Thu, 09 Apr 2026 18:55:39 -0700WeeblyWed, 08 Apr 2026 17:07:53 GMThttps://www.oakcrestbaptist.com/musical-notes/musical-notes5916944Hello OCBC family,
​
“8 He will swallow up death forever,
And the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces;
The rebuke of His people
He will take away from all the earth;
For the Lord has spoken.” (Isaiah 25:8).

Last Sunday was a wonderful time celebrating our Savior, that one that was dead but now is alive forevermore, and while I was studying a lovely hymn, “Thine Is the Glory”, I learned that this hymn used Isaiah 25:8 as its basis. Paul used this passage in 1 Corinthians 15:54 to say that this passage is fulfilled in the resurrection of the believers, but we will resurrect because our Savior was the first-fruit of those who have fallen asleep.

The author of this hymn is Edmond Louis Budry (1854–1932), a Swiss Protestant pastor and hymn writer. He went to the Lausanne  seminary, and served for over thirty-five years at his church, Free Church in Vevey, until his retirement. He became popular for his translation works, translating hymns from German, English, and Latin. In fact, he wrote this hymn, “Thine Is the Glory”, in French. The version that we sing in English was made by Richard Birch Hoyle, an English Baptist minister.

“Thine is the glory, Risen, conq'ring Son;
Endless is the victo'ry Thou o'er death hath won.
Angels in bright raiment Rolled the stone away,
Kept the folded grave-clothes Where Thy body lay.”

The hymn clearly has a message about the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, nevertheless, this hymn became popular for weddings and even funerals, perhaps because the lyrics are simple, powerful, and celebratory. And the majesty of the melody.

The melody is by George Frederick Handel, the famous German-British composer, the same one who wrote the “Hallelujah Chorus” from Messiah. The melody of this hymn comes from another of his oratorios, “Judas Maccabeaus.” In his original work, Handel uses this melody to celebrate the victory of this hero. Now, with the lyrics of Budry, we can celebrate our hero, the one that conquered death, Jesus Christ.

“Lo! Jesus meets us, Risen from the tomb;
Lovingly He greets us, Scatters fear and gloom,
Let His church with gladness Hymns of triumph sing,
For her Lord now liveth; Death hath lost its sting.”

And one more theme that this hymn points to, the assurance of eternal life of the believers.

“No more we doubt Thee, Glorious Prince of life!
Life is naught without Thee; Aide us in our strife,
Make us more than conq'rors, Thro' Thy deathless love:
Bring us safe thro' Jordon To Thy home above.”

Paul tells us, “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” (Romans 9:37).

Last Sunday was Easter Sunday, but as believers we must celebrate Resurrection Day every day, because our Redeemer lives.

“Thine is the glory, risen, conq'ring Son;
Endless is the vict'ry Thou o'er death hath won.”

In His service,
Israel
]]>Wed, 01 Apr 2026 16:00:00 GMThttps://www.oakcrestbaptist.com/musical-notes/musical-notes2706089Hello OCBC family,

“3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:3-5).

This passage is one of my favorites to read during this time of the year, remembering the death of my Savior, the Christ, the Messiah, the Suffering Servant. This passage, this prophecy teaches us about a powerful doctrine, the doctrine of substitution. Christ died in our place. The Servant suffered not for His own sin, because He is sinless, but he is the substitute for sinners. These verses are the basis of the hymn “Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted.”

“Stricken, smitten, and afflicted,
see Him dying on the tree!
'Tis the Christ by man rejected;
yes, my soul, 'tis He, 'tis He!
'Tis the long-expected Prophet,
David's Son, yet David's Lord;
by His Son God now has spoken;
'tis the true and faithful Word.”

The author of this hymn was an Irish clergyman, Thomas Kelly, born on July 13, 1769, Dublin, Ireland. He was, also an evangelical preacher and hymn writer. Because of his earnest preaching, the Archbishop of Ireland prohibited him to preach in the city. His sermons were about salvation by faith, and that is why the religious authorities were against him. He had to look for independent chapels so he could continue with his ministry.

