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Special Hymns Edition
Sing Praises "S O I will sing praise to Thy name forever that I may pay my vows day by day" (Psalm 61:8 NASB).A heart full of gratitude and praise supplies the strength and inspiration to daily surrender our all. What greater privilege than to share our praises, knowing that we are encouraging one another in the daily challenges of our consecrated walk! This issue of the Herald is a collective effort to bring original hymns of praise to you. These hymns span a variety of styles and timeframes. They were composed by a variety of brethren ranging in age from mid twenties to early nineties. Many thanks for those willing to share their songs. Many thanks for those who were willing to arrange the music and typeset the music and lyrics on computer software, and for those who were willing to proofread. Most of all, all our gratitude goes to our Heavenly Father for the countless reasons He has given us to Praise. "I waited patiently for the L ORD; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay; and He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. And He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many will see and fear, and will trust in the LORD" (Psalm 40:1-3).Sing Anyway It was during the captivity in Babylon that Psalm 137 was written. The people of God had been uprooted from their land and their home by Nebuchadnezzar and forced to live in a foreign land, surrounded by heathen customs. Psalm 137 is a psalm of grief. "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion. Upon the willows in the midst of it we hung our harps. For there our captors demanded of us songs, and our tormentors mirth, saying, ‘Sing us one of the songs of Zion.’ How can we sing the L ORD’s song in a foreign land?" (Psalm 137:1-4).The people of God mourned by the waters of Babylon. Perhaps the River Euphrates, which ran straight through the city, reminded them of God’s deliverance though the Red Sea. This may have added to their despair because they saw no tangible way of escape being wrought by God. They felt so overwhelmed by the captivity that they hung up their harps. Sometimes we weep in the presence of the very means by which God will bring deliverance. And sometimes we are tempted to "hang our harps." But the waters of Babylon were soon to be diverted by theKing of Persia. The impenetrable walls of Babylonthat kept the people of God in captivity were easily overcome by Cyrus. "Thus says the L ORD to Cyrus His anointed, whom I have taken by the right hand, to subdue nations before him ... to open doors beforehim so that gates will not be shut; ‘I will go before you and make the rough places smooth; I will shatter the doors of bronze, and cut through their iron bars’ " (Isaiah 45:1-2).In whatever Babylon of challenge or captivity we may find ourselves, the Greater than Cyrus is at work. The bronze doors and iron bars are mere cobwebs to him, easily disposed with a swipe of His hand. We may be tempted to hang up our harps, to leave the songs of praise that God has given us unsung. But we must not give in to the pressures of grief when the exact means of deliverance is hidden from our eyes. The greater than Cyrus is at work! The twisted perspective and lies of Satan are like a strong wine. The wine of his perspective impels us to focus on the problem so thoroughly that we are not able to see the reality of the power of God and Christ in our lives. The wine of Satan’s lies will cause imbalance and poor judgment. The protection against this drunken state of mind is praise and gratitude. "Do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father" (Ephesians 5:18-20 NASB).We do not sing our song to appease our captors. We sing the L ORD’s song to honor and praise our God, despite our circumstances.We need to keep singing. And when the wisdom and means of our deliverance are hidden from our eyes we need to sing anyway! — Bro. Carl Hagensick |