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 Heal Our Nation from 1986.
This one is a little unusual. It’s more of a prayer than most hymns, which focus purely on worship. But you can do both. And prayer is a form of worship. Another unusual aspect of this one is its focus on the nation. Why don’t we sing “Heal the World” – as Michael Jackson did 😀. But we can do both. And perhaps it’s useful to focus on our nation because that’s where we interact with people. And that’s also where we witness first-hand how good and evil affect society.
We want a happier nation, but we also want people to love God, love others and realize that they need a Saviour. I think of the British Isles back in the 18th Century. The Protestant Reformation was a political thing for some, but for others, it meant getting back to the New Testament outlook which emphasized personal faith rather than cultural/political Christianity. It’s often said that God has no grandchildren. What’s meant is that you could have a big revival in the 16th century, but you can’t assume that things will get better and better and that all the new generations will have the same love and zeal for God. By the 18th century, the churches in the British Isles were drifting into rationalism and away from the New Testament outlook.
But then, the Wesley’s, who were influenced by the Moravians were at the heart of a great revival, which had a huge influence on England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland – and America and elsewhere. But we always need new waves of revival. You could visit so many old churches that might have once been associated with revivals and see little evidence of spiritual life. And whole nations can be largely lost to Christianity. And growth can occur in unexpected places, as is happening today. We rejoice in that, but let’s also pray for our own nation.
Here’s an Old Testament verse that touches on the same theme:
2 Chronicles 7:14
14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
In the New Testament, Christianity is a message for all nations. God doesn’t create a new Christian nation or empire – eventhough such things did develop – but they can hardly be described as nations full of true believers. It was more a matter of Christianity having a cultural influence. Yet, we can pray and should pray for our nation and our leaders:
1 Timothy 2:1-2
I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.
I discovered this hymn about 10 year ago when I was trying to learn hymns from the Mission Praise hymn book. I never heard it sung in church, and I don’t see many visual performances on YouTube. But I do see plenty of audio versions. Here’s a selection of performances:
Hibernia Gospel 