Notes of Faith October 17, 2025
Voices of Praise
And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: “Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!”
Revelation 5:13
One of Charles Wesley’s most loved hymns is “O for a Thousand Tongues.” He wrote this hymn in 1739 on the one-year anniversary of his conversion to Christ. In the opening line, Wesley wished for a thousand tongues with which to sing praises to Christ.
Wesley’s hymns did much to revolutionize and energize congregational singing in churches of his era, a transition that has continued through today. One wonders if Wesley was inspired by the “congregational” singing found in the heavenly visions of the book of Revelation. Groups of living creatures, elders, and angels lift their voices to sing praises to God in heaven (Revelation 4–5).
Make sure to add your voice to the voices of others—whether ten voices or a thousand—on a regular basis as you lift up praises to God in worship.
O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer’s praise, the glories of my God and King, the triumphs of His grace!
Charles Wesley
Neh 12:31-43
31 Then I had the leaders of Judah come up on top of the wall, and I appointed two great choirs, the first proceeding to the right on top of the wall toward the Refuse Gate. 32 Hoshaiah and half of the leaders of Judah followed them, 33 with Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, 34 Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah, 35 and some of the sons of the priests with trumpets; and Zechariah the son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph, 36 and his kinsmen, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah and Hanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of God. And Ezra the scribe went before them. 37 At the Fountain Gate they went directly up the steps of the city of David by the stairway of the wall above the house of David to the Water Gate on the east.
38 The second choir proceeded to the left, while I followed them with half of the people on the wall, above the Tower of Furnaces, to the Broad Wall, 39 and above the Gate of Ephraim, by the Old Gate, by the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel and the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate; and they stopped at the Gate of the Guard. 40 Then the two choirs took their stand in the house of God. So did I and half of the officials with me; 41 and the priests, Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah and Hananiah, with the trumpets; 42 and Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam and Ezer. And the singers sang, with Jezrahiah their leader, 43 and on that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced because God had given them great joy, even the women and children rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard from afar.
I pray that you are part of the body of Christ, the true church, that meets regularly to worship, to hear the Word of God, to be trained in righteousness, and sing in His choir, praises to God with a mighty voice!
Pastor Dale