Billy Strachan

Gentle praise music

When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

Colossians 3:4 

Songs 1: Who Is Like The Lord 2: Battle Song 3: He Will Deliver Us 4: Thanks Be To Our God 5: Christ Our Life 6: From Glory To Glory 7: Show Your Kindness 8: Cry For Humility 9: Your Loving Kindness 10: O The Grace That Saves 11: Behold The Lamb 12: Those Who Are Christ’s 13: Search Me 14: Let The Children Come 15: Faith Is The Victory 16: We Are Glad 17: I Will Waite (Live)

About the Music

In 2001, when I was 25 years old, I experienced a dramatic change in my life. I grew up in a Christian home and went to church regularly but I had never experienced genuine repentance. Although I professed to know God, I denied him with my actions and was a slave of sin. My pride prevented me from recognizing my need of Jesus because I thought my form of godliness was enough. Through sickness in my life, and a dramatic change in my brother a few years earlier, the Lord broke me and softened my heart so I could hear the word of God and receive it on good soil. The Lord convicted me of getting rid of things in my life that led me into sin as the scripture says in Matt 5:30 “If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you”. Once I made this decision at 25 years old, I found myself weeping and repentance had begun.

After the kindness of God led me to repentance, scripture started to come alive and I started to write songs from the verses that were speaking to me as the Spirit brought melodies. One of the first songs I wrote was “Fire of God” which was actually written during the very early days when the word of God was beginning to convict my heart and I was longing for change in my life.

In 2005, Darren and I decided to record some of the songs the Lord had given to us and others in the body. We were singing these songs in our fellowship and many were quite encouraged by them. Our desire is that others would come to a repentance and first love of Jesus. We pray the scripture in these songs would touch the hearts and be used by the Lord to draw many people to Him and glorify His name. Freely we have received, and freely we give.

Blessings in Christ Jesus our Lord,

Jason

SLANE

SLANE is an old Irish folk tune associated with the ballad “With My Love on the Road” in Patrick W. Joyce’s Old Irish Folk Music and Songs (1909). It became a hymn tune when it was arranged by David Evans (PHH 285) and set to the Irish hymn “Be Thou My Vision” published in the Church Hymnary (1927).…

1 Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
be all else but naught to me, save that Thou art;
be Thou my best thought in the day and the night,
both waking and sleeping, Thy presence my light.

2 Be Thou my Wisdom, be Thou my true Word;
be Thou ever with me and I with Thee, Lord;
be Thou my great Father, and I Thy true son,
be Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

3 Be Thou my Breastplate, my Sword for the fight;
be Thou my whole Armor, be Thou my true Might;
be Thou my soul’s Shelter, be Thou my strong Tow’r,
O raise Thou me heav’nward, great Pow’r of my pow’r.

4 Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
be Thou mine inheritance, now and always;
be Thou and Thou only the first in my heart,
O High King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

5 High King of heaven, Thou heaven’s bright Sun,
O grant me its joys, after vict’ry is won;
Great Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
still be Thou my Vision, O Ruler of all.

“Be Thou My Vision” (Old Irish: Rop tú mo baile or Rob tú mo bhoile) is a traditional Christian hymn of Irish origin. The words are based on a Middle Irish poem that has traditionally been attributed to Dallán Forgaill.

The best-known English version, with some minor variations, was translated in 1905 by Mary Elizabeth Byrne, then made into verse by Eleanor Hull and published in 1912. Since 1919 it has been commonly sung to an Irish folk tune, noted as “Slane” in church hymnals,and is one of the most popular hymns in the United Kingdom.

The original Old Irish text, “Rop tú mo Baile”, is often attributed to Saint Dallán Forgaill in the 6th century.

However, scholars believe it was written later than that. Some date it to the 8th century; others put it as late as the 10th or 11th century. A 14th-century manuscript attributed to Adhamh Ó Cianáin contains a handwritten copy of the poem in Middle Irish, and is held at the National Library of Ireland. A second manuscript is at the Royal Irish Academy, dating from about the 10th or 11th century.

The text of “Rop tú mo Baile”/”Be Thou My Vision” reflects aspects of life in Early Christian Ireland (c.400-800 AD). The prayer belongs to a type known as a lorica, a prayer for protection. The symbolic use of a battle-shield and a sword to invoke the power and protection of God draws on Saint Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians (Ephesians 6:16–17), which refers to “the shield of faith” and “the sword of the Spirit”. Such military symbolism was common in the poetry and hymnnology of Christian monasteries of the period due to the prevalence of clan warfare across Ireland. The poem makes reference to God as “King of the Seven Heavens” and the “High King of Heaven”. This depiction of the Lord God of heaven and earth as a chieftain or High King (Irish: Ard Rí) is a traditional representation in Irish literature; medieval Irish poetry typically used heroic imagery to cast God as a clan protector.

