STEWARDSHIP SINGSPIRATIONSTEWARDSHIP SINGSPIRATIONSTEWARDSHIP SINGSPIRATION By Kelly Mowrer

In the autumn of 1850, revival meetings were held at the John Street Methodist Episcopal Church in New York City. At the end of the meeting on November 20, a young woman walked alone to the altar with a heavy heart. She already knew and loved God but she felt disconnected, apathetic, and longed for something more—something vital and real. Here is how she described that moment:

“After a prayer was offered, they began to sing the grand old consecration hymn, ‘Alas, and did my Savior bleed, and did my Sovereign die?’ And when they reached the third line of the fourth stanza, ‘Here Lord, I give myself away,’ my very soul flooded with celestial light. I

sprang to my feet, shouting ‘hallelujah,’ and then for the first time I realized that I had been trying to hold the world in one hand and the Lord in the other.”

This was Fanny Crosby. She gave herself fully and completely to God that night. She began to see her whole life belonging to Him in sacred trust, and every decision as an act of stewardship.

With her talent for poetry and gift of words fully surrendered to God, she would become one of the greatest hymn writers of all time. A stanza of “Draw Me, Nearer” (hymn #306) beautifully expresses her deeply experiential view that for us to grow closer to God means complete commitment of every part of our life and will:

Stewardship is a total lifestyle. It involves our health, time, talents, environment, relationships, spirituality, and finances.

Distributed by: Southern New England Conference Stewardship Ministries Director: Thomas W. Murray Produced by: Pacific Union Conference Stewardship Department Director: Gordon Botting Design/Assistant Editor: Maricel Felarca

“Riches I have not, nor man’s empty praise,

Thou my inheritance, now and always;

Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,

High King of Heaven, my treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, when victory is won

May I reach heaven’s joys, O bright heaven’s Sun!

Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,

Still be my vision, O ruler of all.”

There are many more beautiful hymns with themes of whole-life

stewardship interwoven throughout their verses. It is a wonderful personal worship devotion to spend time searching through the hymnal and experiencing the words in the

context of God’s infinite love, His sovereignty, our surrender, and our response to His gifts. Here are a

few more titles that you may want to include as you start your own list: “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” (Hymn #154), “My Maker and My King” (Hymn #15), “I Surrender All” (Hymn #309),”Nothing Between” (Hymn #322), and “Jesus Calls Us” (Hymn #285).

October 2016 | Volume 21, Issue 10

Biography: Kelly Mowrer has been blessed to serve God in speaking and concert ministry for over 20 years. Please visit her website at www.Liveatthewell.org. The Devotional Resources section includes more hymn stories and a collection of inspiring quotations and devotionals.

“Music expresses that which cannot be said and on

which it is impossible to be silent.” —Victor Hugo

The Stewpot

“Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,

By the power of grace divine;

Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,

And my will be lost in Thine.”

Whole-life stewardship was a shared theme between Fanny and one of her dear friends, a fellow hymn writer named Frances Ridley Havergal who lived in England. Fanny and Frances never met, however, they corresponded regularly. Once Frances wrote a poem to Fanny that ended with these words:

“Dear blind sister over the sea!

An English heart goes forth to thee.

We are linked by a cable of faith and song,

Flashing bright sympathy swift along;

One in the east and one in the west,

Singing for Him whom our souls love best!

Sister! What will our meeting be,

When our hearts shall sing and our eyes shall see?”

Frances Ridley Havergal grew up in a home overflowing with

music, poetry, and love for God. She had an exceptional gift and passion for learning, studying, and reading literature in English,

German, French, Hebrew, Latin, and Welsh. When she was 11 years old, her mother became ill and called Francis to her bedside. Her dying words were, “Fanny, pray to God to prepare you for all that He is preparing for you.”

Not always in the best of health, Frances lived her life writing poetry, hymns, and serving others however she could. She once wrote a small verse explaining her writing process: “I look up to my Father, for I cannot write alone, ‘Tis sweeter far to seek His strength, than lean upon my own.’” Her great stewardship hymn, “Take My Life and Let It Be” (Hymn #330) interweaves commitment of actions, words, resources, will, and adoration into complete whole-life

stewardship:

“Take my voice and let me sing, always only for my King;

Take my lips and let them be filled with messages from Thee;

Take my silver and my gold, not a mite would I withhold;

Take my heart it is Thine own! It shall be Thy royal throne;

Take myself and I will be, ever, only, all for Thee.”

Another well-known hymn with themes of stewardship and dedication began with a poem written by Rhea F. Miller in 1922. About ten years later, a mother of a young man left a copy of that poem lying in clear view in hopes that her son might find it and be inspired to fully commit his life and talents to God. The young man did find it, composed some music to fit the words, and shared the new song as special music in church that very next weekend. And so it was that people for the first time heard George Beverly Shea sing:

“I’d rather have Jesus than silver

or gold, I’d rather be His than have riches untold,

I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands, I’d rather be led by His nail-pierced hand.”

A few years later, God connected George with the great evangelist Billy Graham. They traveled the world sharing the Gospel, and George spent his life singing his two favorite songs: “How Great Thou Art” and “I’d Rather Have Jesus.” (Hymn #327)

One of our oldest and most beautiful hymns of whole-life stewardship comes from an ancient Irish poem, dating back to the 8th century. In 1905, Mary Elizabeth Byrne translated the

original poem into English and in 1912, Eleanor Hull, set it to verse: “Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart” (Hymn #547). The last two stanzas that we sing today

provide a lovely expression contrasting the temporary wealth of this world with the eternal treasure of our lives when every part is fully surrendered, yielded, and fulfilled in God:

October 2016 “Where words fail, music speaks.” —Hans Christian Andersen