Tag Archives: Hymn meditation

Faith Practice, the Exercise

Think About a Hymn

Open Hymnal

1 My God, how wonderful you are;
your majesty, how bright!
How beautiful your mercy seat
in depths of burning light!

2 How wonderful, how beautiful
the sight of you must be,
your endless wisdom, boundless power,
and awesome purity!

3 O how I fear you, living God,
with deepest, tenderest fears,
and worship you with trembling hope
and penitential tears!

4 Yet I may love you too, O Lord,
almighty as you are,
for you have stooped to ask of me
the love of my poor heart.

By Frederick W. Faber
Text in the public domain
Source: http://www.hymnary.org/text/my_god_how_wonderful_thou_art

  • The author of this hymn worships a God who is powerful and magnificent. He compares God with light. Why does a comparison with light evoke a worshipful image of God? Where in the Bible do you see this same comparison?
  • This hymnwriter describes God as beautiful, wise, powerful and pure. Which of these traits is most in keeping with your own image of God? Why would someone sing of such traits? Why are they important to our understanding of God?
  • How does the fear of God correlate with hope in God? Why is the experience of the fear of God a good thing? How does our fear of God lead to our hope?
  • The hymn writer says that God asked for his love. How did God make that request? Do you feel included in that request? Why?
  • How does the God described in this hymn differ from a god who thinks everybody ought to be nice,
  • and it wouldn’t be fair to shut some people out of heaven?

 

Faith Practice, the Exercise

A Hymn for Meditation

2 Comments

How Firm a Foundation 

How firm a foundation,
O saints of the Lord, 
is laid for your faith
 In his excellent Word!
What more can he say
 than to you he has said
who unto the Savior
 for refuge have fled?

 Fear not, I am with you,
oh, be not dismayed,
for I am your God
and will still give you aid;
 I’ll strengthen you, help you,
and cause you to stand
upheld by my righteous,
omnipotent hand.

 When through fiery trials
your pathway shall lie,
 my grace, all-sufficient,
shall be your supply.
 The flames shall not hurt you;
I only design
 your dross to consume 
and your gold to refine. 

Throughout all their lifetime
my people shall prove
my sov’reign, eternal,
unchangeable love;
 and then, when gray hairs
shall their temples adorn,
like lambs they shall still
 in my bosom be borne.

                     J. Rippen

Questions for thought and meditation 

·         I think of two references when I see the phrase “excellent Word” in this hymn. To whom or what does the hymnwriter refer?

 ·         What Bible verses come to mind as you read or sing this hymn? Do these teachings have any value for you today in a specific way?

 ·         Can you think of a situation in which you felt as if you were going through a fiery trial? Do you recall a Bible story that included a fiery trial?

 ·         Have you had an experience that felt like proof of God’s love? Have you shared this experience with someone who doesn’t believe God loves him?

 ·         We often say that Christians should memorize Bible verses in order to be able to recall them when they are in a crisis. Have you considered that hymns might have the same value? Do you know this hymn by heart?