“Ye who think of sin but lightly,
nor suppose the evil great,
here may view its nature rightly,
here its guilt may estimate.
Mark the sacrifice appointed;
see who bears the awful load;
'tis the Word, the Lord's Anointed,
Son of Man and Son of God.”

Being a clergyman, a pastor, a theologian, he was able to write several hymns with a deep theology, like this one. Thomas Kelly in this hymn, teaches us about Christ’s suffering, Substitutionary Atonement, Human Sinfulness, and a Call to reflection and repentance.

The melody, in a minor key, is a very somber and meditative one, which reinforces the gravity of the text. With the connection of the lyrics and the melody, this hymn sound like a funeral tune, which is not far from the truth, because with this hymn we remember the death of our Lord.

“Here we have a firm foundation,
here the refuge of the lost:
Christ the Rock of our salvation,
His the name of which we boast.
Lamb of God, for sinners wounded,
Sacrifice to cancel guilt!
None shall ever be confounded
who on Him their hope have built.”

Please, use this hymn as a meditation during your quiet time, and think about the sacrifice of our Savior on the cross for our sins.
​
In His service,
Israel
]]>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 16:09:35 GMThttps://www.oakcrestbaptist.com/musical-notes/musical-notes5381306Hello OCBC family,
“One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.” (Psalm 27:4).

This verse is part of the lovely Psalm 27 by David, and the whole psalm is an exuberant declaration of faith. David knows that the Lord is his only salvation and defender, and because of that he said in verse 4, “to behold the beauty of the Lord.” The key point of this verse is that David has one desire, one goal, one ambition, to live in God’s presence and by His purpose.

Because of this phrase, “the beauty of the Lord,” a lovely hymn was created, “Fairest Lord Jesus.” This is a beloved hymn that has a powerful message with a lovely melody, very easy to learn and to follow. But its origin is obscure. We know that this hymn came from a German Roman Catholic Jesuit collection and originally had six stanzas. This hymn is dated in 1677, but some people say that this hymn existed fifteen years earlier. Who wrote this hymn? Nobody knows. But this is very appropriate that no human author draws attention from the great theme of this song, Jesus the Savior who is more beautiful that anything.

“Fairest Lord Jesus,
Ruler of all nature,
O Thou of God and man the Son;
Thee will I cherish,
Thee will I honor,
Thou, my soul's glory, joy, and crown.”

This hymn emphasizes the beauty and wonder of Christ, and it alludes to His dual nature, that He was both human and divine, God made flesh, the God-Man.

The lyrics of this hymn remind us of the words by John Chrysostom, in a sermon in the fourth century. He said, “I do not think of Christ as God alone, or man alone, but both together. For I know He was hungry, and I know that with five loaves He fed five thousand. I know He was thirsty, and I know that He turned the water into wine. I know He was carried in a ship, and I know that He walked on the sea. I know that He died, and I know that He raised the dead. I know that He was set before Pilate, and I know that He sits with the Father on His throne. I know that He was worshiped by angels, and I know that He was stoned by the Jews. And truly some of these I ascribe to the human, and others to the divine nature. For by reason of this He is said to have been both God and man.”

Please, use this hymn as a tool for your worship time, alone or with other saints, and praise the name of Jesus, who is a “Beautiful Savior.”

“Beautiful Savior,
Lord of all nations,
Son of God and Son of man!
Glory and honor,
Praise, adoration,
Now and forevermore be Thine!”
​
In His service,
Israel
]]>Wed, 18 Mar 2026 16:33:39 GMThttps://www.oakcrestbaptist.com/musical-notes/musical-notes9866531Hello OCBC family,
“And they sang a new song, saying:
‘You are worthy to take the scroll,
And to open its seals;
For You were slain,
And have redeemed us to God by Your blood
Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
And have made us kings and priests to our God;
And we shall reign on the earth.’” (Revelation 5:9-10).

What a powerful image we can find in this passage of the book of Revelation. We must pay attention to the phrase, “And have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation” which is the fulfilling of the promise that God made to Abrham of a blessing to all nations. But this promise became a reality just through the merit and power of Christ’s sacrifice. And this is the last phrase of the hymn “Let Us Love and Sing and Wonder.”

