Treasured friend,
As I was thinking over the Thanksgiving songs we prepared in advance for our senior congregation to enjoy by closed-circuit TV tomorrow, the lyrics of the old classic danced through my mind. Soon, they became a prayer from my heart. My, how relevant is this old lyric to our situation today.
We gather together
To ask the Lord's blessing
(how we wish we could gather!)
He chastens and hastens
His will to make known
(sometimes correction is the most loving gift He can offer)
The wicked oppressing
Now cease from distressing
(please, Lord, we need your intervention!)
Sing praises to His name
He forgets not His own
(oh, what an amazing promise!)
Verse 2
Beside us to guide us
Our God with us joining
(maybe we're not alone after all!)
Ordaining maintaining
His kingdom divine
(we're not home yet!)
So from the beginning
The fight we were winning
Thou Lord wast at our side
All glory be Thine
(the only victory we can gain comes at His hand!)
Verse 3
We all do extol Thee
Thou Leader triumphant
(Oh, yes, that's what the holiday is to do ... thank our Lord!)
And pray that Thou still
Our Defender wilt be
(Please, God, defend us as only You can!)
Let Thy congregation
Escape tribulation
(Oh my, yes, please deliver us from evil!)
Thy name be ever praised
O Lord make us free.
(Free to sing our praise to You, Lord, together, forever!)
I found this a beautiful exercise in making rich lyrics my own. It's something we all can practice, using an old hymn, a psalm, or a contemporary song of substance. I came away encouraged ... and pray you will, as well.
Julie
© 2020, Julie-Allyson Ieron. All rights reserved. For reprint permission, email: orders@joymediaservices.com
Lyrics © Public Domain Eduard Kremser | Theodore Baker
