This is one of my favorite hymns. In contemporary worship, the rich poetry of more traditional hymns is often forgotten and overlooked. Never forget that every hymn is actually a prayer to the Lord. We don’t just sing it; we pray it. The distinguished American poet, John Greenleaf Whittier, penned this in 1872 to express his Quaker understanding that we need to approach God “in simple trust”. The first verse says:
Dear Lord and Father of Mankind,
Forgive our foolish ways;
Reclothe us in our rightful mind,
In purer lives thy service find,
In deeper reverence, praise.
This first verse makes an allusion to the story of the man possessed by demons. “This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.” (Mark 5:3-6 NIV)
When he confronted Jesus, a compassionate Christ made him whole. The people of the village could not believe what had transpired. They came out to see this man — whom they regarded as a threat — and instead saw him “sitting there, dressed and in his right mind.” (Mark 5:15 NIV) You and I are like that fragmented man, that tormented soul. Yet the same Jesus can reach out and make us whole. So we pray, “Reclothe us in our rightful mind.”
The Second verse says:
In simple trust like theirs who heard,
Beside the Syrian Sea,
The gracious calling of the Lord,
Let us, like them, without a word,
Rise up and follow thee.
I’ve always appreciated that simple definition of faith: Forsaking All, I Trust Him.
When you feel him calling you in your heart, don’t waste time asking questions or else the opportunity might pass. Just answer his call. He wants us to follow him in simple trust.
Drop thy still dews of quietness,
Till all our strivings cease;
Take from our souls the strain and stress,
And let our ordered lives confess
The beauty of thy peace.
He offers us rest. “In repentance and rest is your salvation, In quietness and trust is your strength.” (Isaiah 30:15 NIV) Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest,” (Matthew 11:28 NIV)
Then, the closing verse:
Breathe through the heats of our desire
Thy coolness and thy balm;
Let sense be dumb, Let flesh retire,
Speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire,
O still, small voice of calm.
That verse reminds us of the time that the prophet Elijah stood at the mouth of a cave. The Lord passed by. “Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, there came a gentle whisper.” (1 Kings 19:11-12 NIV)
When the prophet heard this different kind of silence, he knew it was the Lord. For it was more than silence he was hearing; it was a listening silence. I imagine it was like listening on a phone and hearing someone listening back. This God is the silent listener and the Father we can trust.
