“It is good to give thanks to the Lord, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, And Your faithfulness every night, On an instrument of ten strings, On the lute, And on the harp, With harmonious sound.” (Psalm 92:1–3)
“It is good to give thanks to the Lord.” And it is good to share and celebrate thanksgiving with music. If you play classical guitar, here are a few hymns for you to enjoy:
For the Beauty of the Earth We Gather Together Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing Now Thank We All Our God Come, Ye Thankful People, Come
You can download free sheet music for these hymns (and more) here:
You are welcome to copy and share these hymns with friends and fellow guitarists. You can use them for accompanying congregational singing, playing prelude or offertory music, or simply playing for your own enjoyment. Please copy the full page with the website address and the “Used by Permission” notice at the bottom (see Permissions).
To have Christ is to have all we need! To rest in Him is more valuable and more satisfying that anything this life can offer. But too often the trials and troubles of this world overwhelm us and keep us from fully laying hold of the riches we possess in Christ.
John Ryland, an English Baptist pastor and hymn writer, understood this struggle of faith. In 1777 (the same year he wrote “Sovereign Ruler of the Skies”), he composed the hymn “O Lord, I Would Delight in Thee.” The hymn is a prayer expressing his desire for a “stronger faith” anchored in God’s sure Word. In it he exposes his own (and our) folly. We focus too intently on the parched world around us, whose “streams are dried,” bemoaning our thirst, when all the while Christ is near— “a fountain which will ever run with waters sweet and clear.” Ryland reminds himself of God’s goodness. “While Christ is rich,” we “can’t be poor”! Even if all the joys and blessings of this world fade away, Christ’s “fulness is the same.”
The hymn was written December 3, 1777 and published in Rippon’s Selection (1798). The lyrics were heartfelt and especially meaningful to the hymn writer. According to John Julian in the Dictionary of Hymnology, Ryland attached a note to the manuscript that read: “I recollect deeper feelings of mind in composing this hymn, than perhaps I ever felt in making any other.”
May God stir in us such heavenly desires! In these uncertain times, may we cast all our cares upon the Lord, and may our “great concern” be to love and praise Him more!
O Lord, I Would Delight in Thee
“Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4)
O Lord, I would delight in Thee, And on Thy care depend; To Thee in ev’ry trouble flee, My best, my only Friend.
When all created streams are dried, Thy fulness is the same; May I with this be satisfied, And glory in Thy Name.
Why should the soul a drop bemoan, Who has a fountain near— A fountain which will ever run With waters sweet and clear?
No good in creatures can be found, But may be found in Thee; I must have all things and abound, While God is God to me.
O that I had a stronger faith, To look within the veil; To credit what my Savior saith, Whose words can never fail.
He that has made my heav’n secure Will here all good provide; While Christ is rich, I can’t be poor; What can I want beside?
O Lord, I cast my care on Thee; I triumph and adore; Henceforth my great concern shall be To love and praise Thee more.
These past few weeks have reminded me again how much I treasure the gathering of the church. I don’t so much miss going to a building, though buildings can be beautiful places to gather. I miss being with the gathered people of God—coming together to pray, sing, fellowship, and hear the preaching of God’s Word. It is a great kindness of God to allow us to walk together through this life, to share one another’s burdens, to comfort and encourage one another.
I’m praying that God will bring a swift end to the pandemic in days ahead, so we can once again gather as a church without fear of inadvertently doing one another harm. But even more, I’m praying that God will remind us how beloved the church is, that we would learn more deeply to treasure one another in Christ.
I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord.” Psalm 122:1
How Dear and Treasured in the Church
How dear and treasured is the church, With voices joined in praise and prayers, For God has made us one in Christ, To share our sorrows, joys and cares.
Entrusted with the truth of God, Called out to make the gospel known, We boldly as His church proclaim: There’s grace and hope in Christ alone!
God fashions us as living stones; Assembled as His dwelling place. Though we were dead, He gives us life, Each soul a miracle of grace.
Built as a buttress of the truth, A pillar rising to the sky, God sets His church before the world, His Word and name to magnify.
