O For a thousand tongues to sing
My dear Redeemer’s praise!
The glories of my God and King,
The triumphs of His grace!

O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing
By: Charles Wesley, 1707-1788

Listen as you read.  This version is from Together for the Gospel.

My dear, or as it has sometimes been altered to, great Redeemer is indeed worthy of praise.  Check.

My God and King certainly is glorious. Check.

His grace has absolutely triumphed over all. Check.

Two thoughts

Really the most thought-provoking, pondering worthy line in the opening stanza to this beloved hymn is the first.  Herein we understand the longing of the writer to have a thousand tongues to sing the praises of our God.  I have often wondered if he meant both of the things that immediately come to mind for me and I am certain many others, worshippers across the more than two centuries this song has been sung.

1000 actual tongues

My single tongue simply is inadequate to declare the praise, glory and triumph of my King.  I wish that I had 999 more, or while I am at, maybe 100,000, though in essence this would still not be enough to adequately, or throughly tell His worth.  Though I must admit I would agree with St. Catherine that any number of of tongues breaking the silence would be far superior to those same tongues remaining stilled.

That quote got me thinking about how many of us are often tricked into constraining our praise for any number of reasons.  Not the right moment.  Not the right crowd.  Not the right place.  Lord, have mercy on us for holding our tongues in times we should have loosed them, especially when it comes to using them to bring you praise.  When we speak the praises of God we breathe “life and health and peace” [quoting a later stanza] to an otherwise dying, sick and strife-filled world.  I think rotten pretty much some up any place where the praise of God has been squelched.

Jesus, cause me to be unwilling to allow my praise to stay silent.  Empower my tongue that it may erupt with unceasing adoration for  Your Name.  When it does, push back a bit of the rot of this weary world, and in that moment and place, establish Your kingdom! Begin in my soul, as I speak within, but cause it to grow, until it bursts without.

1000 different languages

My single language simply is insufficient to speak the inestimable worth of my dear Redeemer, my glorious God, my gracious King.  Oh, that I might be able to speak 1000 different languages.  Each has not only unique sounds and articulations, but certainly expressions that are idiomatic and colloquial as well as guttural, managing somehow to expound on the magnanimous character of our God.  This brings to mind some memories…

• Traveling abroad and being in awe as I heard God’s praises sung in multiple languages at once.
• Learning the Dvorak Biblical Songs in their original Slovakian, with the help of a native speaker and marveling at the beauty of the unfamiliar sounds.
• Talking with a tour guide in Europe who spoke six languages and envying him not because he could converse with so many different people, but because he could express his praise in so many different ways, not to mention the possibility of dreaming of praising God in a language not my first.

This thought also reminds me of the Day of Pentecost, and allows me to see the blessing hidden initially in God’s working at the Tower of Babel.  We began to think to highly of ourselves so God muddled our ability to communicate with all people by creating distinct languages.  This curse comes full circle and essentially becomes as blessing when at the Day of Pentecost people from all over the world each heard the disciples speaking their native tongue.  I do not even need to broach the controversial and divisive subject of the gift of tongues to make the point that having other means to praise God is a reasonable desire for every believer.

Holy Spirit, whether I develop the ability to speak another language or You supernaturally give me such utterance, enable me to use every capacity I have at any given moment to give praise to God.  I long for the greatest ability possible, whether in number or  skill, to sing the glories of my God, but instead simply ask that You help me to make the very most of the one tongue I currently possess.  May I ever and only use it for this highest of purposes.

Joyful Thinking!

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When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’d first begun.

Amazing Grace
By: John Newton, 1725-1807

Listen as you read.  This version features Ayako Ishikawa on violin.

Eternity-10,000 years=Eternity

I suppose there is probably some mathematical flaw in that formula so please forgive me, but that helps me to come to terms with the phrase “we’ve no less days”.  How do you wrap you mind around that?  Eternity is the hope that Jesus and His grace have made available to us, and it is just as real today, as it will be ten thousand years from now.  In other words, it is infinitely true for infinity.

But what difference is that making for you today?  Maybe the first question to answer is whether you believe it should make a difference?  Think about it.

If you are living like you do not believe having eternity waiting for you makes a difference, maybe it is because you have never really determined if you believe it.  I am confident that there are many believers, meaning those who have decided to place their confidence in the finished work of Jesus Christ alone, who have not come to terms with everything that confidence avails and implies.  Fortunately, whether we have apprehended the magnitude of our inheritance does not effect our ability to fully possess it one day.  [If you are looking for something that may help try this from Francis Chan.]

For me, the tragedy is that many of us spend next to no time thinking about some of these inspiring truths, let alone what difference they should make in our daily living.  Part of that hinges on our understanding of “when we first [began]”.  I think it is safe to say the writer here, not John Newton as this was a verse added later, was referring to the praise we begin to offer in glory.  I feel equally as confident saying I believe you could also interpret that our praise begins the moment we begin to follow Jesus.

Enjoyment

I read something recently with regard to praising that resonated with me.  C.S. Lewis gave a great explanation in his Reflections on the Psalms.  He makes a connection between praise and enjoyment that escapes many of us on an intellectual level, even if not an experiential one.  He says this.

