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 in-between hymns.
Today’s song is Give Me Oil in My Lamp from 1974, but various versions have been recorded, and it actually goes back to 1931. But I’m most familiar with the modern versions.
It feels like a kids song, but I love singing it. It’s the sort of hymn that lifts your spirit, both musically and lyrically. What exactly does “hosanna” mean? It’s a Hebrew word meaning “save us now”. People shouted it as Jesus approached Jerusalem days before His death. It’s often thought that the same people who shouted that shouted “crucify him” days later, urged on by the Jewish leaders. But we don’t really know the specifics. We do know that by dying on the cross, Jesus became the Saviour of the world. And maybe many of these people were among the 3,000 who believed and were saved on the day of Pentecost some weeks after.
And now “Hosanna” has evolved into a declaration of praise – a little like “Hallelujah” – a joyful declaration of praise, expressing confidence that salvation has come. I spoke both words for years without knowing what they actually meant. But sometimes it’s hard to put praise into normal words. I suspect that those who “speak in tongues” feel close to God, not because they’re actually speaking in angelic languages, but because they praise God from their hearts. I often see it as being a little like playing the “air guitar” – you do that because you’re so excited about seeing a real guitarist that you want to be like them in some way. So, even if it isn’t a direct work of the Holy Spirit, people are so inspired by what happened at Pentecost that they want a little taste of it. But you can do all that by singing and praising God in normal language.
It’s a simple hymn, but I remember getting confused and singing “Give me oil in my heart”. Maybe you’d need that if you were a robot 😀.
Here are some other versions. I noticed a Byrd’s version too, but I didn’t think it worth including 😀. It didn’t sound very joyful.
Hibernia Gospel 