Praise the Lord Who Reigns Above -- Charles Wesley

No one could have missed what this poet-songwriter was saying when he composed “Praise the Lord Who Reigns Above”, one of the thousands of works by Charles Wesley, an Englishman almost without peer in his phenomenal output. (See the flag of Wesley’s native England here.) His fundamental message was written in the hymn’s opening-title words. And, looking at some of the ancient texts of the songbook that his faith’s forbearers used, one could say that Charles was not afraid nor too proud to borrow a little from what preceded him. Good words flowed from the psalmists, Charles undoubtedly said to himself. So, it was not an accident that Charles got some spiritual and songwriting wind from one of those poets, catching the soul’s devotion that he recognized and decided to repeat in his own version of one of those, perhaps one that God’s own Son and His apostles might have voiced.

 

The word praise appears 10 times in Wesley’s four original verses, and that doesn’t capture all the other words that Wesley used to add some variety to how this praise could be offered. While Charles’s first verse says ‘praise’ four times to emphasize the theme of giving God credit for who He is and what He alone has been capable of doing, this 18^th Century writer was able to find alternate methods for offering God what He deserves in the following three verses. Praise is still on Charles’ lips in those verses another six times, but he adds words and phrases like ‘publish’, ‘spread’, ‘trumpet’s martial sound’, ‘proclaim’, ‘dance’, ‘raise’, ‘advance’, and ‘move’ in verse two alone to diversify the various ways to offer God the adulation a worshipper feels He deserves. Verse three continues this expansion of praise unto Him, with references to instruments other than the human voice – ‘harp’, ‘timbrels’ and ‘cymbals’, and ‘string’ -- telling us who pay attention that Charles thought Godly acclaim was unbounded, and to ‘celebrate’ with the ‘heart’s music’ could take many forms. Verse four was Charles drawing all living things into this orbit of praise to Him, as ‘every creature’ and ‘all things’ give it up for His glory.

 

Charles evidently thought and felt the same as the anonymous author of Psalm 150, as this 18^th Century offering seems to echo many of the same phrases, ideas, and structure present in that psalm; so we can hypothesize that Charles may have been drawing from his open bible and that specific passage for his inspiration. It also seems, to those who have examined the history of hymnody as it unfolded in old England after medieval times, that Wesley was consciously following in the footsteps of Isaac Watts from a generation earlier (in the late 1600s to early 1700s) with his own version of many psalms reworded. Indeed, besides the four verses that Wesley apparently wrote to parallel Psalm 150, another version of Charles’ hymn includes an unattributed verse that appears to be a rephrase of Psalm 97-98, thus carrying on the tradition that Watts and Wesley used in many of their works. It’s a way of saying with intentionality – and striking at the stoic and unbending nature of strict traditionalists – that God isn’t stuck on how you and I praise Him, that the exact words of the ancient Psalms aren’t absolutes. Instead, the keynote is that one word – praise. Whatever you and I do, make certain it is directed vertically. Not much else needs to be said, if we pay attention to how Charles directed his own heart, and ours too, centuries later. Thankfully, God is still making hearts in the same way as He always has.             

 

See here for some information about the hymn’s origin: https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/articles/history-of-hymns-praise-the-lord-who-reigns-above

 

See the original verses here: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/p/l/w/r/plwreign.htm

 

Read about the author here: https://hymnary.org/person/Wesley_Charles and here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Wesley

 

See here for information on the flag image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_England.svg …This work has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder. This applies worldwide. In case this is not legally possible: The copyright holder grants any entity the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law….found inside this document -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/England

 

Sovereign -- Chris Tomlin, Martin Chalk, Matt Redman, Jonas Myrin, Jason Ingram

 

We often think of God as sovereign when He created everything in Genesis, but He will also be sovereign when time will reach full flower, as in Revelation, because His purposes for humanity will not be overcome by all the evil forces of the world and the universe. That is what John discovered in his vision of Him when he was on Patmos, and why he bowed in His presence. (See the Sovereign God depicted in The Vision of John on Patmos, woodcut by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld [1860]). Chris Tomlin, Martin Chalk, Matt Redman, Jonas Myrin, and Jason Ingram also had some thoughts about His role as “Sovereign”, and how that impacts us today. It really makes a difference in my attitude and outlook to know that He made everything, and that He still is. He’s the I AM and He’s made a way for me. So, the trust that these five songwriters placed in God as they thought about His sovereignty in 2012 was not one that acknowledges Him as mere ruler. Why would anyone trust a ruler who is just powerful? That inspires fear. This Sovereign is also Love.

 

Chris Tomlin shared in a live performance and with an interviewer what ‘Sovereign’ has meant for him and what it should mean for those who take in the song’s words. The initial inspiration came from Matt, as Chris responded to a journalist’s question about how he and the others came to write about this special king. The first words that Matt shared were captivating, so that Chris and the others were able to build on what Matt had started. Just think about what it means to have Him as Sovereign – that was the essence of what Chris said was so powerful, especially when this name for Him is repeated throughout the lyrics. ‘Get that in your hearts, church’, is a paraphrase of what Chris said he hopes believers ingest as they hear and sing the words. He’s in our greatest accomplishments, but also there in our greatest failures. That makes Him someone who is perpetually available, a God who allows us to express the joyous overflow of thanksgiving for blessings, and who is also there to embrace and comfort us during the lowest points, too. He’s also not absent during the in-between, during tedium and ho-hum moments, Chris said, because He knows from moment-to-moment where you are. That quality of Him makes it possible for you and me to respond to Him on any occasion, and that’s how Chris suggested the song could be most effective. Give searchers, who can admit that they feel something must be missing in life, the opportunity to look inside of themselves and draw closer to Him who can fill that gap, no matter how big or small it is. And, as Chris further emphasized, He’s got more than gap-filling capability – He can do the amazing in anyone’s life, so just let Him do what He does to give you purpose. Your life doesn’t have to wallow in a solitary confinement pit when He’s in the picture.    

