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 Come Bless the Lord from the 1970s charismatic scene.
Back in the early 1980s, when I committed my life to Christ, I wanted to attend an evangelical church, but I was trying to make up my mind on which church to attend. You had traditional ones such as the Baptist church and Brethren assembly. And there were several Pentecostal/charismatic groups in my city (Cork). Most of the new music and numerical growth was in the charismatic scene, as were most of the ex-Roman Catholics (like myself). I liked the newer stuff, but I wondered if it was a passing fad. And as with any new movement, you’d often hear rumours of silly or sinister people going to all kinds of extremes. But when you met ordinary people from any fellowship, they were all fine – or as fine as any of us are😀.
I eventually settled in the Baptist church, but being young, I was always happy to get out of the house and visit the other newer fellowships. So, I remember this one being sung as the starting hymn in a house church down the road from me. And each time I hear it, I feel blessed and encouraged by that fellowship – 44 years later 😀. They had a wonderful love of Jesus and for each other.
The fellowship has since evolved into a couple of churches, one of which is huge. But the experience is a nice illustration of how meeting together doesn’t only bless us in the present but can affect us throughout their lives. And of course, we can also touch people right around the world. For example, I regularly come across YouTube hymns from a church in Bangalore, India (where I found today’s main version of the hymn). Some of these hymns are almost forgotten in this part of the world, but it’s wonderful that they’re still being sung elsewhere. I don’t want them to be completely forgotten.
Of course Scripture itself also ripples down through history and across the world. Today’s hymn is based on Psalm 134, a short Psalm:
Psalm 134:1-2
A song of ascents.
1 Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord
who minister by night in the house of the Lord.
2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary
and praise the Lord.
3 May the Lord bless you from Zion,
he who is the Maker of heaven and earth.
It’s a very simple passage and a very simple hymn. Some used to frown at these new hymns because they seemed so superficial compared to some of the older hymns. But when I hear it, I just feel that I’m among people who delight in the Lord, which helps me to feel God’s presence and delight in Him.
How can you “bless” the Lord? The NIV uses the word “Praise”, but the King James version uses the world “Bless”. The Hebrew word barak literally means “to kneel”, implying reverent worship. Anyway, this is the reply that Microsoft Co-Pilot gave me when I asked it what’s meant by “blessing” the Lord:
To bless the Lord is to:
- Praise Him
- Thank Him
- Speak well of Him
- Acknowledge His greatness
- Worship Him with humility and joy
It can be more challenging finding versions of these older “modern” songs, but here goes – I’ve done my best 😀: The first one below is a good illustration of how the 1970s house church music found its way into traditional churches. However much we criticize new movements, they often prove a blessing to us in the long run. I remember hearing that some Baptists used to criticize John and Charles Wesley back in the 18th Century because they were Anglicans, but the work of the Wesleys ended up blessing everyone. Even today, we sing their hymns in Baptist churches – and we sing many of the hymns that originated in the modern charismatic and megachurch scenes. And hopefully, we Baptists have been a blessing to others too. Ultimately, we all belong to the one true universal church.
Hibernia Gospel 