This is a wonderful hymn rich in theology that celebrates salvation through Christ with both joy and reflection. And the author is the well-known pastor and former slave trader John Newton, and if you remember well, he wrote also “Amazing Grace.” This hymn was part of a collection of hymns that he created while he was serving as a pastor in Onley, England, in collaboration with his dear friend, William Cowper.

The opening of the hymn is an explosion of praises and wonder for the perfect sacrifice of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

“Let us love and sing and wonder,
Let us praise the Savior’s name!
He has hushed the law’s loud thunder,
He has quenched Mount Sinai’s flame.
He has washed us with His blood,
He has brought us nigh to God.”

Also, we can read in this hymn the message of Newton about assurance of salvation. Read the third stanza.

“Let us sing, though fierce temptation
Threaten hard to bear us down!
For the Lord, our strong salvation,
Holds in view the conqueror’s crown:
He who washed us with His blood
Soon will bring us home to God.”

One thing that we can see in the words of Newton is that he combines very well emotions with deep theology, which means that you will learn sound doctrine while enjoying the hymn at the same time, for God’s glory.

Now, to close this article, let us go back to the passage of the book of Revelation, and read the last stanza of John Newton’s hymn.

“Let us praise, and join the chorus
Of the saints enthroned on high;
Here they trusted Him before us,
Now their praises fill the sky:
“Thou hast washed us with Your blood;
Thou art worthy, Lamb of God!”
​
In His service,
Israel
]]>Wed, 11 Mar 2026 16:07:12 GMThttps://www.oakcrestbaptist.com/musical-notes/musical-notes6460394Hello OCBC family,
“Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, ‘We never saw anything like this!’” (Mark 2:12). 

This verse is the conclusion of this marvelous story about Jesus healing a paralytic man. If you know this passage very well, we see Jesus forgiving the sins of the paralytic man before to perform the miracle of making him walk. What we can learn from this passage is that Jesus, God in flesh, is able to forgive sins and heal those who are sick. And what was the paralytic’s response to Jesus’ command? “He arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all.”

Now, this is the phrase that will call our attention, and especially to Charles H. Gabriel, “all were amazed and glorified God.”

“I stand amazed in the presence
Of Jesus the Nazarene,
And wonder how He could love me,
A sinner, condemned, unclean.”

Charles H. Gabriel wrote these lyrics. He was a prolific American composer, and he composed over a thousand hymns and several songbooks to be used during revival meetings. This hymn, “I Stand Amazed in the Presence” or “My Savior’s Love” has a powerful message, because Grabiel’s aim was to share the powerful message of Jesus’ sacrificial death for the sinners.

On the second stanza, Gabriel shares the time that our Lord experience agony in the garden of Gethsemane, and he also makes this passage very personal, “for me.”

“For me it was in the garden
He prayed: Not My will, but Thine.
He had no tears for His own griefs,
But sweat drops of blood for mine.”

Then, the author in the fourth stanza tells us about the crucifixion, and the mystery of the wonderful act of mercy from God to sinners. And, again, Gabriel made it very personal.

“He took my sins and my sorrows,
He made them His very own;
He bore the burden to Calvary,
And suffered and died alone.”

But Gabriel doesn’t leave our Savior dead and alone in the tomb, he finished the hymn with our Lord alive and returning from heaven, and we, believers, will be in his presence for eternity.

“When with the ransomed in glory
His face I at last shall see,
’Twill be my joy through the ages
To sing of His love for me.”

This hymn might not have the deep theology as “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” by Isaac Watts, or “And Can It be” by Charles Wesley, but it has a powerful message and make us want to shout,

“O how marvelous! O how wonderful!
And my song shall ever be:
O how marvelous! O how wonderful!
Is my Savior’s love for me!”
​
In His service,
Israel
]]>Wed, 04 Mar 2026 17:23:13 GMThttps://www.oakcrestbaptist.com/musical-notes/musical-notes5866734Hello OCBC family,
“Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, ‘Thus far the Lord has helped us.’” (1 Samuel 7:12).