I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation…the delight is incomplete until it is expressed.

It is this enjoyment that I believe fuels our praise not only in eternity, but here and now as well.  We begin to praise God the moment we realize what He has done for us, and we keep doing that forever, at least we should.  If we don’t, and sadly we don’t, then we need to examine what are the things that we enjoy more in that moment than our eternal inheritance.

Getting Ready

Over the years I have teased people that everyone in church should want to be involved in worship ministry because it is the one ministry that prepares you more for what you are going to spend eternity doing, praising.  I believe there is actually some truth to that, but it really revolves more around the fact that praising ushers in the enjoyment of God that heightens our awareness of His presence with us.  It is not about the singing or music making, but about realizing I can do everything in a way that brings God glory.

My point is simply this.  Don’t wait until you are “bright shining as the sun” to begin your perpetual praise.   Work on it every day, at least until it is really it not work at all.  What can you do today to cultivate a life that enjoys God continually?

Joyful Thinking!

Jesus, thank You for eternity.  It is almost impossible for me to grasp the enormity of it.  Even still, help me to work at developing a heart of perpetual praise by showing me how to grow in this today and every day, even as I wait for the rest of forever to begin. In Jesus name.  Amen.

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The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who called me here below,
Will be forever mine.

Amazing Grace
By: John Newton, 1725-1807

Listen before you read this one.  This version features Wintley Phipps.

I hope you listened to that informative and inspiring rendition of Amazing Grace.  If not, I want to encourage you to take a few minutes and do that.  I will even try to tighten up my verbiage a bit for this one.

I really want to pick up where we left off from the last Tuesday Tuning from 8.22.17 about calling and draw an interesting distinction between the unchanging nature of the calling of God and the implications of change it has on evening else.  What I mean is simply this.  Though even earth and sun made fade away, God’s call on us will not.  In the face of the constancy of the call, we are confronted with our need to be transformed in order to truly answer.  Our illustrative subject for today is our author, John Newton.

John Newton

He was an interesting character who, like Wilberforce, came to faith later in life.  Unlike Wilberforce, Newton was a sordid individual who was considered extremely profane, which is remarkable especially because he was a sailor.  After leaving the Royal Navy, he continued sailing and eventually became a captain on a slave ship.

But that was not the most significant change in his life.  He never forgot calling our for mercy in the midst of a perilous situation at sea, and eventually surrendered to the call of Christ, first becoming a Christian and then after some time an Anglican priest and abolitionist.  The slave trader became an advocate for freedom, in more ways than one.  That transformation helps to add weight to not only the quote above but also this one.

The More Things Change…

I have often said the Christian life is a life of change.  Newton nailed it with his litany of what he is not.  The same could be said of the standing and experience of all who have responded to the call of Grace, and yielded themselves to His transforming power.

Most of us are not naturally very fond of change, unless we are in charge of it, and the changes Christ requires of us are no exception to the general rule.  The interesting dichotomy I see here is that it is the Unchanging God who issues an irrevocable call which initiates and demands transformation.  Everything in creation will change, but not Him, or His call on us.

The More They Stay the Same

So we take great confidence from this.  God who called us to be His in this age, will ours throughout them all.  He does not change, and neither does His grace.

Think about it.  If God could turn this slave trader into the man who would write these words sung by millions in praise of God’s grace each year, what does He have in store for you.  Let the Holy Spirit reveal to you the truth that although many things around you may change-profession, finances, future-God’s grace for you will not.  Let the peace that flows from this truth transform the way you think, what you say, and how you act.  Then you will be able to say with Newton that although you are not yet what you want to be, you are not either what you used to be, all by His grace.

Joyful Thinking!

Jesus, thank You for You unchanging call, and the way it is changing me.  Cause me to long for it now so that realization will be even sweeter.  Help me love You with all my mind as I wait! In Jesus name.  Amen.

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Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

Amazing Grace
By: John Newton, 1725-1807

Listen as you read.  This version is from Grace by David Tolk.

When I read the word veil the first thing that comes to mind for me is a bridal veil.  This is not what the hymn is referencing, but it does introduce a whole different set of images.  Veils are meant to cover something up or keep something hidden, even if not entirely, and that is exactly what we are going to think about here.

In the simplest, most direct sense, the veil referenced here is an allusion to the fact that we can not clearly see the amazing reality of heaven, and all that will be ours in that blessed reality.  The truth described here is the hope we have in eternal life, even when this life ends.  Using the phrase  “within the veil” conjures up a few other rich images though that are in some ways connected.

Heaven

Jesus has made Heaven available to us through His sacrifice.  Even though it is our inheritance, we do not yet possess it.  When was the last time you spent a few minutes and simply thought about eternity.  Images like this sunset mountain scene stir up within me a longing for more than this life affords.  There is a sense of expectancy and hope within the misty mysteries of forever.

Think for a moment about the two pictures the hymn writer has so skillfully juxtaposed.  Heart and flesh failing, joy and peace unveiling.  When my heart fails me, then I shall know that joy that I only tasted of in this life.  When my flesh ceases its strivings, then shall I finally find peace.  How often we pray for broken hearts to be mended and fatigued flesh to find new strength, and rightfully so, but fail to thank God for the reminders these faltering blessings usher in to our existence on this side of the veil.