 

Chris also said that this Sovereign is not only powerful and compassionate, but also omniscient. He knows everything about me. And yet, He still wants me, even if I’m struggling and don’t know at times if He’s really there and has a plan for me. He doesn’t have to have a team of detectives follow me and discover what’s up with me. He already has the insight into me, because He’s got angels – like messengers or protectors -- to send in my direction. And, there’s all those like-believers that He’s given me for fellowship, advice, and edification. He’s got all the tools, all the people placed in my life, to give me a better handle on life’s challenges, and also so that I can mimic Him in lending fellow mortals a helping hand. It’s called community. It’s all the preparatory work of this Sovereign that has made this available. ‘Mountain air’ and ‘ocean floor’, in the ‘calm’ and the ‘storm’, and during the ’dark(ness)’ and at the ‘dawn’ – His fingerprints are on all of that, as these five songwriters remind us. ‘Trust’ emerges from knowing that crucial fact. His ‘everlasting arms’ don’t get weary; but, He’s not got them folded across His chest, either. Instead, He's stretched them out wide – cross-wide for you and me.  

 

One of the songwriters (Chris Tomlin) shares some thoughts about the song in a live performance at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVpk-QmISRo (watch from 0:35 – 1:45)  …and also see this link: https://www.worshiptogether.com/songs/sovereign-chris-tomlin/ for more on the song shared by Chris Tomlin (from 0:15 – 1:50)

 

See information on the image here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Schnorr_von_Carolsfeld_Bibel_in_Bildern_1860_236.png …The author died in 1872, so this work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 100 years or fewer. This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1931. …found inside this document -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Revelation

Yes, I Believe God Is Real -- Alton H. Howard

 

This fellow didn’t have to look very far to see why he could answer that “Yes, I Believe God Is Real”. He might have been thinking about what it would be like to have God’s viewpoint of this blue spheroid He created, and indeed Alton Howard saw God in everything he could see in the earth and the universe that He created. (See here the earth, as God might have when He created it.) And so, that spurred Alton’s short testimonial in four verses and a chorus, and they’re not filled with any deep theology, but rather with suggestions about what anyone with two good eyes could ascertain. ‘Just look around yourself’, Alton might have summed up for anyone who asked him about God’s credibility and presence. It might strike a skeptic as too simple, but can you explain what you see without God in the picture? What takes more faith, to believe or not to believe? Is He really too incredible, or absurd? Alton didn’t think so.

 

Alton might easily be described as an exceptional person, and yet he pointed to whom he thought was truly exceptional – as the word actually means, according to the dictionary – and that would be God. Incomparable would be another appropriate adjective for Him, and how Alton perceived that incomparability is what his poem-song is all about. Though what, if any, specific event or circumstances stirred Alton’s inspiration for this song in 1973 (the year associated with its publication) are unknown, this author needed only what his life’s trajectory and its focus of worship spoke to him daily for the song’s content. So much could be said of Alton and his entrepreneurship and how his accomplishments resonate still today, and indeed if you want to know them, just check out the links below this entry – Alton’s obituary was certainly not one of mourning, but a celebration of a life so well lived. But if Alton could be called an entrepreneur extraordinaire, do you think it’s possible he was just looking at someone else as his model? What person looking at what He’s created – and Alton certainly looked quite closely, we could say – would conclude other than how Alton did? Alton Howard ticked them off in his few words – the stars and sky (v.1); storm(s) and the morn(ing) of each new day (v.2); things as small and unnoticed as dew, and others as lively as birds (v.3); and the sun and the evening shade that calibrate our walk here below (v.4). Is that enough to compel belief? Which one in the scope of Alton’s life was the true entrepreneur? God has many names, but when one looks at Alton and what he had to say about Him, other adjectives and names for God come to mind as we examine Alton’s life and how he reflected Him. Perhaps impresario or mogul are how we might characterize Him; how about genius or virtuoso? One of Alton’s eulogists said that he had ‘a pretty good batting average’ in the business things he tried, while having a few that did not work out. But, that’s part of the human experience, isn’t it? Even Christians don’t bat 1.000, though Alton kept swinging.

 

If Alton struck out on a few things, that doesn’t mean he became a doubter. It seems Alton wasn’t necessarily looking at his own achievements and his own efforts to imitate Him as a gauge for his belief. If that had been the barometer, Alton probably would have quit pretty early on in his journey. That’s what we can see if we look at this one extraordinary guy from West Monroe, Louisiana. He must have had a huge reserve of trust in the One whose creation spoke to him so clearly. ‘Try one thing, maybe, and if it doesn’t work out and point to Him or provide for others to see Him better, I’ll try something else’. That sounds like what must have played and replayed in Alton’s mind continually. He’s a God who doesn’t demand perfection, and so I can try again. Fall down? Get back up, and keep looking up. He’s got more in store for you. Others might say you were remarkable, as they reflect on a human life. What’s really remarkable is how He lets us bear His image at all.         

 

Read about the author-composer here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alton_Hardy_Howard   and also here: https://christianchronicle.org/songbook-publisher-entrepreneur-howard-dies-at-age-81/?A=SearchResult&SearchID=2809510&ObjectID=4369268&ObjectType=35

 

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