.
Blessings.
That is a great hymn, Z. Do you know that Frances Ridley Havergal, the writer, was blind? She was friends with Fanny J. Crosby, another prolific hymn writer. Havergal was from England & Crosby from NY. Frances said that she wrote this hymn after a very real & special sense of God's nearness to her. I am sure glad she did, aren't you? Thanks for sharing it. It has long been one of may favorites. God Bless.
I can definitely use this today. So much stress right now in my life! And the author of the words to this old hymn -- Fanny Crosby -- endured a life of physical blindess. No wonder her many hymns have stood the test of time! Read about Fanny Crosby at Wiki. Look at all those hymn titles!
BTW, I found an organist playing an organ version of the hymn. Quite nice, though he's clearly not a virtuoso.
Would love to hear YOU sing this one Z ! Glad to know of it now. Thanks,
Matisse
I've sung this hymn since I was a small child. Thanks for the memory Z.
I like it too. I just looked it up. and it was France Havergal who wrote the words not Fanny Crosby.
The TUNE that goes with it is called WYE VALLEY. It was written by James Mountain (1844-1933)
Born: July 16, 1844, Leeds, Yorkshire, Eng land.
Died: June 27, 1933, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England.
James Mountain attended Gainford Academy near Darlington, Rotherham College, Nottingham Institute, and Cheshunt College. He then be came pastor at Great Marlow, Buckinghamshire. Leaving the clerical field because of ill health, he conducted evangelism campaigns in Britain (1874-1882) and world wide (1882-1889). His works include:
Hymns of Consecration and Faith, and Sacred Songs for Missions, Prayer and Praise Meetings, 1876
[NOTE from FT: The music that goes with this text is available on Google, but it is a MIDI (mechanical, electronic) performance, which does great injustice to the expressive possibilities of the tune.]
Thanks for posting this, Z. And thank you, David Wyatt, for filling us in on some of the background.
~ FreeThinke
Try some Al Green.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CslaDEc2PS8
Praying for you, Mr. Z and AoW today.
Amen
I'll say this: God is at work. Miracles happen. They saw it on the scan, but by today, NADA.
"Rejoice in the Lord..Again, I say Rejoice!" Rev 1:4. You BETCHA !!
It makes me SO happy that you appreciated these words ..I had never heard it.
Now I'm going RIGHT to Kevin's comment because here's a little secret:
Z HAS ALWAYS ADORED AL GREEN!
I'm SO SO hoping he's singing this song!
It's not the River hymn, but it's AL GREEN and he NEVER disappoints! And OH, is he young in these pics!!
That' a great one!
EB,
Thanks!
At least my back problems are down to a very dull roar.
Prayer changes things!
Free Thinke,
it was France Havergal who wrote the words not Fanny Crosby
My mistake.
I stand corrected.
Thank you.
AOW, hymnody has been a major interest of mine for many years. Fanny deserves a lot of credit for the good work she actually did, just not this particular set of words.
I'm still not sure, myself whether it Frances Havergal or Fanny Crosby who was blind.
Do you know?
I taught the blind for a number of years. They "see" with an "inner eye" sometimes in a way that's more penetrating than the physical eyesight most of us take for granted.
I guess that may be part of the idea that "to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord."
Best,
FreeThinke
FT,
Both Frances havergal & Fanny J. (her real name was Frances Jane) were blind. They were friends from across the sea (See myu earlier post). God Bless.
Z! So thankful to the Lord!! (Phil.4:4)
No Prob...AoW..it's what we do for each other...eh.
PTL..Z...Great News!
Thanks, Elbro! Everything's going well today, PTL!
The best hymns come from the 1800s.
Or is it just what us elders think?
Thank you, David. I should read more carefully.
~ FT
Hello, BB,
There are an awful lot of really good hymns that came in the 1700's. Many of them were based on tunes that are very ancient indeed.
Among them are O Sacred Head Now Wounded and A Might Fortress is Our God.
Best,
~ FT
I agree with you BB-I!
IMHO, I believe the best, richest hymns come from the 1700-1900 period. I am from the old school that believes that the 7 churches of Revelation chapters 2-3 roughly point to a panorama of church history, & the period of approximately 1700-1900 represents an era of spiritual revival in the church we may call the Philadelphia church age. Many poo-poo this concept, but I believe there is Scriptural as well as historical evidence to back it up. But enough of my ramblings! God Bless you Z!!
No problem FT. I do that often!
