His Kindness

The hymn Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing repeatedly plays in my mind today. I love the word pictures! Specifically, His kindness in pursuing me resonates deeply, somewhat serendipitously, since Psalm 23:6 has also been playing in my mind over and over.

I grew up with a hymnbook in my hands, not just at church but also at our piano and in the car. The old hymns of the faith still resonate deeply. Do you have a favorite?

Stanza 1: An instrument in His hands – needing tuning

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.

Stanza 1, Robinson, 1758

In that first verse, we invite God to tune our hearts. We have a piano and don’t get it tuned often enough. But when the tuner comes, he uses a tuning fork – a standard measure of specific notes. And then he strikes each key, over and over, making adjustments as needed. And so it is with our lives. The standard measure is the life of Christ or, some might say, the revelation of God through His word. As our relationship with Jesus develops, we become more sensitive to areas that need adjustment. As we read Scripture, the Spirit of God reveals those things we need to put off and to put on.

J. B. Phillips paraphrases Hebrews 4: 12-13 this way: “For the Word that God speaks is alive and active; it cuts more keenly than any two-edged sword: it strikes through to the place where soul and spirit meet, to the innermost intimacies of a man’s being: it exposes the very thoughts and motives of a man’s heart. No creature has any cover from the sight of God; everything lies naked and exposed before the eyes of him with whom we have to do.”

Stanza 2: His kindness chasing after me

Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood;
How His kindness yet pursues me
Mortal tongue can never tell,
Clothed in flesh, till death shall loose me
I cannot proclaim it well.

Stanza 2, Robinson, 1758

In the second verse, the songwriter says, “how His kindness yet pursues me.” That reminds me of Psalm 23, where the Psalmist writes, “Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life … ” (Psalm 23:6 NLT). I love that picture that reminds me I can’t get away from His love, care, or His goodness and love. Where could I go to escape the presence of the Lord – nowhere at all! He is chasing after me – praise God!

Stanza 3: Bound to my master

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

Stanza 3, Robinson, 1758

In this third stanza, I see myself being purchased from the slave block, a debtor to Jesus because He redeems me, and I willingly bind myself to Him. As in Exodus 21, I want to be His servant for life! I am purchased and marked by the Spirit. But simultaneously, I’m prone to wander – oh my! And that always puzzles me. Here, I am redeemed and pursued by kindness, but sometimes, so full of myself, I want to be in control, to deny His ownership over me. I am comforted by these words, “Because of the LORD’s great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning;  great is HIS faithfulness.“

Prayer

Father, you who sent your Son because You love us,
And rescued us, redeeming us from the slavery of sin,
Binding us to You with the seal of Your Spirit,
May we cease our wandering and cling to You,
The author and completer of our faith,
Trusting in Your kindness that leads us to repentance,
So that in all things You might receive the glory —
For everything comes from You and exists by Your power
And is intended for Your glory. Amen.