Friday, November 18, 2016

Today’s Hymn            
My song forever shall record
the tender mercies of the Lord;
your faithful love will I proclaim,
and every age shall know your name.

I sing of mercies that endure,
forever firm, forever sure,
a strong support that never dies,
established changeless in the skies.

Almighty God, your lofty throne
has justice for its cornerstone,
a strong support that never dies,
established changeless in the skies.

With blessing is the nation crowned
whose people know the joyful sound;
they in the light, O Lord, shall live,
the light your face and favor give.

“My Song Forever Shall Record,” from The New Metrical Version of the Psalms
from Glory to God: The Presbyterian Hymnal

Reflection
The lilting tones of this hymn bring to mind pleasant journeys through the countryside. The translation in verse of Psalm 89, which serves as the text, is also pleasing; it speaks of comfort and assurance in the presence of a God who is loving, faithful, and strong to support us against every challenge. At first glance, then, the phrase “with blessing is the nation crowned whose people know the joyful sound” seems simply to indicate further confirmation of the happy status of a nation that is already safe in the fold of its God.

However, if we turn to the original text of Psalm 89, the word that is translated as “sound” for our hymn is actually a word for the blast of a trumpet or horn. In many times in the history of Israel, that blast signals a call to observance of holy moments or serves as a call to battle or as an alarm.

For me, the meaning of the hymn and its significance for our community is transformed in light of that one word. The phrase might be understood to mean that the people who “are made to know God’s call to observance/struggle/alertness” will enjoy the blessings of God that have just been listed: God’s justice, truth, love, and boundless grace.

Consider the world around us. Can you hear God’s call blasting forth, urging us to remember God’s work, to struggle on behalf of the world’s need, and to pay attention to what is going on? Perhaps if we do, and if we heed it, we will truly begin to live in God’s light and favor.

Prayer
God, who calls me to attention, cause me to pay heed to the pain of the world, and grant me the willingness to struggle on its behalf. Stir me from complacency when I am too assured of your blessings, and help me to seek those blessings in the welfare of others. In the name of your son, who was always quick to follow your call, I pray. Amen.

Written by Hardy H. Kim, Associate Pastor for Evangelism

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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