In this passage, we see that Samuel set a rock as a memorial for what the Lord did against Israel’s enemies, the Philistines. The Lord, and He alone, was able to deliver His people. If you read the previous verses, you can see that it was God who scared the Philistines, they fled from God’s presence, and just after that, the brave men of Israel were able to defeat their enemy. Then, we see this wonderful act of worship performed by Samuel, setting this stone, so people will remember God’s help for His children. Now, what does Ebenezer mean? Simple, “rock of help.”

The Lord has been faithful to us, as well, therefore, we can have our own “Ebenezer,” memories when we had a hard time and the Lord helped us and delivered us from our enemies. Ebenezer can be the perfect Word of God, because we can find in it the help that we need for our daily tasks. Even more, Jesus himself is our “Ebenezer.” He is our “Stone of help.”

This verse is the basis for the hymn, “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” The author was Robert Robinson. Robinson had a rough beginning. His father died when Robert was very young and his mother sent him to London to learn barbering, but instead, he learned to drink and be part of a gang. But, God had a different plan for this young man, and he was able to listen to George Whitefield in one of his evangelistic meetings. On that night, Whitefield was preaching form Matthew 3:7, “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, ‘Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?’” And Whitefield exclaimed, “Oh, my hearers! The wrath to come! The wrath to come!”

Robert knew that Whitefield was preaching to him, but this journey took three years, and on December 10, 1755, he repented and gave his life to Jesus.

Robert soon entered the ministry, and while serving at a Calvinist Methodist Chapel in Norfolk, he wrote a hymn for his sermon on Pentecost Sunday. The name of this hymn, “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.”

“Come, Thou Fount of ev'ry 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.”

The second verse is where Robinson quoted 1 Samuel’s passage.

“Here I raise mine Ebenezer;
Hither by Thy help I'm come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home:
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wand'ring from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.”

I must share with you all that in the hymnal that we use at OCBC, the second stanza wording is different, at least the first half.

“Hitherto thy love has blessed me,
thou hast drawn me to this place;
and I know thy hand will lead me
safely home by thy good grace.”

This is the reason, when we sing this lovely hymn, we keep the original lyrics on the screen.

Returning to the life of Robert Robinson, we know that sadly, later in life, he wandered from his faith. By God’s providence, Robert was traveling in a stage coach with a young lady as his companion. Suddenly, she started to share with him what a blessing had been for her a hymn called, “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” She asked him what his thought about this hymn were, and Robert said to her, “Madam, I am the poor unhappy man who wrote that hymn many years ago, and I would give a thousand worlds, if I had them, to enjoy the feelings I had then.” Then, she answered him, “Sir, the ‘streams of mercy’ are still flowing.” After this encounter, he repented and returned to ministry.

Robert passed away peacefully at the age of 54.

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

Please, sing this hymn, use it as a prayer, learn from it and remember your Ebenezer.
​
In His service,
Israel
]]>Wed, 25 Feb 2026 18:44:43 GMThttps://www.oakcrestbaptist.com/musical-notes/musical-notes9878316Hello OCBC family,
“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation” (Isaiah 12:2)

This passage is part of a song of worship by Isaiah, a passage that points out that God is our salvation, therefore we can trust in Him, even during difficult times. As a musician, this passage gives me some words of encouragement, because Isaiah says that Lord Jehovah is my (our) strength but also my (our) song. Therefore, when we sing praises to the Lord, we say that he is our strength and our salvation. This is a wonderful picture of the joy of the people when Jesus comes to reign over the earth. And this passage is the basis for the hymn that we sang last week, “I Greet Thee Who My Sure Redeemer Art.”

“I greet Thee, who my sure Redeemer art,
my only trust and Savior of my heart,
who pain didst undergo for my poor sake;
I pray Thee from our hearts all cares to take.”

