Day 4! Trust and Obey.

Trust and Obey by D. B. Towner 

1. When we walk with the Lord
     In the light of His Word,
   What a glory He sheds on our way;
     While we do His good will,
     He abides with us still,
   And with all who will trust and obey.
2. Trust and obey,
   For there's no other way
   To be happy in Jesus,
     But to trust and obey.
2. Not a shadow can rise,
     Not a cloud in the skies,
   But His smile quickly drives it away;
     Not a doubt or a fear,
     Not a sigh or a tear,
   Can abide while we trust and obey.
3. Not a burden we bear,
     Not a sorrow we share,
   But our toil He doth richly repay;
     Not a grief or a loss,
     Not a frown or a cross,
   But is blest if we trust and obey.
4. But we never can prove
     The delights of His love,
   Until all on the altar we lay;
     For the favor He shows,
     And the joy He bestows,
   Are for them who will trust and obey.
5. Then in fellowship sweet
     We will sit at His feet,
   Or we'll walk by His side in the way;
     What He says we will do;
     Where He sends, we will go,
   Never fear, only trust and obey.

A little behind the scenes.

       The music for this song was composed by D. B. Towner, the first director of music at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. 

       The inspiration for the hymn’s writing came in 1886 during and occasion when Towner was leading singing for D. L. Moody in Brockton, Massachusetts.  In a testimony service, he heard a young man say, “I am not quite sure – but I am going to trust, and I am going to obey.”

       Towner jotted down the words and sent them to his friend J. H. Sammis, a Presbyterian minister, who developed the idea into a full hymn. 

       The refrain came first – it is a capsule version of the entire song – and the verse later.

       D. L. Moody said in one occasion:  “The blood (of Christ) alone makes us safe. The Word (of God) alone makes us sure.  Obedience (to God) makes us happy.”

Day 3! Leaning on the Everlasting Arms.

Leaning on The Everlasting Arms. By Elisha Hoffman Music by Anthony J. Showalter.

What a fellowship, what a joy divine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
What a blessedness, what a peace is mine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
Refrain:
Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms;
Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.
Oh, how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
Oh, how bright the path grows from day to day,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
What have I to dread, what have I to fear,
Leaning on the everlasting arms?
I have blessed peace with my Lord so near,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.




And a little story behind this Hymn.

Anthony J. Showalter had received some sad news from friends about loved ones who had died;  and in his reply letter he included the verse, Deut 33: 27.  But after thinking on the verse even more he thought that those words would be a great theme for a hymn.  He immediately wrote the words for the refrain and music for the hymn.  But he needed help for with the stanzas so he went to see Elisha Hoffman author of over 2000 gospel hymns.  Hoffman provided the stanzas and Showalter the refrain and music to the new hymn, in 1887,"Leaning on the Everlasting Arms."

Day 2. Of Hymns 365 How Great Thou Art.

How Great Thou Art. By  Carl Gustav Boberg

O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made.
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power through-out the universe displayed.
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee:
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
When through the woods and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze:
And when I think that God, His Son not sparing,
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin:
When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration,
And there proclaim, my God. how great Thou art!
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Inspiration
The inspiration for the poem came when Boberg was walking home from church near Kronobäck, Sweden, and listening to church bells. A sudden awe-inspiring storm gripped Boberg’s attention, and then just as suddenly as it had made its violent entrance, it subsided to a peaceful calm which Boberg observed over Mönsterås Bay.^[6] According to J. Irving Erickson:

Carl Boberg and some friends were returning home to Mönsterås from Kronobäck, where they had participated in an afternoon service. Nature was at its peak that radiant afternoon. Presently a thundercloud appeared on the horizon, and soon sharp lightning flashed across the sky. Strong winds swept over the meadows and billowing fields of grain. The thunder pealed in loud claps. Then rain came in cool fresh showers. In a little while the storm was over, and a rainbow appeared.

When Boberg arrived home, he opened the window and saw the bay of Mönsterås like a mirror before him… From the woods on the other side of the bay, he heard the song of a thrush…the church bells were tolling in the quiet evening. It was this series of sights, sounds, and experiences that inspired the writing of the song.^[7]

According to Boberg's great-nephew, Bud Boberg, "My dad's story of its origin was that it was a paraphrase of Psalm 8 and was used in the 'underground church' in Sweden in the late 1800s when the Baptists and Mission Friends were persecuted."^[8] The author, Carl Boberg himself gave the following information about the inspiration behind his poem:

"It was that time of year when everything seemed to be in its richest colouring; the birds were singing in trees and everywhere. It was very warm; a thunderstorm appeared on the horizon and soon thunder and lightning. We had to hurry to shelter. But the storm was soon over and the clear sky appeared.

"When I came home I opened my window toward the sea. There evidently had been a funeral and the bells were playing the tune of 'When eternity's clock calling my saved soul to its Sabbath rest.' That evening, I wrote the song, 'O Store Gud.'"^[9]

Our First Day of Hymns 365 Day 1! It Is Well With My Soul.



Picture from Google.


It Is Well with My Soul By

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When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

Refrain

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

Refrain

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

Refrain

But, Lord, ‘tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh trump of the angel! Oh voice of the Lord!
Blessèd hope, blessèd rest of my soul!

Refrain

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

Refrain

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And Here's a little story behind The Hymn.

"It Is Well with My Soul" is a very influential hymn penned by hymnist Horatio Spafford and composed by Philip Bliss.
This hymn was written after several traumatic events in Spafford’s life. The first was the death of his only son in 1871 at the age of four, shortly followed by the great Chicago Fire which ruined him financially (he had been a successful lawyer). Then in 1873, he had planned to travel to Europe with his family on the SS Ville du Havre, but sent the family ahead while he was delayed on business concerning zoning problems following the Great Chicago Fire. While crossing the Atlantic, the ship sank rapidly after a collision with a sailing ship, the Loch Earn, and all four of Spafford's daughters died. His wife Anna survived and sent him the now famous telegram, "Saved alone." Shortly afterwards, as Spafford traveled to meet his grieving wife, he was inspired to write these words as his ship passed near where his daughters had died.
Bliss called his tune Ville du Havre, from the name of the stricken vessel.^[1]
The Spaffords later had three more children, one of whom (a son) died in infancy. In 1881 the Spaffords, including baby Bertha and newborn Grace, set sail for Israel. The Spaffords moved to Jerusalem and helped found a group called the American Colony; its mission was to serve the poor. The colony later became the subject of the Nobel prize winning Jerusalem, by Swedish novelist Selma Lagerlöf.
The Georgia Southern University marching band Southern Pride plays the song at the end of each victory. Christian metalcore band, Haste the Day, named their band after a verse in the hymn.