Today, we take this opportunity to give gratitude to all our fellow dear Saints, past and present, who are faithfully fighting the good fight in building the Kingdom of God. We are increasingly thankful for you.
“…be filled with the Spirit;
Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:18-20)
Praise be to God for his countless gifts and mercies as declared in many beautiful psalms of gratitude.
With this sentiment in mind, here is a lesser known hymn printed in the 1871 Deseret hymnal. Have you heard it?
When all thy mercies, O my God,
My rising soul surveys,
Transported with the view,
I’m lost In wonder, love and praise.
O, how shall words with equal warmth.
The gratitude declare,
That glows within my ravished heart!
But thou canst read it there.
Thy Providence my life sustained,
And all my wants redressed,
When in the silent womb I lay,
Or hung upon the breast.
To all my weak complaints and cries
Thy mercy lent an ear.
Ere yet my feeble thoughts had learned
To form themselves in prayer.
Unnumbered comforts to my soul
Thy tender care bestowed,
Before my infant heart conceived
From whom those comforts flowed.
When in the slipp’ry paths of youth
With heedless steps I ran,
Thine arm unseen conveyed me safe,
And led me up to man.
Through hidden dangers, toils and death
It gently cleared my way,
And through the pleasing snares of vice,
More to be feared than they.
PART SECOND.
When worldly sickness, oft has thou,
With health renewed my face
And, when in sin and sorrow sunk,
Revived my soul with grace.
Thy bounteous hand with worldly bliss
Has made my cup run o’er;
And, in a kind and faithful friend,
Has doubled all my store.
Ten thousand thousand precious gifts
My daily thanks employ,
Nor is the least a cheerful heart
That tastes those gifts with joy.
Through every period of my life
Thy goodness I’il pursue,
And after death in distant worlds
The glorious theme renew.
When nature fails, and day and night
Divide their works no more.
My ever grateful heart, O Lord,
Thy mercy shall adore.
Through all eternity, to thee
A joyful song I’ll raise;
But oh, eternity’s too short
To utter all thy praise.
(By Joseph Addison (1671-1719) Included in “Sacred Hymns and Spiritual Songs,” HYMN 291, Printed in Deseret, 1871.)
Here is another powerful song of the heart, printed in the same Deseret hymnal:
To Him Who made the world.
The sun, the moon and stars,
And all that in them is,
With days and months and years;
To Him who died,
That we might Live,
Our thanks and songs
We freely give.
Our hope in things to come,
The Spirit’s quickening powers,
Should turn our hearts to him.
Who makes his blessings ours
That we may sing
Of things above.
And always know
That God is love.
When he comes down from heaven.
And earth again is blest,
Then all his ransomed heirs
Will find their promised rest.
With all the just
Then they may sing,
God is with us.
And we with Him.
(Hymn 11, Sacred Hymns and Spiritual Songs, Printed in Deseret,1871.)
As we recognize all the countless ways we are blessed by our Creator, day by day—how grateful we are for the greatest of all gifts from our Father—the gift of His Son Jesus Christ, our Savior, our Redeemer, our Deliverer. Daily it is his abiding Spirit, loving kindness, and mercy we humbly seek.
May we look to him in all things, that we may be like him. And may we humbly sing his praise this day and always.