In 1905, “Rop tú mo Baile” was translated from Old Irish into English by Mary Elizabeth Byrne in Ériu, the journal of the School of Irish Learning. The English text was first versified in 1912 by Eleanor Hull, president of the Irish Literary Society, and this is now the most common text used.

The hymn is sung to the melody noted as “Slane” in hymnals, an Irish folk tune in 3
4 time, first published as “With My Love on the Road” in Patrick Joyce’s Old Irish Folk Music and Songs in 1909. The tune is a more elemental distillation of earlier forms, such as “The Hielan’s o’ Scotland’ and “By the Banks of the Bann,” also compiled in Joyce (1909). The words of “Be Thou My Vision” were first combined with this tune in 1919 (harmonised by Leopold L Dix, 1861-1935), and in a new version harmonised by David Evans in 1927. A further version was harmonised by Erik Routley for the English Hymnal.

In some modern renditions the rhythm of “Slane” is adapted to 4
4.

It was common practice to attribute hymn tune names to the place where they were collected by folk song collectors, such as Ralph Vaughan Williams who co-edited The English Hymnal, published in 1906. Slane is a village in Ireland.

Four more 20th century hymns have been set to the same tune. The first was “Lord of All Hopefulness” written by Jan Struther around 1931.The second was “Lord of Creation, to Thee be All Praise” written by J. C. Winslow and first published in 1961. The third was a popular wedding hymn, “God, In the Planning and Purpose of Life”, written by John L. Bell and Graham Maule and first appearing in publication in 1989. The fourth is “Wake Now My Senses,” written by Thomas Michaelson and published in “Singing the Living Tradition Hymnal” 1994, by the Unitarian Universalist Association.

The original texts of the now-called “Be Thou My Vision” are in Old Irish similar still in style to Modern Irish. The hymn has been translated into Modern Irish many times. The most popular is that by Aodh Ó Dúgain of Gaoth Dobhair, County Donegal. Two verses of his translation were recorded by his granddaughter Moya Brennan – the first time any part of his text has been publicly recorded. Since then, those two verses have been recorded by many artists, including Roma Downey and Aoife and Iona. These verses are very close translations to the first two of the Old Irish text above.

With Old Irish being the ancestor language of Modern Scottish Gaelic, the song was translated by Céitidh Mhoireasdan and published by Sabhal Mòr Ostaig.

Two variants of Eleanor Hull’s 1912 English translation exist; one version, commonly used in Irish and Scottish hymnals (including the Hymnbooks of the Church of Scotland), fits the metre 10.10.10.10, while a paraphrased version that is used in English books (such as the New English Hymnal) is suitable to an anacrucial metre 10.11.11.11.

English version by Eleanor Hull (1912)

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tow’r:
Raise Thou me heav’nward, O Pow’r of my pow’r.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heav’n’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

(The English Methodist version from 1964 omits verse 3.)

Alternative English version by Eleanor Hull (1912)

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Be all else but naught to me, save that Thou art;
Be Thou my best thought in the day and the night,
Both waking and sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
Be Thou ever with me, and I with Thee, Lord;
Be Thou my great Father, and I Thy true son;
Be Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my Breastplate, my Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my whole Armor, be Thou my true Might;
Be Thou my soul’s Shelter, be Thou my strong Tow’r,
O raise Thou me heav’nward, great Pow’r of my pow’r.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise;
Be Thou mine inheritance, now and always;
Be Thou and Thou only the first in my heart,
O high King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of heaven, Thou heaven’s bright Sun,
O grant me its joys, after vict’ry is won;
Great Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be Thou my vision, O Ruler of all.

English translation by Mary Byrne (1905)

Be thou my vision O Lord of my heart
None other is aught but the King of the seven heavens.

Be thou my meditation by day and night.
May it be thou that I behold ever in my sleep.

Be thou my speech, be thou my understanding.
Be thou with me, be I with thee

Be thou my father, be I thy son.
Mayst thou be mine, may I be thine.

Be thou my battle-shield, be thou my sword.
Be thou my dignity, be thou my delight.

Be thou my shelter, be thou my stronghold.
Mayst thou raise me up to the company of the angels.

Be thou every good to my body and soul.
Be thou my kingdom in heaven and on earth.

Be thou solely chief love of my heart.
Let there be none other, O high King of Heaven.

