HOW TO USE THIS BLOG
1) The Almanac. Click on the month you want in the side-bar, then the specific date. The blog will tell you what happened in hymn history on that day.
2) Reflections. There is always a current article on a hymn. But you can find many others by clicking on the Index tab. (More being added all the time.)
3) Topical Articles are opinion pieces on many aspects sacred music.
4) To Donate. If you can help with the cost of developing and maintaining this site, click on the “Support” tab above and the page will show you how.
Also see 30+ Ideas for Promoting Hymn Singing in your church. As others have contributed ideas, this wonderful resource has grown to over 80 items now. And, for more than three dozen reasons why congregations should still use hymn books rather than merely projecting words on the wall, see The Value of Hymn Books.
Words: Mary Bowly Peters (b. _____, 1813; d. July 29, 1856)
Music: Ar Hyd Y Nos (meaning all through the night) , a traditional Welsh tune dating from well before 1784. To it we sing an English version of All Through the Night.
Links:
Wordwise Hymns
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org
Note: Mary Peters, was the wife of an Anglican clergyman. With her writings, Mary Peters also contributed hymns to publications of the Plymouth Brethren. the present hymn is sometimes known by its first line, Through the Love of God Our Saviour.
A bountiful harvest is a beautiful sight to see. Whether it’s a field of golden grain, or an orchard with fruit-laden trees, or row on row of vines heavy with grapes, it delights those who’ve laboured long to produce it, and will bless all who’ll receive it.
On Thanksgiving Sunday, many churches have decorations that put the fruits of the field on display. Entering the building and being greeted with the aroma of freshly picked apples, or grapes, brings a smile. The display is a reminder of the multiplied blessings of God, to whom we raise songs of thanksgiving.
There’s something that could well be added to those tokens of blessing, but I’ve never seen it done. I’m referring to a hymn book, which contains a rich treasury that has blessed the church for centuries. Most hymnals have from six to eight hundred songs. Not all are outstanding poetry, but some are. Not all express a depth of biblical truth, but some certainly do. Together, they provide for God’s people a vehicle for united praise and prayer, teaching and testimony.
Some of our hymns and gospel songs focus on one main idea, exploring its implications and emphasizing that single point. But there are others so rich that nearly every line adds another significant Bible-based truth. Hymns such as: How Firm a Foundation; Peace, Perfect Peace; More Holiness Give Me; and, At Even, When the Sun Was Set, are examples of this. They can be read, as well as sung, and make a worthy resource for personal meditation and prayer.
A lesser known hymn like that is All Will Be Well, published in 1847. It makes me think of the cluster of grapes cut down by the Israelite spies sent into Canaan. The Bible says it was so big “they carried it between two of them on a pole” (Num. 13:23). That’s a lot of fruit! And there’s so much of heaven’s bounty, in Mrs. Peters’ hymn it would take several articles to explore it fully.
Consider a few things, with related Scripture texts.
¤ Mentioned a couple of times is the love of God. The Bible tells us this is a fundamental characteristic of His (I Jn. 4:8), and His love for us is both a saving and keeping love (Jn. 3:16; Rom. 8:39).
¤ “Free and changeless is His favour” celebrates the boundless grace of God (Eph. 2:4-7).
¤ We learn too about the power of the shed blood of Christ (Eph. 1:7).
And we have the sealing of God’s Spirit (i.e. the presence of the Spirit of God in the believer is God’s seal of ownership and guarantee of our future, Eph. 1:13-14).
¤ The hymn reminds us the Lord will defend and protect us (Heb. 13:5-6).
¤ And bring us through times of tribulation, giving songs even in sorrow and pain (Job 35:10; Acts 16:23-25).
¤ He watches over us, and meets our needs in life and in death (Phil. 1:21), providing what Mary Peters calls “a full salvation” (Heb. 7:25).
¤ We have available the guidance of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:14), and God’s provision for our needs, through Christ (Phil. 4:19)
¤ We can be happy and content in prayer (Phil. 4:6-7), and fruitful in service for the Lord (Jn. 15:5, 16).
CH-1) Through the love of God our Saviour,
All will be well;
Free and changeless is His favour;
All, all is well.
Precious is the blood that healed us;
Perfect is the grace that sealed us;
Strong the hand stretched out to shield us;
All must be well.
CH-2) Though we pass through tribulation,
All will be well;
Ours is such a full salvation;
All, all is well.
Happy still in God confiding,
Fruitful, if in Christ abiding,
Holy through the Spirit’s guiding,
All must be well.
CH-3) We expect a bright tomorrow;
All will be well;
Faith can sing through days of sorrow,
All, all is well.
On our Father’s love relying,
Jesus every need supplying,
Or in living, or in dying,
All must be well.
Questions:
1) Which of the blessings the hymn deals with mean the most to you just now?
2) If you were writing the hymn, what other blessings would you include?
Wordwise Hymns 
You must be logged in to post a comment.