This past week, I had the privilege of teaching at a Christian music camp founded and staffed by faculty from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY. I was asked to give a short “hymn devotional” to the elementary and high school students and their families in attendance. The following is adapted from my remarks:
This summer, the pastors at Parish Presbyterian Church are going through a series on the psalms. This Sunday, Pastor Mike will be preaching on Psalm 27, which concludes with the psalmist asking, “Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies” (Psalm 27:11). One of the hymns that we’ll be singing alongside this psalm is the classic Welsh hymn, Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah. This hymn begins by asking for guidance from the Lord. As we sing, we are really praying—asking God to lead us when we are weak, hungry, anxious, or afraid. Are some of you anxious right now? Let this hymn be an encouragement to you to trust in God’s providence. I also love how this hymn uses language from the Bible, specifically from the Old Testament. It mentions eating “bread from heaven,” following a “fire and cloudy pillar,” and crossing the Jordan river into Canaan, all images drawn from the story of Moses and the Israelites found in Exodus, Numbers, and Joshua. So this hymn not only encourages us when we are anxious, but also drives us back to the Scriptures where we can find all the comfort we need.
—Henry C. Haffner