To all the world we testify, Our lives display in word and deed The matchless worth of knowing Christ, The boundless depth of our great need.
Brought near to God by Christ’s shed blood, Loved and adopted as His own, A household built upon the Word, With Christ Himself the Cornerstone.
Built on this Rock, the church will stand, The gates of hell shall not prevail, All who are Christ’s shall be raised up, The Word of God will never fail.
O Spirit, now we thank You For giving us Your Word. Please bless its proclamation, The truths that we have heard. Indwell us and empow’r us, And cause us to obey; Shine now the light of Scripture On all we do and say.
Great Artist of the Scriptures, In beauty You have made God’s Word to shine in glory That cannot fail or fade. In poetry and proverbs, Through narrative and line; In prophecy and hist’ry, God’s truth in splendor shines.
You, down through many ages Inspired men to write, Progressively revealing, You brought God’s truth to light. O Spirit, come illumine This truth for us today; And guide us in sound doctrine, The straight and narrow way.
Wield now Your Sword, O Spirit, The quick and living Word, And rend our hearts asunder With truths that we have heard. O search us now and know us, Expose iniquity; Conform us to our Savior, And holy we shall be.
This hymn is a prayer addressed to the Holy Spirit, who inspired and crafted the Word of God. It is written to serve as a closing hymn following the preaching of the Word. In the hymn we respond to the preaching by asking the Spirit to “bless its proclamation” and apply it in an effective way to our lives. The final verse is based on Hebrew 4:12. Scripture is the sword of the Spirit, who skillfully and lovingly lays bare our hearts with truth.
“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
The idea for the hymn came in October 1995 during a Sunday School class taught by Steve Garrick at Heritage Baptist Church. Steve was teaching a series of lessons on the person and work of the Holy Spirit. During the lesson on October 22nd, he compared the Spirit’s work in bringing us God’s Word to that of an artist. When God revealed His Word to us, he did not package it as a “systematic theology.” He chose and inspired men to write from their own experiences in poetry, proverb, narrative, history, and prophesy. The Bible is a great work of art crafted by the Spirit “through many ages” as God-breathed revelation. I thought during the class that the comparison would work well for lyrics to a hymn. I finally wrote the hymn several months later. I finished the lyrics on July 8, 1996 while driving to Dallas Baptist University, where I was teaching Classical Guitar during the summer semester. The hymn tune is named for Pastor Steve Garrick.
We have every reason to pray. We are fragile and have great needs. God is great and does wondrous things (Psalm 40:10). We are burdened and weighed down by sin. God is “is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy” (Psalm 103:8). We are troubled and oppressed. God alone can save; salvation belongs to Him (Psalm 3:8).
Hope and help are always close at hand, yet too often we fail to pray. The very reasons that should compel us to seek God in prayer become the cause of our discouragement. We feel weighed down by our needs and undone by our sin. We feel weak and ashamed. We wrongly conclude that God will reject us when we come to Him. We think that He will turn us away, and so we do not pray.
Daniel Herbert’s hymn, “Come Boldly to the Throne of Grace,” is a welcoming encouragement to pray. Though we are “wretched sinners,” we can lay our load at Jesus’ feet. Though we are “lost and blind and lame” in our sin, the Lord will befriend us. Though we are “bankrupt” and feel the terrible weight of sin’s condemnation, we are assured of the promise: “The Lord will take you in.” Because of Christ we can “come boldly to the throne of grace” and “obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).
Come Boldly to the Throne of Grace
Come boldly to the throne of grace, Ye wretched sinners come; And lay your load at Jesus’ feet, And plead what He has done. “How can I come?” some soul my say, “I’m lame and cannot walk; My guilt and sin have stopped my mouth; I sigh but dare not talk.”
Come boldly to the throne of grace, Though lost and blind and lame; Jehovah is the sinner’s Friend And ever was the same. He makes the dead to hear His voice, He makes the blind to see. The sinner lost He came to save, And set the pris’ner free.
Come boldly to the throne of grace, For Jesus fills the throne; And those He kills He makes alive, He hears the sigh or groan. Poor bankrupt souls; who feel and know The hell of sin within, Come boldly to the throne of grace, The Lord will take you in.
