Thank You, Amelia

“I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; he has hurled both horse and rider into the sea” (Exodus 15:1). This is the very first “song” recorded in Scripture. Obviously, Moses is singing about God’s victory over the Egyptian army who had pursued the Israelites to the Red Sea. It is not so much celebrating the deaths of thousands of soldiers so much as the rescue of two million of God’s people. We have been singing of God’s glory ever since. “I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done. I will be filled with joy because of you. I will sing praises to your name, O Most High” (Psalm 9:1-2). 

After I was saved in 1989, my family started attending a little church in Kittery Point, Maine. It was there I began to learn the classic hymns of the faith. There are so many great hymns. Picking one is hard. It’s like saying, “My favorite Bible verse is…” Just one? Still, if I had to choose just one, I would say my favorite hymn is Holy, Holy, Holy by Reginald Heber. This hymn is inspired by Revelation 4:8 where four heavenly beings are singing, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty – the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.”

Now, Heber’s parents were well-off, and they made sure he got an outstanding education. Soon after completing his education, Reginald was ordained into the Anglican Church, and he became a minister. Rather than using his advantage in life to find the largest and most glamorous church to lead, Reginald chose a tiny church in the little village of Hodnet, England. He intended for his hymn, which he wrote for Trinity Sunday, to be sung between the sermon and the creed by his parish in Hodnet.

Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty!

Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee.

Holy, Holy, Holy! Merciful and mighty!

God in three persons, blessed Trinity!

Unfortunately, at the time, hymn singing was prohibited in Church of England liturgies. Reginald was never able to persuade church authorities to grant permission. We have his widow to thank for ever having heard Holy, Holy, Holy. You see, after sixteen years at the parish in Hodnet, Vicar Heber felt called to India. He was made Bishop of Calcutta. After three years, the intense climate and even more intense responsibility wore on Reginald’s health. Through the hardship, he never relented. Such an effort did he give that on one Sunday, directly after an outdoor sermon to a large group of Indians, Reginald dropped dead from heatstroke. He was only forty-three years old.

After his death, his widow Amelia found fifty-seven of her husband’s hymns in a trunk and published a collection of them. In this volume was this great Trinitarian hymn.

Holy, Holy, Holy! Merciful and mighty!

God in three persons, blessed Trinity.   

Thank you, Amelia.

All told, the Bible contains over four hundred references to singing and fifty direct commands to sing. The apostle Paul urges us to, “Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts” (Colossians 3:16). Whether it is a classic church hymn or a modern worship song, the psalmist encourages us, “Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones! Praise his holy name” (Psalm 30:4). God loves to hear us sing. Yes, all of us. He is listening to our hearts more than our voices.    

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Remember you can email praises and petitions to southchurchprayer@gmail.com. I lift them up every Wednesday at 4:00 pm on Facebook Live.