Till I am able to pass into thy hands,
My treasure, my beloved through the greatness of thy love

Be thou alone my noble and wondrous estate.
I seek not men nor lifeless wealth.

Be thou the constant guardian of every possession and every life.
For our corrupt desires are dead at the mere sight of thee.

Thy love in my soul and in my heart —
Grant this to me, O King of the seven heavens.

O King of the seven heavens grant me this —
Thy love to be in my heart and in my soul.

With the King of all, with him after victory won by piety,
May I be in the kingdom of heaven, O brightness of the sun.

Beloved Father, hear, hear my lamentations.
Timely is the cry of woe of this miserable wretch.

O heart of my heart, whatever befall me,
O ruler of all, be thou my vision.

JESUS’ PROPHECY
Matthew 24–25

“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Matt. 24:36).

Jesus did make specific predictions about the future. But He emphasized what His servants are to do until the future arrives!

Overview
Jesus answered His disciples’ questions about the end of the age (24:1–28), the signs of His coming (vv. 29–35), and when these things will happen (vv. 36–44). He went on to emphasize the importance of being ready (vv. 45–51), emphasizing the importance of service in two parables (25:1–30). Ultimately Jesus will come again and establish His kingdom (vv. 31–46).

Understanding the Text
“Every one will be thrown down” Matt. 24:1–2. The Jerusalem temple was one of the wonders of the ancient world. Pagans as well as Jews traveled from all across the Roman Empire to see it. No wonder Jesus’ disciples were stunned when Christ said that every stone of the magnificent edifice would be thrown down—a prediction fulfilled by Roman troops inA.D 70, less than four decades after Christ’s crucifixion.
As you and I think about the future, we need to do so with the attitude displayed by Christ. This world, with all its wonders, will come crashing down. Every material thing we hold dear will crumble into dust, or be destroyed with earth itself in blazing fires (cf. 2 Peter 3:10). We can appreciate all man’s accomplishments. But we must fix our hopes on the world to come.

“What will be the sign . . . of the end of the age?” Matt. 24:3–29 Jesus answered the three questions His disciples posed (v. 3), but in reverse order. First Jesus warned against mistaking the ordinary tragedies of war, pestilence, famine, and natural disasters as an indication the world is about to end. All these things are the stuff of which human history has always been woven, ever since Adam’s fall. The world will not improve, nor will Christ’s kingdom come through a gradual uplifting of our fallen race.
The course of human history is downward, not upward. Ultimately it will plunge into the abyss described by Daniel, when one known as the Antichrist desecrates the holy place and the world is plunged into the most dread Tribulation of all (vv. 15–21).
Many have tried to fit what Jesus taught here into a rigid sequence of prophetic events. There is no doubt that Christ’s words are in fullest harmony with those of the Old Testament prophets, and that they “fit” the picture of history’s end drawn in the older revelation. But there is a more important point made here.
Don’t fix your heart on what this world offers. For this world is doomed.
This does not, of course, mean that you and I should not do all we can to promote interpersonal, societal, and international peace. It simply reminds us that mankind requires redemption. Apart from a transforming work of God, no lasting change can or will come.
And, tragically, most human beings will persist in rejecting Jesus and His claims.

“The Son of man will appear in the sky” Matt. 24:30–35. Jesus will return. How will He come? His first coming was quiet. He slipped unobtrusively into our world, a tiny Infant, and grew up in the guise of an ordinary Jewish man. His second coming will be spectacular: all the nations of earth will see Him appear in “power and great glory.”
We need never wonder if Jesus has slipped in among us, unnoticed again. His next appearance will command the attention—and the respect—of all.
We need never be ashamed or embarrassed to witness of the unnoticed Jesus, whom our friends so successfully ignore today. They won’t be able to ignore or overlook Him when He comes again.

“No one knows about that day or hour” Matt. 24:36–44. I can’t imagine how many books and pamphlets have been written, promising to name the date of Christ’s return. How could anyone be so foolish, when Jesus Himself said, “No one knows about that day or hour”?
Yet there’s one positive characteristic in each writing. The authors expected Christ to come back in their own lifetimes.
Ever since the first century, Christians have looked forward to the return of Jesus. I well remember my mother, some 53 years ago as I write this—I was five then—telling me she expected the Lord to come in her lifetime. Today I expect Jesus to come in mine. He may not. But the important thing is that He could.
Why is it important? Because Jesus emphasized it. He said, “You also must be ready, because the Son of man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him.”
If we recognize the perishability of this world, and expect Jesus to come at any moment, how our values and priorities will change! May God give each of us a deep sense of the imminence of Jesus’ return.