Tom Wells (Heritage Baptist Church in Mansfield, Texas) composed the tune for this hymn. Download free sheet music (PDF), including a guitar chord charts and an arrangement of the hymn tune HERBERT for classical guitar.
Many voices in our day are crying out for justice. We see oppression and we want it to stop. We see pain and we want to bring relief. We know that there is much wrong with the world and we want to make things right. But try as we might, evil and suffering persist. We still live in a fallen and broken world. How are we to overcome pain and find peace? How can we offer forgiveness, yet achieve true justice? How can we pursue reconciliation, yet punish evil? The answers to these questions elude us. Our ways fail and fall short. The world simply cannot provide the justice and righteousness that we long to see.
But there is hope! Where we stumble, God triumphs. His ways are not our ways. He alone can accomplish what we cannot. His ways are astounding! His ways are astonishing. Isaiah speaks of “the latter days” when
Many people shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore. O house of Jacob, come and let us walk In the light of the Lord. (Isaiah 2:3–5)
God judges the nations. He will bring us true and lasting peace. Through the prophet Hosea, God gives us His promise.
“I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me In righteousness and justice, In lovingkindness and mercy; I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, And you shall know the Lord.” (Hosea 2:19–20)
God is righteous and just. He cannot overlook our sin. His Law demands that He punish our sin. Yet God is merciful and abundant in lovingkindness. He looks upon us with compassion. He has made a way to rescue us from sin. How can He do both? He has accomplished both by sending His Son. In Christ we see His perfect righteousness as well as His abundant lovingkindness. At the cross He united justice and mercy. In Christ there is hope! In Him there is righteousness that we could never attain on our own. In Him we find true peace, forgiveness, and reconciliation. We must go to the cross if we are to be made whole.
How astounding! How astonishing Are the ways of our God! Look to His Word, Find rest in His love, Come walk in the light of the Lord!
“O house of Jacob, come and let us walk In the light of the Lord” (Isaiah 2:5).
How can we know what’s just and right? The world is dark and blind. And where is hope for those condemned? Forgiveness who can find? When sinned against and faced with wrongs, The world decries its loss; But God says look beyond our grief To hope found at the cross
How astounding! How astonishing Are the ways of our God! Look to His Word, Find rest in His love, Come walk in the light of the Lord!
We seek for justice, yet we know, The world can’t satisfy. Its methods to atone for sin Fall short or go awry. The righteousness we long to see, The world cannot provide. The only place where sins are cleansed: The cross where Jesus died.
How astounding! How astonishing Are the ways of our God! Look to His Word, Find rest in His love, Come walk in the light of the Lord!
The full forgiveness of God’s love, The world can’t comprehend. For it seeks justice in its own Perpetual revenge. But in the Gospel of God’s grace Is love the world can’t give. Because we are forgiv’n in Christ, We also can forgive.
How astounding! How astonishing Are the ways of our God! Look to His Word, Find rest in His love, Come walk in the light of the Lord!
So come and see the love of God Unto the world revealed. Come kneel before the cross for there Our deepest pains are healed. Believe the promise in His Word, The world our God so loved. He will forgive, raise up, and call A sinner His beloved.
How astounding! How astonishing Are the ways of our God! Look to His Word, Find rest in His love, Come walk in the light of the Lord!
“…for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people, for there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10–11).
Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. I especially enjoy sharing and celebrating through music the good news of Christ’s coming. If you are a guitarist looking for music to play during this season of Advent and Christmas, here are a few hymns and songs I recently added:
You are welcome to copy and share these hymns with friends and fellow guitarists. You can use them for accompanying congregational singing, playing prelude or offertory music, or simply playing for your own enjoyment. Please copy the full page with the website address and the “Used by Permission” notice at the bottom (see Permissions).
Wondrous King, all glorious, Sovereign Lord victorious, O, receive our praise with favor!
These words begin a glorious hymn of praise composed by the German Reformed hymn-writer Joachim Neander (1650–1680). According to John Julian’s Dictionary of Hymnology, the hymn was based on Psalm 150:6, and intended for “Thanksgiving” with the original title: “Inciting oneself to the Praise of God.” It was published in 1680 (the year of Neander’s death) in a collection with other hymns that he had written, including “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty.”
