Noteworthy Blog

This week’s devotional song comes from Charles Wesley, one of the most well-known hymn writers of all time. Matt Boswell (His Mercy Is More, Come Behold The Wondrous Mystery) said in a Q&A that Wesley was the “poet laureate” of the church. With well over 5,000 hymn titles to his name, you’d be hard-pressed to say you’ve never heard or sung his work. Over the years, the original 18 stanzas have been reduced to 4-6 depending on the hymnal. What has remained to this day, almost 300 years from when it was written (1739), is a great hymn that encompasses the work of Christ in our personal lives. Oh for a thousand tongues to sing My great Redeemer’s praise The glories of my God and King The triumphs of His grace What we know as the first stanza was originally written as the 7th. You see, this hymn was written on the anniversary of Wesley’s evangelical conversion. With this history in hand, the song begins to come to life in a new way. That’s true for me anyway. Not being a student of poe...

As we explore the basis and application of this more recent hymn (Copyright 2020), we need to go back to 1563 and the first question of the Heidelberg catechism: What is your only comfort in life and death? This is where the writers of this song got their inspiration. Life is full of struggle. For me, it’s seasonal. Currently, in a few areas of my life, I’m in one of those seasons of struggle. It’s no fun. It gets me down and makes me angry. I find myself wrestling with God. The questions of why, how, and when can eat me alive. The stress and anxiety of an uncertain future make me frustrated and sad, and my lament is thick at times. At one point or another, our lives will look more like country songs than we’d like them to. Circumstances often change unexpectedly, and the result can be devastating. The world can crush our world. When we experience the “country song” of life, there can be a plethora of things God is teaching us in those seasons. In th...

How many of you memorized John 3:16 as a child? When you read that reference, do you automatically start reciting the verse in your head? I do. It’s ingrained, second nature, part of me, innate. “For God so loved…” The beginning of the verse is often just that—the beginning. Much of the time and emphasis is spent on the later half of the verse, “that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” But the beginning is immensely important to our understanding of God.”…that he gave his only Son…” This song, “How Deep The Father’s Love For Us” began as a melody in Stuart Townend’s head, according to his own testimony of how it was written. He then was inspired to write lyrics telling the story of Christ’s work on the cross, from the perspective of the Father. The Father who, out of His deep love for us, “vast beyond all measure”, gave His Son “to make a wretch His t...