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant?” Matt. 24:45–51 This parable is directed to leaders—those responsible for the care and supervision of others. Leaders are to be considerate and concerned with the others’ well-being. The good servant, who treats others in this way, will be rewarded when Jesus comes back. But there are “wicked” servants in leadership who exploit and mistreat others. Ignoring the likelihood of the master’s return, such servants shear rather than feed God’s flock.
As I was writing this paragraph I stopped for a break, and switched on the TV. I saw a news flash. Jim Bakker has just been convicted of 24 counts of fraud: of lying to his TV partners about projects he knew could not be completed, and taking $3.7 million of their contributions for himself and his wife. Later Tammy Faye broke out into song, and told the assembled reporters that this earthly jury doesn’t give the final verdict.
I wonder if she or Jim ever read this parable? Or its conclusion. In the most graphic and severe terms, Jesus speaks of punishment for those wicked servants of God who “beat . . . fellow servants and . . . eat and drink with drunkards” (v. 49).

“Ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom” Matt. 25:1–13. Jewish marriage custom dictated that the bridegroom go to the house of the bride and escort her to his own house. The friends of the bride waited for him to come.
While many fanciful interpretations of this parable have been advanced, the basic point is clear. The bridegroom did not come when expected, but was delayed. And some of the young women waiting to join the bridal party didn’t bring enough oil for their lamps, and the oil ran out.
In this set of illustrations about waiting for the delayed second coming of the Saviour, this parable makes a simple point. Expect Him at any moment. But be prepared for a long wait.
This is the perspective you and I are to adopt as we live our lives on earth. We are to look forward each morning to Jesus’ return, and live as though He were to appear before evening. Yet we are to prepare for a lifetime here, ready to wait as long as it takes for Him to come.

“Entrusted his property to them” Matt. 25:14–30. This familiar parable too focuses on what we are to do while waiting for Christ to return. It makes the point that God has entrusted us with resources—of money, personal gifts, and abilities—and that He expects us to use those resources in His service.
Perhaps the greatest wonder here is that God trusts so much to us, and then gives us the freedom to use what He has given as we choose. God doesn’t stand over us, barking out orders, dotting every i and crossing every t. Instead He steps back. He lets us have the pleasure of taking the initiative, the joy of achieving. He gives us freedom and support, and while He does hold us responsible, He wants us to succeed.
The servant who buried his talent in the ground portrays every Christian who has been afraid to risk stepping out for God, while the servants who made a profit represent each of us who has experienced joy in acting by faith to serve our God.
Like the other parables in this section, this one concludes with a grim picture of the punishment suitable to the failed servant. What we do in this life really does count. We truly must be about our Master’s business.

DEVOTIONAL
Lord, When Did We See You?
(Matt. 25:31–46)
Sometimes it’s best to ignore theology when we read the Bible. Oh, I don’t mean that theological questions shouldn’t be asked. Or that we shouldn’t try to answer them. I just mean that sometimes our earnest study gets in the way, so that we miss something simple that contains a great blessing.
Matthew 25:31–46 is a case in point: the story of the sheep and the goats. The meaning of the story is hotly debated. The “hungry and thirsty” Jesus called His brothers have been variously identified. They are the poor and oppressed, or the Jewish people in the Tribulation era, or the inhabitants of Christendom.
In the same way, the sheep and goat peoples have been taken in a variety of ways. Are they national groups, or individuals? If the passage is talking about salvation, is a “works righteousness” really intended?
While these are important questions, perhaps it’s enough for our devotional reading to note one or two key facts. First, Christ identified Himself with “these brothers of Mine” who live on earth. What we do to meet the needs of others is not just done “for” Christ, but in a significant sense, to Him!
Second, as disciples of Jesus who do hunger or thirst, we can take comfort that Christ shares the experience with us. He does not watch: He participates.
Both the righteous, who help the brothers of Jesus, and the wicked, who do not, were surprised when the basis of their judgment was explained. Just as we may be surprised when Jesus returns to learn how deeply He was involved in our every experience.
Yet, if we tune our hearts and minds to what Jesus teaches here, a great and wonderful peace will come. We truly are not alone, whatever suffering we experience or need we have. Jesus is with us. In His presence we can find comfort and peace.

Personal Application
As you wait for Jesus to appear, remember that He is with you.

Quotable
“Receive every inward and outward trouble, every disappointment, pain, uneasiness, temptation, darkness, and desolation, with both thy hands, as a true opportunity and blessed occasion of dying to self, and entering into a fuller fellowship with thy self-dying, suffering Saviour. Look at no inward or outward trouble in any other view; reject every other thought about it; and then every kind of trial and duress will become the blessed day of thy prosperity.”—William Law