FT.."O Sacred Head Now Wounded" has been a Lenten song at my church. If our organist plays it 'that' slow ONE MORE TIME, it'll be HER head that's wounded. I almost went out the other night just so my blood pressure wouldn't rise too high in the frustration!
BB Idaho...you an ELDER? I think the 1800's were a grand time for hymns, too. MANY good writers.
I'm glad you're here tonight..come back soon.xx
David ,blessings to YOU, too! Good info here..I don't know about that period, but it's interesting.
I love A MIGHTY FORTRESS IS OUR GOD...Martin Luther's best, for sure. So many don't know he actually wrote music.
I might soon do a blog asking for favorite hymns..why not? What a joyous subject!!
Oh, please do, Z! I love Hymnody as well! Such a shame the church is losing its love for these wonderful hymns that give a great background for solid Christ-centered Biblical preaching!
well done z... but next time how about you post somebody singing these beautiful words!
This is one of my favorite hymns, right up there with "Great Is Thy Faithfulness." I don't know when I was first introduced to it.
The words are so affirming. Stayed upon Jehovah...that's where we should be always.
I saw this on Google Reader the other day, but it hadn't yhet appeared on your blog, and I couldn't comment then.
Beverly, I'm intimidated now!
I sometimes (rarely) publish a newly written post just to see how it shapes up because the actual post frequently doesn't shape up as it looked where I typed it...bugs me..so I'll publish quickly, then remove.
BUT, I hadn't realized that the minute it's published, it goes to the computers like that! Darn!
I've had people comment "Hey, where's that post on so and so?" GRRR!! Makes me feel badly!
Sorry!
GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS is a favorite or mine, too.
I love I NEED YOU EVERY HOUR lately...seems to be frequently in my head. Sometimes that happens when I've just learned a new one.
I love HOW GREAT THOU ART, sang it in church a few months ago...hard to get through!
Oh, Z! The final verse of "How Great Thou Art" always gets me! "When Christ shall come with shouts of acclamation...He'll take me Home...!!" Praise GOD! Then even the Obama years will seem like nothing in comparison! (Ro.8:18). God Bless.
Z, did you know that the Passion Chorale better known here as O Scared Head... started out life as a popular love song? The original words were something very like "My heart belongs to a fair young maiden..."
It was sung on the streets and in taverns long before it was heard in church.
It is formally identified by its German name Herzlich tut mich verlangen which means "My heart is full of longing."
Whether that longing is for the fair young maiden or for a closer relationship with the Holy Ghost I'm not prepared to say.
There have been many different settings of this tune. Bach wrote at least five different harmonizations interspersed among the larger movements of The Saint Matthew Passion. It's hard to say which is the most beautiful of the bunch. The differences among them may be subtle, but they are profound.
I was very fortunate to have had the experience of singing in the Saint Matthew Passion as a boy soprano --- exactly two-hundred-fiftty years ago. ;-) They even paid me for my services, can you imagine? I was nine, and the thrill of being part of something so much greater than myself has never left me.
Your organist may not be fully competent, if this music seems dreary to you. Genuine soul searching may not be a barrel of laughs, but it's is never dreary --- at least not in my experience.
~ FT
Trust me, FT, as much as I know I prefer things played a tad bit faster than most, she plays this one SO SLOWLY you'd jump out of your skin.
If she expects the congregation to sing, the very slow tempo is probably inappropriate. It's a whole different ball game if she is playing solo.
Didja ever listen to my variations on Herzlich Tut Mich Verlangen, Z? They really ARE VARIATIONS.
~ FT
FT..you're right about singing/vs solo.
Yes, we're supposed to sing..it's ridiculous that slow.
At Bible study, I play the piano and always have to remind the singer "Please, it's okay to sing that slowly when you're soloing but there are 150 women out there and we're used to singing it at a certain clip!"
You're an amazing pianist/organist, FT...variations are some of the most rewarding things to invent or play, in my opinion.....amazing!
I like to think I sing jazz variations..take the melody, hide it in another, etc..you know? But, I can't do what you do on the piano
You sing very well, Z, from the little I've heard. I wish I could hear more. I think you are better than you realize. Very good sound you have.
Your Moonlight In Vermont rivals Margaret Whiting's --- and she was considered really great.
you're better looking than she too. ;-)
XXXXXX,
UNHOO
Thanks, UNHOO..(!)
I do get a lot of good comments when I sing, that's for sure. A nice feeling.
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