My gracious Master and my God,
Assist me to proclaim,
To spread through all the world abroad
The honors of Thy name.

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

Listen as you read.  This version is features the tune that is more often used in the UK.

There is such a different energy in this version which features a tune less common in the US.  I think it really matches this stanza.  That is true whether you see this as a prayer or a statement.

Statement or Prayer

I keep re-reading this and keep coming up with the same two possibilities.  At first, I think this is a statement.  My Gracious Master and my God assist me.  To do what?  To proclaim.  Yes and Amen! God does assist us to proclaim His name.  If he did not, we could not possibly adequately spread the honors of His name to the entire earth.  It seems like a statement.

That is until you understand it with the last verse, which by the way is what each line of a hymn stanza is actually called.  “The honors of Thy name.”  Up to this point it seems like it could be statement declaring that God actually does help us.  This resonates with us because He does.  However, I believe this last line makes it a prayer.

Why is this important?  Because most of the other stanzas are actually horizontal.  They are directed from one worshipper to another, or at least another prospective worshipper.  We may examine that aspect to some of those other stanzas later, we simply have not gotten to them yet.  This stanza is unusual in the context of this hymn because it is directed vertically.  It is sung directly to God, making an appeal for His assistance.  The vertical direction is important because in it we may learn a valuable lesson.

Help Me, Jesus!

If we are going to have any  real hope of proclaiming the glory of our God, we are going to need His help!  This represents the key tuning element for this installment.  Seems simple and straightforward, but let me ask you what at first may seem like a simple question.  When was the last time you prayed and asked God to assist you in telling the world about Him?  Of course this is not limited to praising Him in song, but I also do not believe it excludes help with that.

Directions for Singing

And Charles Wesley’s brother John offered some help from His perspective which he intended would illicit better signing.  His seven principles were written for a particular volume of hymns, but many can be applied in a broader context.  That is certainly true of this one.

4. Sing Lustily – and with good courage. Beware of singing as if you were half-dead or half-asleep; but lift up your voice with strength. Be no more afraid of your voice now, nor more ashamed of its being heard, than when you sang the songs of Satan.

Ouch!  That is a strong indictment to lift up energetic voices in praises.  If we sang the songs of Satan without shame, certainly we should sing the songs of Jesus entirely free of shame.

So how are you doing with that?  Do you sing lustily?  If not, why not?  When was the last time you asked God specifically to help you sing?  Have you ever asked Him?

Tune your heart to sing His praise, by asking Him to assist You spread through all the earth abroad the honors of His name.  And then, make haste to find a group of worshippers to which to lend Your newly loosed tongue.

Happy Tuning!

Jesus, thank You for Your willingness to assist me in proclaiming You name.  Forgive me for not asking sooner or more often.  I confess I need Your help to do this and so I am asking.   Help me, Jesus, to proclaim Your name, when I am singing, and when I am not.  In Jesus name.  Amen.

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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.

I just love hearing many voices lifted together in praise.  I love being one of those voices.  I suppose those are probably things you enjoy as well since you have arrived here and are reading this.

But what if you could not sing at all?  If this was your experience for a season, especially if you were able to sing before, then you would be glad to be able to lift your voice in praise again.  I can say this with confidence because it was my experience.

Pleurisy

This hymn was written by Charles Wesley to commemorate the one year anniversary of his healing from pleurisy.  Pleurisy is inflammation of the tissues that line the lungs and chest cavity.  It causes chest pain that worsens during breathing, and generally hurts more with deeper breathes like those required to sing.  It is a painful condition that can be treated with anti-inflammatories, pain relievers and rest.

I am not sure beyond rest what other care might have been available to Wesley, but I availed myself of all three of these and then some.  I actually developed an infection which required surgery to remove the infectious material in my chest cavity.  Three days after that initial procedure undetected internal bleeding nearly cost me my life.  A second emergency procedure was conducted to rectify that issue.

Needless to say, as I lay in ICU I was so thankful to be alive that I struggled to take in enough breath to quietly sing praise to God.  I had to praise Him for I felt my survival was a triumph of HIs grace.  If I had known the story of this hymn I would glad have sung it, but I do indeed vividly remember singing Amazing Grace to God who had again “saved a wretch like me”.

I Would Praise Him with Them All

Wesley had become ill while studying in London with his brother John under Moravian scholar Peter Boehler.  Boehler was quoted to have said,

“Had I a thousand tongues I would praise Him with them all”.

Though we know this hymn by the words that so aptly capture that thought, they actually served as the seventh stanza of the original eighteen stanzas.  Most hymnals have shortened the hymn to between 6-8 stanzas, which is not uncommon for many hymns.  As you would imagine there are some good stanzas which did not make the cut.

This one comes for the one before the one the calls the deaf to hear His voice.

He speaks, – and, listening to his voice,
New life the dead receive;
The mournful, broken hearts rejoice;
The humble poor believe.

