I’ve been exploring some of the very modern worship songs as an old guy 😀. But now, I’ve decided to alternate between very modern hymns, old hymns, and in-between hymns, namely the worship songs from the 60s to the 90s that feature in hymnbooks such as Mission Praise. Today it’s the turn of the old hymns.
Today’s song is I Stand Amazed in the Presence
Many old hymns go back a long way. I asked Microsoft Copilot for hymns from every century. I’ll bold the ones that I heard of. And I’ll try to familiarize myself with the others:
- 1st Century: “Phos Hilaron” (Φῶς Ἱλαρόν) – “O Gladsome Light”
- 2nd Century: “Gloria in Excelsis Deo” (Greater Doxology)
- 3rd Century: “Shepherd of Tender Youth” (originally by Clement of Alexandria)
- 4th Century: “Te Deum Laudamus” – “Thee, O God, We Praise”
- 5th Century: “Of the Father’s Love Begotten” (Prudentius)
- 6th Century: “Veni Creator Spiritus” – “Come, Creator Spirit”
- 7th Century: “Be Thou My Vision” (Old Irish text)
- 8th Century: “All Glory, Laud, and Honor” (Theodulf of Orléans)
- 9th Century: “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” (based on the O Antiphons)
- 10th Century: “Christus Vincit”
- 11th Century: “Jesu, Dulcis Memoria” – “Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee”
- 12th Century: “Pange Lingua Gloriosi Corporis Mysterium” (Thomas Aquinas)
- 13th Century: “Dies Irae”
- 14th Century: “Good Christian Men, Rejoice” (In dulci jubilo)
- 15th Century: “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming” (Es ist ein Ros entsprungen)
- 16th Century: “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” (Martin Luther)
- 17th Century: “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty” (Joachim Neander)
- 18th Century: “Amazing Grace” (John Newton, 1772)
- 19th Century: “Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty” (Reginald Heber, 1826)
- 20th Century: “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” (Thomas Chisholm, 1923)
- 21st Century: “In Christ Alone” (Keith Getty & Stuart Townend, 2001)
I get a lot of joy from discovering the really old ones, but today’s hymn is from 1905. It’s always been popular in traditional Irish evangelical churches that I attended. And perhaps it’s the kind of hymn that you might generally only find sung in evangelical churches. In was published in the Prairie Farmer Hymnal, which included many of the “new” gospel songs of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Perhaps some looked at it in the way that some look at all the modern worship songs. It always sounded a little old fashioned rather than timeless to me. But I love the lyrics.
Standing amazed in the presence of Jesus is something that we’ll do in the future. But even now, in a spiritual sense, Jesus is with us. He assured us of His presence in the New Testament:
Matt 18:20
“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
Matt 28:19-20
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
But wasn’t the Holy Spirit sent after Jesus departed as another comforter? So aren’t we in the presence of the Holy Spirit rather than Jesus? But whichever member of the Trinity you speak of, God is omnipresent. He is everywhere. We just need to become aware of His presence. And the Holy Spirit makes us aware of His presence. Sometimes it might seem faint. Other times, people have stated that they almost feel like they’re already in heaven. On two occasions in my life, I dreamt of being in the presence of Christ. Now, you can’t put too much weight on dreams, but I am pretty convinced that these were a little more than dreams. They occurred at times when I was in particular need to the presence of Jesus. And the joy that I experienced was unlike anything that I ever experienced before. I wonder if they might relate to the following verse:
1 Peter 1:8
Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,
The hymnwriter was clearly aware of the presence of Jesus. For some, it might be so intense that it’s a terrifying experience. But the hymnwriter was aware of the deep love that Jesus had for him:
1 I stand amazed in the presence
Of Jesus the Nazarene,
And wonder how he could love me,
A sinner, condemned, unclean.
How marvellous! How wonderful!
And my song shall ever be:
How marvellous! How wonderful
Is my Saviour’s love for me!
Even though the traditional format is probably forgotten by many nowadays, there are modern versions. Times change, but the Saviour is the same, as is our experience of his love:
In fact, it seems that the hymn is still widely known, and I hope that it’ll still be remembered in coming centuries:
Hibernia Gospel 