Blessed Jesus, At Thy Word
Blessed Jesus, at Thy Word
Blessed Jesus, at Thy Word
We are gathered all to hear Thee;
Let our hearts and souls be stirred
Now to seek and love and fear Thee,
By Thy teachings, sweet and holy,
Drawn from earth to love Thee solely.
All our knowledge, sense, and sight
Lie in deepest darkness shrouded
Till Thy Spirit breaks our night
With the beams of truth unclouded.
Thou alone to God canst win us;
Thou must work all good within us.
Glorious Lord, Thyself impart,
Light of Light, from God proceeding;
Open Thou our ears and heart,
Help us by Thy Spirit’s pleading;
Hear the cry Thy people raises,
Hear and bless our prayers and praises.
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
Praise to Thee and adoration!
Grant that we Thy Word may trust
And obtain true consolation
While we here below must wander,
Till we sing Thy praises yonder.
Translated by Catherine Winkworth (1827–1878)
THE AUTHOR of this hymn did not know peace until he was nearly thirty. The Thirty Years’ War began the year before he was born, and it tore Europe apart. It was a time of princes wrestling for power, claiming religion as their motive, yet displacing innocent residents of disputed territories. In spite of all the turmoil, this period is rich with hymnody, as true believers launched their prayers and praises to the only Ruler who would listen.
This is a gathering hymn, bringing believers out of the murky world and into the presence of the Lord. It shows a justifiable cynicism about things earthly. All the “knowledge” that was gained as Europe crawled out of the Dark Ages had merely created chaos. There was a desperate need for the Spirit to shine His light on human affairs. God’s people were “wandering,” but they knew they were headed for a heavenly homeland.
One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” Jesus replied, “ ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ ”
Matthew 22:35-37
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