This loved hymn has a deep theology, and the author is putting all his trust in the Lord alone. But, who wrote this hymn? For many years, hymnologists thought that this hymn was written by John Calvin, but it is not true. The connection of the French theologian with this hymn is because it became very popular in the Genevan Psalter created in 1551, but the hymn itself was written in 1545.

“Thou art the King of mercy and of grace,
reigning omnipotent in every place:
so come, O King, and our whole being sway;
shine on us with the light of thy pure day.”

The lyrics that we sing in our worship services were written by Elizabeth L. Smith, born in 1817, daughter of Dr. W. Allen, President of Dartmouth University. Then she married in 1843 to Dr. H. B. Smith, who became Professor in Union Theological Seminary, New York, in 1850. She translated many hymns into English.

“Thou art the Life, by which alone we live,
and all our substance and our strength receive;
O comfort us in death's approaching hour,
strong-hearted then to face it by Thy pow'r.”

The tune is a very easy tune to sing, and it was originally used to sing a meter version of Psalm 124. The name of the tune is Toulon. The composer was Louis Bourgeois, a French musician that wrote many melodies for the Genevan Psalter.

“Thou hast the true and perfect gentleness,
no harshness hast Thou and no bitterness:
make us to taste the sweet grace found in Thee
and ever stay in Thy sweet unity.”

Let me share with you the words of Paul from Galatians 1:4, “Who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.”

“Our hope is in no other save in Thee;
our faith is built upon Thy promise free;
O grant to us such stronger hope and sure
that we can boldly conquer and endure.”

Trust in the Lord, dear brother and sister, don’t be afraid, he is your strength, your song, and your salvation.
​
In His service,
Israel
]]>Wed, 11 Feb 2026 17:24:42 GMThttps://www.oakcrestbaptist.com/musical-notes/musical-notes1130500Hello OCBC family,
“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20).

In this passage, we see our position during the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ and the result of this. God looks at us as if we had died with Christ, and because our sins die with him, we are no longer in condemnation. We became one with Christ. We were dead in our sins, but now we are alive in Him. What a wonderful message for us. Nevertheless, we must crucify our sinful desires daily and follow our Master.

This is the message of this modern hymn, “My Worth Is Not in What I Own.”

“My worth is not in what I own,
Not in the strength of flesh and bone.
But in the costly wounds of love
At the cross.

My worth is not in skill or name,
In win or lose, in pride or shame,
But in the blood of Christ that flowed
At the cross.”

This hymn was written as response to the contemporary culture that we are living in right now. Our modern society thinks that fame and strength of flesh are the purpose of life. But for the believers, our strength is in Christ alone.

The authors of this hymn are the Gettys, Keith and Kristyn, modern hymn writers, and their close friend, Graham Kendrick. The Gettys are from the United Kingdom, and even though we are living in a time where Christian music has poor theology, the Gettys have worked hard to prepare modern hymns with sound doctrine, and today’s hymn is the proof of that.

“As summer flowers, we fade and die;
Fame, youth, and beauty hurry by,
But life eternal calls to us
At the cross.

I will not boast in wealth or might,
Or human wisdom's fleeting light,
But I will boast in knowing Christ
At the cross.”

The Gettys, in their new hymnal “Sing”, say this about their own hymn. “This hymn sets our focus on the cross as the place where we understand our full identity and value. It uniquely helps us to join the dots between the gospel and our time, talents, and treasure.”

“Two wonders here that I confess;
My worth and my unworthiness,
My value fixed, my ransom paid
At the cross.

I rejoice in my Redeemer,
Greatest treasure, wellspring of my soul.
I will trust in Him, no other;
My soul is satisfied in Him alone.”

Let the words of the apostle Paul echo in your own lives. “And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” (Romans 8:10).
​
In His service,
Israel
 
]]>Wed, 04 Feb 2026 17:46:21 GMThttps://www.oakcrestbaptist.com/musical-notes/musical-notes4010582Hello OCBC family,
“Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! While I live I will praise the LORD; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.” (Psalm 146:1-2).

