Featured Hymn: "Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart"

"Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart" by George Croly

Bulletin Blurb

In this prayerful hymn, we ask God to move within us so that we may live a life of whole-hearted devotion to Him, bathed in His presence and motivated by His love. We recall the “first and greatest commandment” to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37, 38 NIV).

Text

George Croly wrote this text on Galatians 5:25, and it was first published in 1867 in Lyra Britannica. It has five stanzas. All of them are usually sung, though some hymnals omit one of the last four. This hymn is a prayer addressed by the singer to God. The first stanza is a petition that the Spirit of God would become active in one's life, but the second is a clarification that the singer is not asking for a spectacular sign. In the third stanza, he or she recalls the “first and greatest commandment” on how to love God (see Matthew 22:37-38). The fourth and fifth stanzas are requests that God would teach the singer to be conscious of the constant presence of God, and again, to love God whole-heartedly.

Tune

MORECAMBE is by far the most popular tune to which this text is sung. It was composed in 1870 by Frederick C. Atkinson for another hymn, “Abide with Me.” The tune is named for a town on Morecambe Bay near Bradford, England, where Atkinson served as organist. The tune has a soft mood, but can sound doleful if sung too slowly.

When/Why/How

The topic of this hymn is the presence of the Holy Spirit. One liturgical occasion for which this hymn is very well suited is Pentecost. The quiet nature of the tune does not lend itself well to festive settings, but works well for congregational singing, preferably in parts. It can also be used for quiet moments in the service in settings such as the organ offertory in “Praise to the Lord,” or the idiomatic piano arrangement in “Hymns for Piano.”

View this hymn at Hymnary.org.