Hymn: “The God of Abraham Praise” – David ben Judah Dayyan (c. 1400)
Tune: LEONI
This very Jewish text set to a traditional Hebrew melody is included in most Christian hymnals because we are, in fact, an extension of Judaism. After all, our founder was himself a Jew!
God’s Word is well-established. It has stood for many generations as a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our paths. Its very long-standing nature is one of its strengths. As commanded, we pass it along to our children’s children in order that it may maintain its place among believers yet to come.
The Word of God will stand unshaken when it is deep-writ upon the hearts of those who love it and follow its precepts. I love the term “deep-writ”… or deep-written -- chiseled out, engraved, scribbled in indelible ink, permanently applied to our most-inner self.
I am reminded of stories from the concentration camps of World War II when the Bibles of prisoners were taken from them. We’re told that they would huddle together at night by candlelight and scribble passages of scripture on scraps of paper and hide them from their captors. Eventually they had recreated a large number of the most meaningful verses, many of which reminded them of how God had saved their people from total destruction… and gave them hope that he might indeed do that again. For many, that hope became a reality. (Think SHINDLER’S LIST!)
As a musician, I am drawn to another aspect of that tragic stain upon human history: they seem to have been able to recall many of these scriptures from songs they had sung.
However you are going about it – repetition, memorization, or with anthem texts - writing the Word of God permanently on your heart and mind is an important process because there are times when nothing will satisfy or comfort like drawing upon those remembered verses.
Hear This Hymn Played
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