Maybe better than faltering, the word incomplete might suffice.  Heart and flesh are blessings, but they are incomplete in that they point us to a better, greater blessing.  Which brings us to another veil.

Temple Veil

The Old Testament sacrificial system pointed us to a better, greater blessing as well.  As a part of the system the High Priest would enter the Most Holy Place, by the blood of goats and calves, to atone for the sins of the people once a year.  The veil of the temple kept the Most Holy Place beyond view.

When Jesus died that veil was torn in two from top to bottom.  As opposed to endless sacrifices, Jesus died once for all and entered the Most Holy Place, by His own blood, to make atonement.  [Hebrews 9:12] That veil would not longer block entrance to the Most Holy Place.  It was a representation of what Jesus actually accomplished, but we are waiting to behold.

Connected

The veil of the Temple, Heaven, and bridal veils are all connected.  Here’s how.

We can not see into Heaven, any more than the priests could see into the Most Holy Place.  The groom can not clearly see his bride while her veil is down.  The Church is the Bride of Christ, and she is getting ready to meet her Bridegroom.  That will take place in Heaven, and the access to Heaven was granted by Jesus sacrifice.  Think about how all this rich symbolism ands context and texture to these wonderful truths through things we know and see, pointing to things we believe which are veiled.

There are definitely some really cool things to think about.  Take a few minutes and ask the Holy Spirit to help you to wrap you mind around the incredible treasure that is waiting for you, within the veil.

Happy Tuning!

Jesus, thank You for giving me access to pass through the veil when my time comes.  Give me courage to face that day with the hope that what I have longed for will be realized.  Cause me to long for it now so that realization will be even sweeter.  Help me love You with all my mind as I wait! In Jesus name.  Amen.

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The Lord has promised good to me,
His Word my hope secures;
He will my Shield and Portion be,
As long as life endures.

Amazing Grace
By: John Newton, 1725-1807

Listen as you read.  This version is from Grace by David Tolk.

Think about it.  As long as life endures, in other words, throughout my earthly existence.  I would agree that the Lord is far more than just Shield and Portion for far longer than the dash that is this life, but we will take that up at another time, Lord willing.  For these thoughts, let’s center in on what the Lord keeps away from me, and what He brings to me, all for His glory and my good.

Shield

Psalm 28:7 says it this way.

The Lord is my strength and shield.
    I trust him with all my heart.
He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.
    I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.

He keeps things away from me.  Another way of saying it, He keeps me from getting things that would harm me.  He is my Shield.

The Chi Rho shield above, reminds us that Christ is that Shield, those two letters representing the first two letters from the Greek spelling of Christ.  [If you are intrigued and need more on that, you may indulge your curiosity here.] Jesus is the One who protects me.  He keeps many things that would harm me from ever getting close enough to do damage, even though I flirt with them at times.

Portion

Psalm73:26 says it like this.

My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.

He provides me with things that will help me.  Another way of saying it, He is everything I need.  He is my portion.

This one seems either a little less straightforward than the other, or maybe just a little more complex.  Saying God is my Shield has a singular focus.  Saying He is my Portion has more protracted implications.  There are several primary nuances of such a claim, and here is the short list.

• share of a meal
• part of a sacrifice
• soldier’s share of plunder
• someone’s inheritance

The first, and most obvious one seems to be connected with this idea of one’s share in a meal.  Think family style like the photo above. I do not have to jostle and fight for my share.  God is my share.  I can be at rest and enjoy all that He has provided for me.

The next is a little less obvious as it pertains to the part of a sacrifice that would belong to the worshipper.  The priest would get a certain portion, as would the Lord to whom the offering was made, but the worshipper would receive a portion of most offerings as well.  Again, God is my portion.

The last two are even a little more obscure, but just as meaningful.   After a battle every

soldier gets to take some of the plunder as their reward for winning, or their prize for still being alive.  When the battle of this life is over, God will certainly be our plunder, the proceeds of having lived victoriously.  This last one really resonates with me because of the lasting implication.  I might eat my meal, enjoy my sacrifice or plunder and then it’s gone, but inheritance seems at least a bit more permanent.  Not only that, but it is generally something entrusted to someone based on relationship.  I like the connotation of that.

Strength

One of the things that struck me about these two passages was one of the words they have in common, Strength.  The interesting thing to me is that a Shield protects strength and a Portion fuels it.  Both are related to strength, only in different ways.  I need strength to live this life, and that strength is God, and comes from God.

How’s strong is your spirit?  Are you allowing God to protect you, or are you trying to do it all yourself?  Are you seeking God to provide for you, or are you attempt to stir up your own provisions?  Honestly ask yourself these questions and let the Holy Spirit reveal the answers to you.  It will be worth the time and effort.

Jesus, thank You for being my Shield and Portion.  As one songwriter said, “All of You is more than enough for all of me.”  Help me to live that statement out, even as I come to understand it better everyday.  In Jesus name.  Amen.

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