Hymns to strengthen your faith in these difficult times

Barbara Roberts ♦ 12th April 2020 ♦ 3 Comments

[July 25, 2022: There have been some changes made to this post. For more information, read the Editors’ notes at the bottom of the post. Editors.]

I hope these two hymns will encourage you and build your faith. They are not particularly Easter hymns, but they certainly speak of the power and love and mercy of God. I encourage you to sing them out loud. Find the tune below the lyrics.

Hail our once-rejected Jesus

(1) Hail, our once-rejected Jesus!
Hail, our Galilean king!
You have suffered to release us,
hope and joy and peace to bring.
Patient friend and holy saviour,
bearer of our sin and shame;
by your merits we find favour,
life is given through your name.

(2) Paschal Lamb, by God appointed,
all our sins on you were laid;
by almighty love anointed,
full atonement you have made.
All your people are forgiven
through the virtue of your blood;
opened is the gate of heaven,
we are reconciled with God.

(3) Jesus! Heavenly hosts adore you,
seated at your Father’s side;
crucified, this world once saw you,
now in glory you abide.
There for sinners you are pleading,
and our place you now prepare;
always for us interceding,
till in glory we appear.

(4) Worship, honour, power and blessing
you are worthy to receive;
loudest praises, without ceasing,
right it is for us to give.
Help us, bright angelic spirits
joined with ours, your voices raise;
help to show our saviour’s merits,
help to sing Emmanuel’s praise.
(Source [Internet Archive link])

These lyrics can be sung to the tune in this video.

We trust in you, our shield and our defender

(1) We trust in you, our shield and our defender;
we do not fight alone against the foe:
strong in your strength, safe in your keeping tender,
we trust in you, and in your name we go.

(2) We trust in you, O captain of salvation!
in your dear name, all other names above:
Jesus, our righteousness, our sure foundation,
our prince of glory and our king of love.

(3) We go in faith, our own great weakness feeling,
and needing more each day your grace to know;
yet from our hearts a song of triumph pealing,
“We trust in you, and in your name we go.”

(4) We trust in you, our shield and our defender:
yours is the battle — yours shall be the praise!
When passing through the gates of dazzling splendor,
victors, we rest in you through endless days.
(Source [Internet Archive link])

I couldn’t find a YouTube version with the above lyrics, so I’m sharing this instead. The lyrics are almost the same. To my way of thinking, the hymn is better sung a little slower than is done here.

PS — The lyrics I have reproduced here are not copyright.

[July 25, 2022: Editors’ notes:

—For some comments made prior to July 25, 2022 that quoted from the post, the text in the comment that was quoted from the post might no longer be an exact match.
—For some comments made prior to July 25, 2022 that quoted from the post, the text in the comment that was quoted from the post might no longer be found in the post.
If you would like to compare the text in the comments made prior to July 25, 2022 that quoted from the post to the post as it is now (July 25, 2022), click here [Internet Archive link] for the most recent Internet Archive copy of the post.]