Child of Heaven, Canst Thou Repine?

Tonight was "RUF song night" at After Hours (the college group from College Church that meets Sunday nights in a wonderful family's home. RUF is Reformed University Fellowship.) Someone reads the words to the song aloud and we discuss it before singing together. I was particularly struck by the words to this very familiar hymn. We don't hear such strong language in most contemporary songs today. But I won't get started with that. It's worth reading carefully.

Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken

Jesus, I my cross have taken,
All to leave and follow Thee.
Destitute, despised, forsaken,
Thou from hence my all shall be.
Perish every fond ambition,
All I’ve sought or hoped or known.
Yet how rich is my condition!
God and heaven are still my own.

Let the world despise and leave me,
They have left my Savior, too.
Human hearts and looks deceive me;
Thou art not, like them, untrue.
O while Thou dost smile upon me,
God of wisdom, love, and might,
Foes may hate and friends disown me,
Show Thy face and all is bright.

Man may trouble and distress me,
’Twill but drive me to Thy breast.
Life with trials hard may press me;
Heaven will bring me sweeter rest.
Oh, ’tis not in grief to harm me
While Thy love is left to me;
Oh, ’twere not in joy to charm me,
Were that joy unmixed with Thee.

Go, then, earthly fame and treasure,
Come disaster, scorn, and pain
In Thy service, pain is pleasure,
With Thy favor, loss is gain
I have called Thee Abba Father,
I have stayed my heart on Thee
Storms may howl, and clouds may gather;
All must work for good to me.

Soul, then know thy full salvation
Rise o’er sin and fear and care
Joy to find in every station,
Something still to do or bear.
Think what Spirit dwells within thee,
Think what Father’s smiles are thine,
Think that Jesus died to win thee,
Child of heaven, canst thou repine.

Haste thee on from grace to glory,
Armed by faith, and winged by prayer.
Heaven’s eternal days before thee,
God’s own hand shall guide us there.
Soon shall close thy earthly mission,
Soon shall pass thy pilgrim days,
Hope shall change to glad fruition,
Faith to sight, and prayer to praise.

This is a hard hymn to sing. It's only by God's grace can anyone sing it truthfully. "Perish every fond ambition." This is the first line that grabbed me as I sang and made me think more carefully about the others. I want to get married some day, have a family, a nice home, a rewarding job, a dog. I want to serve God, but I don't really want to think about perishing those ambitions. It's hard to think it would be okay if those ambitions were never fulfilled. "Let the world despise and leave me." I want friends. I love my friends; I'm so thankful for them. If they disowned me could I truthfully sing, "Show they face and all is bright"? Does "trouble and distress . . . drive me to Thy breast" or does it drive me to despair? Is it the case that none of my "joys are unmixed with Christ"? Do I want to call "disaster, scorn, and pain" to come? Thankfully we say all the way through verses five and six and I was reminded: "Think what Spirit dwells within thee; think what Father's smiles are thine; think that Jesus died to win thee. Child of heaven, canst thou repine?" May I be "armed by faith and winged by prayer" and able to sing these words confidently.

I just learned a few days ago that confidently literally means "with faith". It's from the Latin "con fide". That makes more sense now than it did on Friday.