Begin, my tongue, some heav’nly theme
And speak some boundless thing:
The mighty works or mightier name
Of our eternal King.
Tell of His wondrous faithfulness
And sound His pow’r abroad;
Sing the sweet promise of His grace,
The love and truth of God.
His very word of grace is strong
As that which built the skies;
The voice that rolls the stars along
Speaks all the promises.
O might I hear Thy heav’nly tongue
But whisper, “Thou art mine!”
Those gentle words shall raise my song
To notes almost divine.

Isaac Watts (1674-1748)

IN HIS ORIGINAL HYMNAL, Isaac Watts put this hymn under the heading, “The Faithfulness of God.” At that point there were six stanzas, one of which was: “Proclaim ‘Salvation from the Lord for wretched dying men!’ His hand has writ the sacred Word with an immortal pen.”

A Yorkshire preacher, speaking of the sure promises of God, told of seeing a young lad rubbing at the engraved letters on a brass plate, trying to rub them out. The harder he rubbed, the brighter the letters shone. “Ah,” said the preacher, “that is what Satan is trying to do. But the harder he rubs, the more it shines, because God’s hand has writ the sacred Word with an immortal pen.”

Your faith in God’s promises may be under attack, but you can rest in the assurance that God’s Word stands firm. The harshest opposition only serves to enhance the brilliance of His care for you.

Copied from The One Year Book of Hymns by Robert Brown and Mark Norton. Tyndale House: NY, 2017.

Note: This hymn is in the public domain, but the comments are under copyright by Tyndale House.

Photo taken in Milton, FL, 2021

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