Category: Praising God thro Hymns

Channels Only

Backgrounder: The meaning
of channel was a waterway,
like the English Channel.
So how are we to be channels?
We are conduits for the living
water of Christ. The Spirit flows
within us and thro us to others.
We know the channel is not the
source of the water it carries.
We do not create goodness
or power; for we merely receive
it and just channel it forward.
Let the gospel flow freely
thro us in all we say and do.

Lord, help us to be your channel:
In a wealthy home some utensils
are made of gold and silver, and
some are made of wood and clay.
The expensive utensils are used
for special occasions, and the
cheap ones are for everyday use.
If you keep yourself pure,
you will be a special utensil for
honourable use. Your life will be
clean, and you will be ready for
the Master to use you for every
good work (2Tim 3:20-21).

Lord, make us a channel of your
peace: Where there is hatred, let
us bring your love; where there
is injury, your pardon; and where
there’s doubt, true faith in you.
Make us a channel of yr peace:
Where there’s despair in life,
let us bring hope; where there
is darkness only light, and
where there’s sadness ever joy.
Make us a channel of yr peace:
It is in pardoning that we are
pardoned; in giving of ourselves
that we receive; and in dying
that we are born to eternal life.
Oh Master, grant we may never
seek so much to be consoled
as to console; to be understood
as to understand, to be loved
as to love with all our soul.
Lord, make us Channels Only!
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

How I praise Thee, precious Savior,
That Thy love laid hold of me;
Thou hast saved and cleansed
and filled me
That I might Thy channel be.

Channels only, blessed Master,
But with all Thy wondrous pow’r
Flowing thro’ us, Thou can use us
Ev’ry day and ev’ry hour.

Emptied that Thou shoulders fill me
A clean vessel in Thy hand;
With no pow’r but as Thou givest
Graciously with each command.

Onward Christian Soldiers

Backgrounder: Onward, Christian
Soldiers is a 19th-century English
hymn. The words were written
by Sabine Baring-Gould in 1865.
Gould recounts: Whitmonday is
a great day for school festivals in
Yorkshire, and one Whitmonday
it was arranged that our school
should join its forces with that of
a neighboring village. I wanted
the children to sing when
marching from one village to
the other, but couldn’t think of
anything quite suitable. So, I sat
up at night resolved to write
something myself and “Onward,
Christian Soldiers” was the result.

Lord, we will Endure & be Faithful:
The things that you have heard
from me… commit these to
faithful men who will be able
to teach others also. Therefore,
Endure suffering along with me,
as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
Soldiers don’t get tied up in the
affairs of civilian life, for then
they cannot please the officer
who enlisted them (2Tim 2:2-4).

Lord, this hymn remind us of the
mindset of a soldier that every
believer should have; for we
wrestle not against flesh & blood.
The good news is that the captain
of the army had said long ago
that we should be of good cheer
for He has conquered the world.
So, we look unto Jesus the
Author and Finisher of our Faith.
And by the authority in the name
of Jesus I declare judgement by
sword upon the devil and all his
emissaries in Jesus Name Amen.
My destiny shall not be
wasted in Jesus Name Amen.
And the gates of hell shall not
prevail over the church of God
in Jesus Name Amen.

Friends, this hymn encourages
disciples to remain faithful in
following the Lord inspite of what
-ever challenging circumstances
we may be facing. Let’s be
Courageous in life, for God can
see us through no matter what.
For Victory is certain in the Lord!
So when the going gets rough,
let’s remember & sing this hymn:
Onward Christian soldiers! Lifting
up our hands & looking unto Jesus!

Onward, Christian soldiers,
marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus
going on before!
Christ, the royal Master,
leads against the foe;
Forward into battle,
see his banner go!

Refrain:
Onward, Christian soldiers,
marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus
going on before!

At the sign of triumph
Satan’s host doth flee;
On, then, Christian soldiers,
on to victory!
Hell’s foundations quiver
at the shout of praise;
Brothers, lift your voices,
loud your anthems raise!

Like a mighty army
moves the church of God;
Brothers, we are treading
where the saints have trod;
We are not divided;
all one body we,
One in hope and doctrine,
one in charity.

Onward, then, ye people,
join our happy throng,
Blend with ours your voices
in the triumph song;
Glory, laud, and honor,
unto Christ the King;
This thro’ countless ages
men and angels sing.

Pass It On

Backgrounder: Kurt Kaiser was
born in 1934 in Chicago. While
known primarily for his youth
musicals, Kaiser has composed
more than 60 hymn texts & tunes,
the most famous is “Pass It On.”
Kaiser provided the background
to the hymnal song: In 1969,
I collaborated on a musical, Tell
It Like It Is. It was written to get
young people involved in Church.
On a Sunday night I was sitting
in by the fireplace where there
were remnants of a fire, and it
occurred to me that it only takes
a spark to get a fire going . . .
and the rest came very quickly.
My wife suggested that I should
say something about shouting
it from mountain tops, and that
ended up in the third verse.
Pass It On gained traction in
congregational circles when it
appeared in Hymns for the Living
Church (1974). Since then, the song
has appeared in about 10 hymnals.

Lord, we’ll Pass On the Good News:
My son, Be strong in the
grace that is in Christ Jesus.
And the things that you have heard
from me among many witnesses,
commit these to faithful men who
will be able to teach others also.
You therefore must endure
hardship as a good soldier
of Jesus Christ (2Tim 2:1-3).

