My last batch of response letters was completed before Christmas, so I thought it was time to sit down and respond to the pile of new letters from the kids! In these response letters, I also shared photos from my parents recent trip to Thailand! Since it is February, I made it a Valentine's Day note, thanks to the pretty heart template Compassion offers!
I also shared Praise to the Lord, the Almighty. I compiled quotes from Hymnary and from Hymns for a Kids' Heart.
Dear Friend,
I have another hymn to share with you today, it is called "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty." Bobbie Wolgemouth shares this story about the hymn's author:
"In Germany long ago, there lived a stubborn and rebellious young man named Joachim Neander. Although Joachim was very bright, he fell into the wicked practices of the friends he chose... His friends did not follow God's ways in their behavior. One day several of the boys, including Joachim, heard that a famous preacher was coming to town. The boys decided to go and hear the man of God. They intended to scoff at him... I don't know what happened to the other boys, but something amazing happened to young Joachim. He had intended to ridicule God's messenger. Instead, Joachim was touched by the message. He asked God to forgive him. That very day Joachim decided to ask Jesus to be his Savior. He changed his ways and followed God's path.
To obey God, however, was not easy. Joachim needed to do one very important thing. He needed to find new friends. That would take courage. Finding new companions who would help him to honor God and spend his time wisely as as his one wish. He knew he couldn't do it on his own. He asked God to help him. It is marvelous how God answered Joachim's prayer. There were some noble and good boys who had told their dads that they needed someone to help them understand their difficult school assignments. Because Joachim was so smart and such an excellent student, he was asked to be an after-school tutor to the boys. The new, good friends were happy to study with Joachim. They told Joachim how happy they were that God had sent such a smart fellow to help them study for their tests... God certainly loves to answer prayers of young people who try to follow His ways.
At the same time that these new friends came his way, Joachim began listening to great music. It stirred his heart... It wasn't long until Joachim started to write down the words and music he felt in his heart... Joachim knew that the ideas came from God... Because God's message had changed his heart when he was young, Joachim grew up to give the world a glorious song. He wrote the majestic hymn, "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty."
You can choose good friends and good music just like Joachim did. A hymn of praise is like a good friend who follows you around all day and help you to be wise. And when you sing it, watch for wonderful things to happen. Praise to the Lord! He is an amazing, great, and powerful friend."
Sending you much, and praying for God to remind you of His amazing love for you!
Hannah
The sheet music is from Hymnary, and if you would like a copy of the text, I made my Canva hymn file shareable.
Happy Writing!
