This is a musical prayer especially for the ‘little ones’ of the earth, those who are weak, vulnerable, overlooked, and often oppressed. I posted it in April, 2016 where I say a bit more about the title.
The Strongest Prayer I Know
Come, Ye Disconsolate
Photo by Cristian Newman on Unsplash
Here’s a traditional gospel tune by Samuel Webbe, words by Thomas Moore and Thomas Hastings. My arrangement is based largely on the beautiful recording done by Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway: https://youtu.be/7h8hTomC_8M
Come, ye disconsolate, where’er ye languish;
Come to the mercy-seat, fervently kneel;
Here bring your wounded hearts, here tell your anguish,
Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal.
Joy of the comfortless, light of the straying,
Hope of the penitent, fadeless and pure;
Here speaks the Comforter, tenderly saying—
Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot cure.
Here see the Bread of Life; see waters flowing
Forth from the throne of God, pure from above;
Come to the feast of love; come, ever knowing
Earth has no sorrow but heaven can remove.
New music – Have You Not Seen?
A meditation based on the traditional hymn “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty”.
The words are by Joachim Neander, translated by Catherine Winkworth. Two of the verses that are never included in modern hymnals seem almost eerily appropriate for our current times. I have included below all seven verses listed on cyberhymnal.org.
hymnary.org does a nice job of providing background and full texts from just about every hymnal imaginable.
Grace and peace to you…
dw
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation!
All ye who hear, now to His temple draw near;
Praise Him in glad adoration.Praise to the Lord, who over all things so wondrously reigneth,
Shelters thee under His wings, yea, so gently sustaineth!
Hast thou not seen how thy desires ever have been
Granted in what He ordaineth?Praise to the Lord, who hath fearfully, wondrously, made thee;
Health hath vouchsafed and, when heedlessly falling, hath stayed thee.
What need or grief ever hath failed of relief?
Wings of His mercy did shade thee.Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee;
Surely His goodness and mercy here daily attend thee.
Ponder anew what the Almighty can do,
If with His love He befriend thee.Praise to the Lord, who, when tempests their warfare are waging,
Who, when the elements madly around thee are raging,
Biddeth them cease, turneth their fury to peace,
Whirlwinds and waters assuaging.Praise to the Lord, who, when darkness of sin is abounding,
Who, when the godless do triumph, all virtue confounding,
Sheddeth His light, chaseth the horrors of night,
Saints with His mercy surrounding.Praise to the Lord, O let all that is in me adore Him!
All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him.
Let the Amen sound from His people again,
Gladly for aye we adore Him.
New music – Lamb of God
Here is a piano version (shortened) of a worship song that is a setting of the Agnus Dei.
These are the words:
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world;
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world;
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world;
grant us your peace.
Grace and peace to you…
dw
New music – Mary’s Song
This is a piano version of a choral setting of the song of Mary (often called the Magnificat) from the Gospel of Luke.
Grace and peace to you…
dw
My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit has rejoiced in God my savior. For he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
For he has regarded the lowliness of his handmaiden.
For behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.His mercy is on them who fear him throughout all generations. He has fed the hungry with good things and the rich he has sent empty away.
He has showed strength with his arm, he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has put down the mighty from their seat, and has exalted the humble and meek.He has helped his servant, the people Israel, remembering his mercy as promised to our fathers, Abraham and his children forever.
(Text of choral arrangement, based on 1940 Hymnal.)
dw piano music 