Neander composed both the tune and the text for “Wondrous King All-Glorious.” The first 16 measures of the tune are based on an often-used chord progression of his day. It is the same chord progression that Johann Pachelbel also adapted and made famous in his “Canon in D.” Pachelbel’s Canon was written sometime in the 1680s, near the time Neander’s tune was composed.
Wondrous King, All-Glorious
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord! (Psalm 150:6)
Wondrous King, all glorious, Sovereign Lord victorious, O, receive our praise with favor! From thee welled God’s kindness Though we in our blindness Strayed from Thee, our blessed Savior. Strengthen Thou, Help us now; Let our tongues be singing, Thee our praises bringing.
Heavens, spread the story Of our Maker’s glory, All the pomp of earth obscuring. Sun, thy rays be sending, Thy bright beams expending, Light to all the earth assuring. Moon and star, Praise afar Him who glorious made you; The vast heavens aid you.
O my soul, rejoicing, Sing, thy praises voicing, Sing, with hymns of faith adore Him! All who here have being, Shout, your voices freeing, Bow down in the dust before Him. He is God Sabaoth; Praise alone the Savior, Here and there forever.
Hallelujahs render To the Lord most tender, Ye who know and love the Savior. Hallelujahs sing ye, Ye redeemed, O, bring ye Hearts that yield Him glad behavior. Blest are ye Endlessly; Sinless there forever, Ye shall laud Him ever.
Download free sheet music (PDF) for this hymn, including guitar chord charts, an arrangement of the hymn tune WUNDERBARER KÖNIG for classical guitar, and an arrangement for the tune for instrumental ensemble.
Here is another hymn from my archives. According to my journal, I composed my 2nd hymn 34 years ago (September 1985) as “a call to worship proclaiming God’s sovereignty in salvation as well as in creation.” The title is taken from the prayer recorded in the 2nd chapter of Jonah. In this prayer Jonah says: “Yet You have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God (2:6)” At the end of the prayer in verse 9 he declares: “Salvation is of the Lord.”
Salvation Is of Our Lord!
But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord. (Jonah 2:9)
1. We, Your children, praise You, Father, And receive Your love outpour’d. We proclaim this truth in wonder: Salvation is of our Lord!
2. We were sinners lost in darkness, Bound to death by sin’s strong cord. Your free grace has wrought our freedom; Salvation is of our Lord!
3. We, Your saints beforehand chosen, Called of God, by You adored, Given part in Christ’s atonement; Salvation is of our Lord!
4. Guide us, Father, as we worship, Join our hearts in one accord. Joyfully we sing before You: Salvation is of our Lord!
When we hear or read God’s Word, we should always pray for understanding and wisdom. And when we have opportunity to gather with the church and sit under the preaching and teaching of God’s Word, we should pray for the pastor. Apart from God’s grace, all our efforts to worship and serve Him will be in vain.
Lord We Come to Hear Your Word
A Prayer for God’s Grace in Worship
Lord, we come to hear Your Word.
Shine Your light! Unsheathe Your sword!
Send Your Spirit forth in pow’r.
Come and bless Your church this hour.
We confess, our thoughts have strayed;
Minds distracted and dismayed.
On the Son fix now each thought;
Help us worship as we ought.
Lord, as we prepare to hear,
Wake each soul, unstop each ear.
Conquer every stubborn heart;
Mercy, saving grace impart.
We confess, without Your grace,
Vain our efforts in this place.
Send illumination’s light;
Open eyes and give us sight.
Lord, we lift up to Your care
Him who stands now to declare
Truth that teaches, warns, consoles;
Bless this feast to feed our souls.
For Your Word, O Lord, we yearn;
Empty, let it not return.
Come, accomplish all Your will —
Draw, convict, give life and fill.
For Your Word, O Lord, we yearn;
Empty, let it not return.
Come, accomplish all Your will —
Draw, convict, give life and fill.
Draw, convict, give life and fill.
