Robert Robinson, 1735–1790
O Lord, You are my God: I will exalt You and praise Your name, for in perfect faithfulness You have done marvelous things, things planned long ago. (Isaiah 25:1)
It would be enlightening if the people in the pew could stand on the platform and observe the congregational singing during an average church service. One would soon concur that there are many who appear to have attended church without the express purpose of having a personal encounter with God. Comparatively few people reveal evidence of losing themselves in worship and praise or of appropriating the great truths about which they sing.
How different would be our times of corporate praise if each of us would heed the apostle Paul’s teaching of “singing with the Spirit and with the understanding also” (1 Corinthians 14:15). Not all of us are able to sing tunefully, but everyone in whom the Spirit of God dwells can and should respond with joyful praise when the opportunity is presented.
During his early teen years, Robert Robinson lived in London, where he mixed with a notorious gang of hoodlums and led a life of debauchery. At the age of 17 he attended a meeting where the noted evangelist George Whitefield was preaching. Robinson went for the purpose of “scoffing at those poor, deluded Methodists” and ended up professing faith in Christ as his Savior. Soon he felt called to preach the gospel and subsequently became the pastor of a rather large Baptist church in Cambridge, England. Despite his young age, Robinson became known as an able minister and scholar, writing various theological books as well as several hymns, including these words written when he was just 23 years of age:
Come, Thou Fount of ev’ry blessing, tune my heart to sing Thy grace; streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise. Teach me some melodious sonnet sung by flaming tongues above; praise the mount—I’m fixed upon it—mount of Thy redeeming love.
Here I raise mine Ebenezer—hither by Thy help I’m come; and I hope by Thy good pleasure safely to arrive at home. Jesus sought me when a stranger wand’ring from the fold of God; He to rescue me from danger interposed His precious blood.
O to grace how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be! Let Thy goodness like a fetter bind my wand’ring heart to Thee: Prone to wander—Lord, I feel it—prone to leave the God I love; here’s my heart—O take and seal it; Seal it for Thy courts above.
For Today: 1 Samuel 7:10–12; Psalm 68:19; Zechariah 13:1; Romans 5:2
Why not raise your “Ebenezer” (a memorial to God’s faithfulness) with these words—
Osbeck, K. W.
- And [as] Samuel offered the burnt offering, the Philistines came to fight against Israel: but the Lord thundered with a great thunder that day upon the Philistines, and scattered them: so they were slain before Israel. And the men of Israel went from Mizpah, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them until they came under Beth Car. Then Samuel took a stone, and ptiched it between Mizpah and Shen, and called the name thereof Ebenezer, and he said, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us. 1 Samuel 7:10–12
- Praised be the Lord, even the God of our salvation, which ladeth us daily with benefits. Selah. Psalm 68:19
- In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness. Zechariah 13:1
- By whom also through faith we have had this access into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice under the hope of the glory of God. Romans 5:2
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