Lord, Fill us with the power of
Your Holy Spirit so that we can
be effective witnesses for you.
Pray that the fruit of the Spirit:
love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, and self-control
would be evident in my life.
Cause my light to shine before
others so that they may see my
good works and give you glory.
Open doors for me to share
your Word, and help me to
make it clear when I speak.
Help me to be prepared to
verbally share the gospel.
And Enable me to share it with
gentleness & respect for others.

Lord Jesus, Help us not to be
ashamed of You & to remember
that you have not given me a
spirit of fear, but of power & love.
Empower me to speak boldly as I
proclaim the mystery of the gospel.
Give me your compassion for
the lost and help me to see their
true condition, and to be moved
with love to reach out to them.
Send us as laborer into yr harvest.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

It only takes a spark
To get a fire going.
And soon all those around
Can warm up in its glowing.
That’s how it is with God’s love
Once you’ve experienced it.
You spread His love to ev’ryone
You want to pass it on.

What a wondrous time is spring
When all the trees are budding.
The birds begin to sing
The flowers start their blooming.
That’s how it is with God’s love
Once you’ve experienced it.
U want to sing it’s fresh like spring
You want to pass it on.

I wish for you my friend
This happiness that I’ve found.
You can depend on Him
It matters not where you’re bound.
I’ll shout it from the mountain top
I want my world to know.
The Lord of love has come to me
I want to pass it on.

I Know Whom I Have Believed
A Tribute to Beloved Sister Bebe

Backgrounder: As a POW during
the Civil War, Daniel Whittle read
the Bible His mother had given
him as he marched off to war and
he committed his life to Christ.
After the war, in which he lost
his arm in battle, Whittle was
promoted to major and became
a successful businessman.
In 1873 he began preaching in
evangelistic services and for a
quarter century he led revivals
throughout the United States.
Whittle penned this hymn in 1883
thinking back to questions he had
asked during his imprisonment.
There were many things he didn’t
know but he certainly know Jesus

Lord, we will put our trust in You:
I was appointed a preacher, an
apostle and a teacher of Gentiles.
That is why I am suffering here
in prison. But I am not ashamed
of it, for I know the one in whom
I trust, and I am sure that he
is able to guard what I have
entrusted to him until the day
of his return (2 Tim 1:11-12).

Father God, there is so much that
I don’t know. But what matters is
that I know Jesus Your Son, gave
His all to ransom me from my sins
I don’t know if I’ll meet Him in the
air or I’ll cross over at the time of
death, like what my sister Bebe
did two days ago. And I know His
Spirit will guide & hold my hand.

I don’t know why I have been
chosen to receive Christ, but
I am grateful His Spirit convinced
me of my need for salvation.
All I need, Your hand will provide,
and all that I entrust to You will be
safely guarded until that day that
I find my resting place in Heaven.

We pray for our loved ones
to be saved, it’s not always in
the sweetest of circumstances
that our prayers are answered.
And yet the story of Daniel
Whittle reminds us the light of
Christ permeates the darkness.
And His Spirit reaches within the
hearts of humankind to reveal His
love and salvation to those whose
hearts are weary & worn of sin.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

I know not why God’s wondrous grace
To me He hath made known,
Nor why, unworthy, Christ in love
Redeemed me for His own.

But I know whom I have believed
And am persuaded that He is able
To keep that which I’ve committed
Unto Him against that day.

I know not how this saving faith
To me He did impart,
Nor how believing in His Word
Wrought peace within my heart.

God of Grace & God of Glory

Backgrounder: God of Grace was
written in 1930 by Harry Fosdick
for the dedication of the famous
Riverside Church in New York City.
The hymn was written while the
US was in the throes of the Great
Depression between the two world
wars. Fosdick was a champion of
social gospel, a movement that
recognized the plight of the poor
during the Industrial Revolution.
The hymn is essentially a petition.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage
concludes each stanza with the
effect of a refrain. A petition begins
stanza 3 with Cure thy children’s
warring madness, bend our pride
to thy control.” The final stanza
begins with “Save us from weak
resignation to the evils we deplore.”

Lord, grant us Power & Courage:
For God has not given us a spirit
of fear, but of power and of love
and of a sound mind. Therefore
don’t be ashamed of the testimony
of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner
but share with me in the sufferings
for the gospel according to
the power of God (2Tim 1:7-8).

Dear Father God, thank you for
the gift of the Holy Spirit who
lives in us, making our bodies
a Temple & blessing us in many
ways, helping us overcome sin
and live self-disciplined lives.
Father, thank you for the Spirit’s
constant presence in our life.
Empower us with courage
as we face challenges in life.
Lord, thank U for giving us
the power to overcome fear.
Show us any area where fear
is holding us back so that we
can press forward into the
life of victory You have for us.
Grant us wisdom and grant us
courage for the living of these days.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

God of grace and God of glory,
On your people pour your power;
Crown your ancient church’s story,
Bring its bud to glorious flower.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage
For the facing of this hour,
For the facing of this hour.

Lo! the hosts of evil round us
scorn the Christ, assail his ways!
Fr the fears that long hv bound us
free our hearts to faith and praise.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage
for the living of these days,
for the living of these days.

Cure yr children’s warring madness
bend our pride to your control;
shame our wanton, selfish gladness
rich in things and poor in soul.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
lest we miss your kingdom’s goal,
lest we miss your kingdom’s goal.

Save us from weak resignation
to the evils we deplore;
let the gift of your salvation
be our glory evermore.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
serving you whom we adore,
serving you whom we adore.