Behind the Cabin Door August 2022 : "It was so fitting that God would bring this hymn to my heart especially since school started this month!..."
As I run a fast place life with my ever growing family, hymns frequently come to my mind. I treasure listening to the sweet and uplifting words full of praise to God and encouragement for God's people to do the same. Each hymn carries a story and testimony. One morning, recently, I found myself waking up to and singing the Doxology Hymn.. After reading how this hymn was created I knew it was so fitting that God would bring this hymn to my heart especially since school started this month! I pray this little story will move your heart too, story taken from christianhistoryinstitute.org.
Thomas Ken was orphaned in childhood. He was raised by his older sister, Ann, and her husband.
In 1651, Ken became a scholar of Winchester College and, in 1661, received his B.A. at New College, Oxford. Such Presbyterian schooling during times of political and religious turbulence only deepened his love for the Anglican heritage of his youth. In adulthood, Ken held various church and academic positions.
Writing Hymns for Students
Until becoming Bishop of Bath and Wells in 1684, Ken spent most of his life intertwined with Winchester, both College and Cathedral. There the small-statured prelate, through preaching and music, sought to uplift the spiritual lives of his students.
In 1674, Ken published A Manual of Prayers for the Use of the Scholars of Winchester College. In it, he charged his readers to “be sure to sing the Morning and Evening Hymn in your chamber devoutly.” These hymns were, evidently, already in private circulation. In the 1695 edition, the words to these hymns were published as an appendix. The “Doxology” we sing today was the closing stanza of each of these three hymns (“Awake, My Soul, and with the Sun,” “All Praise to Thee, My God, This Night,” and “My God, I Now from Sleep Awake”).
In a 1709 edition, Ken changed “Praise him above y’ Angelick Host” to “Praise him above, ye heavenly host,” and the lines reached their final form. The world had gained a priceless instrument of praise.
I love that this man, teacher at the time, not only treasured the Word of God but He treasured the lives of his students walk with God too! He gave his time being obedient to write the words of this hymn God was giving him to ENCOURAGE his students to love God and praise Him in their everyday walk.
I encourage you to pray over students today as they are getting back in the routine of school. Pray for their hearts to encounter Jesus on their campuses and in their classrooms through classmates or teachers. Pray that the Word of God will begin to be read again in schools and kids and teachers would treasure the words of truth and be inspired to change and come closer to the heart of God! Pray they will discover the Bible and use this book as first priority in their subject planning list!
Thomas Ken was orphaned in childhood. He was raised by his older sister, Ann, and her husband.
In 1651, Ken became a scholar of Winchester College and, in 1661, received his B.A. at New College, Oxford. Such Presbyterian schooling during times of political and religious turbulence only deepened his love for the Anglican heritage of his youth. In adulthood, Ken held various church and academic positions.
Writing Hymns for Students
Until becoming Bishop of Bath and Wells in 1684, Ken spent most of his life intertwined with Winchester, both College and Cathedral. There the small-statured prelate, through preaching and music, sought to uplift the spiritual lives of his students.
In 1674, Ken published A Manual of Prayers for the Use of the Scholars of Winchester College. In it, he charged his readers to “be sure to sing the Morning and Evening Hymn in your chamber devoutly.” These hymns were, evidently, already in private circulation. In the 1695 edition, the words to these hymns were published as an appendix. The “Doxology” we sing today was the closing stanza of each of these three hymns (“Awake, My Soul, and with the Sun,” “All Praise to Thee, My God, This Night,” and “My God, I Now from Sleep Awake”).
In a 1709 edition, Ken changed “Praise him above y’ Angelick Host” to “Praise him above, ye heavenly host,” and the lines reached their final form. The world had gained a priceless instrument of praise.
I love that this man, teacher at the time, not only treasured the Word of God but He treasured the lives of his students walk with God too! He gave his time being obedient to write the words of this hymn God was giving him to ENCOURAGE his students to love God and praise Him in their everyday walk.
I encourage you to pray over students today as they are getting back in the routine of school. Pray for their hearts to encounter Jesus on their campuses and in their classrooms through classmates or teachers. Pray that the Word of God will begin to be read again in schools and kids and teachers would treasure the words of truth and be inspired to change and come closer to the heart of God! Pray they will discover the Bible and use this book as first priority in their subject planning list!