This wonderful Psalm is part of the last five Psalms of the Psalter, and the mark of these five psalms is that each one begins and end with the phrase, “Praise the Lord” (Hallelujah). This is an anonymous psalm, but some scholars believed that David was the author, and the reason is because on Psalm 103, which is by David, used almost the same words at opening, “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name.” (Psalm 103:1). The psalmist is encouraging to the people of Israel to don’t trust in princes but in the Lord, and this is a message for our own time. We must trust in the Lord during hard times and not on something else. Why? Because “the LORD will reign forever.” (v. 10).

This message from the psalm is the same message of the hymn of the blind author Fanny Crosby, “Praise Him! Praise Him!”

“Praise Him! praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
Sing, O earth, His wonderful love proclaim!
Hail Him! hail Him! highest archangels in glory,
Strength and honor give to His holy name!
Like a shepherd, Jesus will guard His children;
In His arms He carries them all day long:
Praise Him! praise Him! tell of His excellent greatness!
Praise Him! praise Him! ever in joyful song!”

Fanny Crosby was very popular in her time because she was a very prolific poet and hymn writer. She was always writing a new poem or hymn for her personal collection or for some songbooks. This hymn, for example, was written for a children songbook. Pay attention to the lyrics, that even thought this hymn was written for children, it has a sound doctrine.

“Praise Him! praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
For our sins, He suffered and bled and died;
He our Rock, our hope of eternal salvation,
Hail Him! hail Him! Jesus the crucified:
Sound His praises! Jesus who bore our sorrows,
Love unbounded, wonderful, deep, and strong
Praise Him! praise Him! tell of His excellent greatness!
Praise Him! praise Him! ever in joyful song!”

Perhaps you heard me in the past saying this about Fanny Crosby, but she wrote over eight thousand hymns.

The melody of this hymn is called “Joyful Song” by Chester G. Allen, a music educator and a publisher of several songbooks for Sunday school material.

“Praise Him! praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
Heav'nly portals loud with hosannas ring!
Jesus, Savior, reigneth forever and ever;
Crown Him! crown Him! prophet and priest and King!
Christ is coming, over the world victorious,
Pow'r and glory unto the Lord belong:
Praise Him! praise Him! tell of His excellent greatness!
Praise Him! praise Him! ever in joyful song!”

Trust in the Lord always and sing a joyful song for his glory.

“Praise the LORD.” (Psalm 146:10b).
​
In His service,
Israel
]]>Wed, 28 Jan 2026 21:12:49 GMThttps://www.oakcrestbaptist.com/musical-notes/musical-notes6140525Hello OCBC family,
“Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9).

What a powerful passage and wonderful promise that God made to Joshua, and it can be applied to our own lives. The Lord is always with us, during good times and hard times; his presence is always near so we can face any situation, and this was the message that Harry Emerson Fosdick shared with us through his hymn “God of Grace and God of Glory.”

“God of grace and God of glory,
on Thy people pour Thy pow'r;
crown Thine ancient church's story,
bring her bud to glorious flow'r.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
for the facing of this hour,
for the facing of this hour.”

Fosdick was a pastor in the early twentieth century, at­tend­ed Col­gate Un­i­ver­si­ty, Un­ion The­o­lo­gic­al Sem­in­a­ry, and Co­lum­bia Un­i­ver­si­ty. His ordination was in 1903 and was a faithful pastor in several churches like First Bap­tist Church in Mont­clair, New Jer­sey, from 1904 to 1915. He wrote several hymns and books, but he is famous for this one. This hymn was written for the construction of Riverside Church in New York City.

“Lo! the hosts of evil round us
scorn Thy Christ, assail His ways!
Fears and doubts too long have bound us,
free our hearts to faith and praise.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
for the living of these days,
for the living of these days.”

The melody is the very familiar melody of the other loved hymn, “Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah.”

“Set our feet on lofty places,
Gird our lives that they may be,
Armored with all Christ-like graces,
In the fight to set men free.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
That we fail not man nor Thee,
That we fail not man nor Thee.”

Dear saint, you might have a hard time right now, but trust in the Lord during these days, because, after all, he is the God of grace and the God of glory.
​
In His service,
Israel
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