When I was a child, through to my early teens, I felt a strong leaning toward the Christian Church. I attended, and later taught Sunday School, and -- a thing that gave me great pleasure -- I sang in the choir. First as a soprano, soaring up to the eaves with the descant, later as an alto, constantly bewailing the lack of good alto parts, but underpinning and adding richness nonetheless.
Over time, and for various personal reasons, I found my faith crumbling and by my early twenties, it was gone. I find, now, that I can't go into a church, even for a wedding, and sing hymns or carols without feeling like a hypocrite -- which makes me very sad, since it cuts me off from something I've always loved to do.
This particular hymn is one of the things that most makes me regret my lack of faith. The tune is thunderous and full of glory, the words celebratory, resonant and expressing everything that a God ought to be.
O worship the King,
All glorious above;
And gratefully sing
His power and His love.
1
Our
shield and defender,
The Ancient of Days;
Pavilioned in splendor
And girded with praise.
O tell of His
might,
O sing of His
grace;
Whose
robe is the light,
Whose
canopy, space.
His chariots of
wrath
The deep thunderclouds form;
And dark is His path
On the wings of the storm.
The earth with its store
Of wonders untold;
Almighty Thy power
Hath founded of old.
Hath established it
fast
By a changeless
decree,
And round it hath
cast
Like a
mantel the sea.
Thy
bountiful care,
what tongue can
recite?
It breathes in the air;
It shines in the light.
It streams from the hills,
It descends to the plain;
And sweetly
distills,
In the
dew and the rain.
Frail
children of dust,
And
feeble as
frail.
In Thee do we trust,
Nor find Thee to fail.
Thy mercies, how
tender,
How firm to the end;
Our Maker, Defender,
Redeemer and Friend.
1dann informs me that in some hymnals this line is rendered "His wonderful love"