This is a great call to the world to worship.

Look unto him, ye nations; own
Your God, ye fallen race;
Look, and be saved through faith alone,
Be justified by grace.

This is a great concise declaration of the Gospel.

See all your sins on Jesus laid;
The Lamb of God was slain;
His soul was once an offering made
For every soul of man.

You can’t really “praise Him with them all” if you don’t even know they exist.

…Until It’s Gone

Of course we do not miss those stanzas if we never knew they were a part of this great hymn.  But this is like the inverse of the saying “You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.”  More like, “You don’t realize what you are missing until it arrives.”  Not quite the same, other than relating to an awareness of something possessed or dispossessed.

For me, it was not really being able to sing or even take a deep breath, in those days leading up to the diagnosis and first procedure,and certainly between the two.  I did not realize how precious using one tongue to praise my Redeemer.  Loosing the ability to do so, even for a few days, helped me to realize what a gift being able to praise truly is.  I am certain that realization is a part of what inspired Wesley to pen these words.

So my question to help you tune today is, “Are you using everything at your disposal to give praise to God?”  Whether musical ability or some other talent or skill, are you making the most of them to declare His glory?  Wesley gives us words to commit to using a thousand tongues if we had them, but maybe we need to make certain we are maximizing each of the ones we currently possess.  If so, then go ahead and ask for more.  If not, then it is definitely time to do some tuning.

Happy Tuning!

Jesus, thank You for giving me the tongue I have, and every other ability to render the praise that is due your Name.  Had I a thousand tongues, they would not be enough to magnify Your excellencies.  Even still, help me to make the most of every ability I possess, and graciously add to them according to Your will, that I may use them each to exalt You.  In Jesus name.  Amen.

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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.

I still remember singing this for the first time.  As the notes began to ring out from the piano and I stood there about to be baptized, I belted out this new song I had learned in the three weeks since I had first surrendered to grace.  It was very encouraging to have only begun to wrap my mind around the fact that I now had peace with God which would last for eternity, peace which I declared with confidence as I modulated for those last two lines.

I had only just begun to sing God’s praise, but I had quickly found that there was no feeling like it.  I have spent the last twenty-two years enjoying and reliving that experience again and again, and helping others to do the same.  Even with that little perspective it is overwhelming to think of how much praising still lies before me.  Thank You Jesus!

Over the years I have often said that it is unfortunate how little time we spend thinking about the place where we will spend so long.  I like imagining what it will be like to sing God’s praise in His very presence, before the throne.  I like thinking about how different that will be, partly because of how different I/we will be.

The words say, “Bright shining as the sun”.  Every other line acknowledges we, you and I, all the saints who will enjoy Heaven because they have found their rest in God’s amazing grace.  This line reveals a bit about our appearance, and in so doing it eludes to other things.

You and I will shine brightly, as the sun.  On my best days on this side of glory, I am nothing nearly as bright as that.  My very appearance will have been radically transformed.  Whether it happened to prepare me to be in God’s presence or is the by-product of being there makes no difference to me.  I will not be the same.

If this is true, and I absolutely believe it is [2 Corinthians 3:18], then there are implications at every level of our existence.  If I thought I could sing now, imagine what we will sound like then.  Voice strong and free, a tongue only, ever used to praise God, and a lung capacity that is unfathomable.  Not to mention every other part of me lending itself to amplifying His praise.

So how does that coming reality effect my current one?  How can I tune my life to that perfect pitch? Well, realizing that I have been made and am being remade for thousands of years of giving God praise should encourage me to begin practicing now.  I should use my voice these days in a way that is consistent with how I will use it those days, and that is not limited to singing praise, although I believe it absolutely should include it.  Take some time to ask God to help you tune your voice…and the rest of you, to sing His praise.

Happy Tuning!

Jesus, thank You fro calling out of darkness and into Your glorious light so I can praise You.  I know that I have even now only just begun, and I pray you will help me to grow in my ability to do so in these days, even as I long for those yet to come.  Help me to always use my voice in a way that brings You glory, whether I am singing to not.  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 then read.  This version is Chris Tomlin as found on Music inspired by the Motion Picture Amazing Grace.

I think I first heard this stanza as the closing reflection of this version by Chris Tomlin featuring the new refrain he wrote for the movie.  There is this incredible, grand sweeping idea that all we know in this existence as constants, the earth in its apparent solidity, the sun in its faithful radiance, will change; but this one thing will not, my relationship to God.  It is difficult to wrap my mind around this, so expansive are the implications of this truth.

Reading these words initially had the impact of making me feel very small, until the sweeping realization of the last portion sinks in.   I go from feeling very insignificant, to very significant.  I think this is especially true since I am writing on a day when I just experienced a solar eclipse.  God, who made all the wonders of earth, moon, stars and sun, called me.  He called me to be His, first made by Him then remade by Him, and I simply responded with praise.

