Lord’s Day, Vol. 7 No. 51
(1) Daily Devotion
Dear brethren, how has your devotional life been in the past year? Are you making progress in your Quiet Time? How have you been doing in reading through the Bible in a year? We are coming to the end of the year of grace 2019. And we are also coming to the close of the decade. It is a good time to take stock of our spiritual life and seek the Lord to grant His grace for the new year and the new decade before us!
Here is an extract from Andrew Murray’s Devotional Bible entitled “GOD IS GREAT” for your edification if you have not already read it:
Psalm 86:10 For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone.
Men and women of science, in studying nature, require years of labour to grasp the magnitude of the universe. Isn’t God more glorious and worthy? And shouldn’t we take the time to know and adore His greatness?
Our knowledge of God’s greatness is so superficial. We do not allow ourselves time to bow before Him. Therefore we do not come under the deep impression of incomprehensible majesty and glory.
Meditate on the following text until you are filled with some sense of what a glorious Being God is: “God is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable” (Psalm 145:3).
Take time for the meaning of these words to master your heart. Then bow in speechless adoration before God and say, “Ah, LORD GOD! … there is nothing too hard for thee … the Great, the Mighty God, the LORD of hosts, is His Name, great in counsel, and mighty in work” (Jeremiah 32:17-19). And hear God’s answer: “I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for me?” (verse 27).
The true comprehension of God’s greatness will take time. But if our faith grows strong in the knowledge of what a great and powerful God we have, we will be compelled to worship before this great and mighty God.”
May the truth of God’s presence, power, purpose bless our hearts. Amen.
(2) For the Beauty of the Earth – Hymn Story
For the Beauty of the Earth
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)
Christ of God, to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise.
For the wonder of each hour
Of the day and of the night,
Hill and vale, and tree and flow’r,
Sun and moon, and stars of light:
For the joy of human love,
Brother, sister, parent, child,
Friends on earth and friends above,
For all gentle thoughts and mild:
For Thy Church that evermore
Lifteth holy hands above,
Off’ring up on ev’ry shore
Her pure sacrifice of love:
This hymn expresses in fine literary style many of the blessings of life so commonly taken for granted and then directs our “grateful praise” to God, the giver of every good and perfect gift. The author, Folliott S. Pierpoint, begins by reminding us of all the physical beauties of the world – the sun, the flowers, and shining stars. He then reminds us of the social joys of friends and home – those relationships that during such enriching dimensions to life. Above all, however, he gives thanks for the ministry of the church. God’s ordained agency for accomplishing divine purposes in this world.
When he was about twenty-nine years of age, Pierpoint wrote this text in the late spring of the year while he was enjoying his native city, Bath, England. He was entranced by the beautiful countryside with its winding river, Avon, in the distance. As his heart welled up with emotion, he expressed with his pen the feelings of gratitude that were within him.
This hymn first appeared in a collection of poems published in 1864.
It was entitled “The Sacrifice of Praise.” It consisted of eight six-line stanzas of which four are omitted in some hymnals. An interesting not included in most hymnals give thanks for God Himself, who has made all of the joys and beauties of life possible:
For Thyself, best Gift Divine! To our race so freely given;
For that great, great love of Thine, peace on earth, and joy in heaven:
Lord of all, to Thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise.
Little is known about the author of this text. Although he published seven volumes of poems and hymn texts, many of them showing his love for nature, he is best remembered for this one beautiful hymn.
The tune name “Dix” came from the association of this melody with William’s Dix’s hymn “As With Gladness of God.” Its composer, Conrad Kocher, was born in Wuttëmberg in 1786 and became an important musician and reformer of German church music. The tune produces very interesting effects with this text, because of the antiphonal or answering structures of the music. It has phrases which balance each other, so that one group in the congregation can sing the first couplet, while another group in the congregation can sing the second, with all of the voices joining to bring out the joyful strength of the refrain.
“For the Beauty of the Earth” was first written for use at a communion service of the church but has since become one of the favourite hymns during the thanksgiving season. It has also proven to be a favourite hymn for children.
[Extracted and edited from 101 Hymn Stories by Kenneth W. Osbeck]
Yours lovingly,
Pastor Lek Aik Wee