Monday, January 8, 2024

He has put a new song in my mouth—Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord.

Psalm 40:3

This week we continue our focus on hymns. Why are we, in this contemporary world, looking at lyrics penned anywhere from the 1500s to the 1800s? After all, isn’t this a new 21st century year? Are hymns still relevant? 

One scholar wrote that church hymns have carried believers from tough valleys to mountaintop experiences. Hymns provide a form of worship and praise, teach doctrine, unite congregations, express the faith community's historical continuity, and mark special Christian occasions. They are an outlet for emotional expression and personal reflection, offering comfort and encouragement to believers during worship services. Hymns remain relevant in modern church worship, continuing to connect worshippers with the rich heritage and traditions of our faith. But hymns also can play a key role in a believer’s private worship time.

“Have Thine Own Way” by Adelaide A. Pollard (1902) was inspired by Jeremiah 18:3-6. Ms. Pollard penned these words during a time when she was raising funds to make a missionary trip to Africa. She was not successful in her fundraising attempt and was left disillusioned. That soul crisis provided a setting for personal reflection on the will of God for her life. 

MEDITATION: Lord, I am yours. I give myself to you. Use me as you will.

Have Thine own way Lord; have Thine own wayThou art the potter; I am the clayMold me and make me after Thy willWhile I am waiting yielded and stillHave Thine own way Lord; have Thine own waySearch me and try me Master todayWhiter than snow, Lord, wash me just nowAs in Thy presence, humbly I bow

In the name of Jesus, I praise You. AMEN.