For Your Gift of God the Spirit

One of the subjects that hymnody lacks is that of the Holy Spirit.  Check your hymnal.  If you are discerning, I'm guessing you'll find many of the hymns about the Holy Spirit present some biblical issues in their theology or are simply lacking in content altogether.

I think it is a shame that we should let the Pentecostals, who have a very misguided, superficial idea of the Spirit's work in the life of a Christian, dominate in the doctrine of the Holy Spirit.  The Bible is not silent concerning His work in our lives and neither should we be.

Early this year, I found this hymn text on the Holy Spirit by Margaret Clarkson, one of the excellent hymn writers of the twentieth century.  I was amazed at the doctrine in the text and the good grasp of the Holy Spirit's work in the life of the believer.


1 For your gift of God the Spirit,
pow'r to make our lives anew,
pledge of life and hope of glory,
Savior, we would worship you.
Crowning gift of resurrection
sent from your ascended throne,
fullness of the very Godhead,
come to make your life our own.

2 He, who in creation's dawning
brooded on the lifeless deep,
still across our nature's darkness
moves to wake our souls from sleep,
moves to stir, to draw, to quicken,
thrusts us through with sense of sin;
brings to birth and seals and fills us--
saving Advocate within.

3 He, himself the living Author,
wakes to life the sacred Word,
reads with us its holy pages
and reveals our risen Lord.
He it is who works within us,
teaching rebel hearts to pray,
he whose holy intercessions
rise for us both night and day.

4 He, the mighty God, indwells us;
his to strengthen, help, empower;
his to overcome the tempter
ours to call in danger's hour.
In his strength we dare to battle
all the raging hosts of sin,
and by him alone we conquer
foes without and foes within.

5 Father, grant your Holy Spirit
in our hearts may rule today,
grieved not, quenched not, but unhindered,
work in us his sovereign way.
Fill us with your holy fullness,
God the Father, Spirit, Son;
in us, through us, then, forever,
shall your perfect will be done.

Notice the doctine of the Holy Spirit in these stanzas...

1 - Regeneration, guarantee (Eph. 1:14), deity
2 - Work in creation (Gen. 1:2), conviction, seal (Eph. 1:13), filling (Eph. 5:18)
3 - Author of Scripture (2 Peter 1:21), illumination, help in prayer and intercession (Rom. 8:26)
4 - Deity, indwelling, help in the spiritual battle (Eph 6)
5 - Prayer for the Spirit's control

If you found anything else, let me know!  I think teaching this text would be a great way to get people to think about the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives in a biblical way.

It can be sung to the tune HYFRYDOL, most commonly sung with Jesus, What a Friend for Sinners