Calling

This calling is not just reserved for those who are in vocational ministry, by no means.  When God calls us from darkness to light [I Peter 2:9], He does so on purpose and with purpose. Our lives can seem small and ineffective at times, but they are not.  God has called us “here below” and there is a purpose in that calling beyond just being His.  It beckons us forward on a great journey with our Lord, though some are afraid to go.  There is something He wants us to do and it flows out of our calling.

I think William Wilberforce knew this.  A British Parliamentarian, it was not long after he surrendered to the call of Christ that he became a strong voice for the abolition movement in England.  The movie Amazing Grace chronicles his struggle against the slave trade, one that dominated about 20 years of his life, and ended with the passing of The Slave Trade Act in 1807.

He knew that it was imperative that he act, not simply to have faith.  Do you know what God has called you to do?  God has called you to be His, but what flows out of that being for you?  Maybe you already know the answer to that question.  Great!  But are you at it?  If so, awesome!  If not, why not?  If you can not say with confidence what God has called you to do,  take a few minutes right now and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you if there is anything that He is calling you to do.  But a quick word before you do…

Before you are tempted to spiritualize this question beyond all hope of recognition, let’s keep it real.  The Latin word meaning to call is vocare, from which we derive the word vocation.  God has called you to do something, and a big part of that may very well be your vocation and/or the things your vocation positions you to do.  Do not dismiss the possibility that you may be doing part of, if not even more of what God has called you to do.  Ok, now take a couple minutes.   Seriously, just ask Him.  You may be surprised by what you hear.

Once you have determined that and surrendered to it, two very different but deliberate actions, I want to encourage you to press into it with all you are.  Do not relent when things get difficult.  Press on until one of three things happen.

1. You accomplish it.
2. Jesus calls you to Heaven.
3. The earth dissolves like snow [which I am pretty sure will not happen before 2.]

Happy Tuning!

Jesus, thank You for the confidence that even if the earth dissolves and the sun darkens You will care for me.  I can rest in and move around in that confidence to do what You have called me to do.  May You find me faithfully working until it is fully accomplished, or You call me home.  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.

Now there is a word I have not used lately.  How about you?  Unless you were in a formal business meeting and the moderator called for the question to be answered yea or nay, I think the chances are pretty slim.  Let me be clear that this is simply an affirmative answer, but it sets up the powerful declaration which follows, while at the same time affirming the truths that have already been sung.

The last stanza we considered made very clear we have hope that God is with us and for us throughout this life.  That is a needful and powerful thing, but it is not all that we have.  Herein is evidenced one of the most beautiful things about many of the great hymns, in my humble opinion, a declaration of the hope of life beyond this.

Forever

A few stanzas ago as we tuned to the idea of God as our portion, we examined one of the verses that specifically speaks of this truth.  We come back to that verse now and acknowledge what seems to be one of the hymn writers favorite verses, since it offers not only an allusion to this Scripture but almost a word-for word transcription.

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.  Psalm 73:26 NIV

What this verse reminds us of is that not only is God our portion “as long as life endures”, He is actually our portion FOREVER.  It makes even more sense that the stanza would start with a strong “YES” affirming God has been our portion as it prepares to put forth the truth that He also will be.

Possession

We will think a little more about the veil in the next piece, but let’s just a take a moment and consider what the FOREVER portion looks like.  Three things stand out, with the first one being a little less obvious than the latter two.

1. Even when this mortal life comes to an end, another life will still be mine.  For those who might be tempted to fear death, this statement comes as a great comfort.  I will die, but even when I do, I will live, and truthfully I will be more fully alive that ever.
2. My life beyond this life will be marked by joy.  Joy can be defined as a feeling of great pleasure and happiness, or the prospect of possessing what one desires, but that seems to fall way short of what we will actually possess, because our feeling will not be connected to a prospect, but to ac actual, eternal possession.  Joy will be ours.
3. My life beyond this life will also be marked with peace.  Peace is often defined as the freedom from disturbance, or a state of quiet and tranquility, but again I think our concepts fall short of what will actually be ours.  I have heard it said, “Peace is not the absence of conflict.  Peace is the presence of God.”  That is a better description of the peace we will know.

Let’s apply these things.   To tune today, simply take a few moments and thank God for all that will be yours when this life ends.  Then ask Him for the grace to live today like someone who believes there are far better days coming.  That way, even when the threat of flesh and/or heart failure, you will still be able to say, so be it, “Amen!”, because you know that when this life ends, an even better life begins.

When you are tempted to feel a little glum today because life is not going the way you want, say “Yea!”, it’s going to get better, way better.  And all because of grace.

Happy Tuning!

Jesus, thank You for the reminder today, that even when my heart and my flesh fail, when this mortal life ends, You have a eternally better life in store for me.  Help me to live out that hope today because someone may need to see it! In Jesus name.  Amen.

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