This morning our congregation at Nelson sang ‘Spirit Of God, Unseen As The Wind’.
We were privileged to have a friend from Gideon’s International come and tell us about their work of Bible distribution and the many wonderful situations that arise as fruit for their labours.
‘Spirit Of God’ is sung to the tune of the ‘Skye Boat Song’. It has the advantage of being singable right from the beginning, particularly with older folk, who often are slower to embrace new songs.
As a folk tune the music lends itself to a variety of musical styles from organ to ensemble.
The song references the union between the work of the Holy Spirit and the Bible. One could quibble about how ‘God’s voice is heard’ in Scripture, but it’s a vast improvement on the idea that the Spirit reveals God’s Word and will without any reference to the Bible at all.
The structure is unusual in that it follows a chorus/verse/chorus/verse/chorus format.
Here’s the lyrics:
Chorus:
Spirit of God, unseen as the wind,
gentle as is the dove;
teach us the truth and help us believe,
show us the Saviour’s love.
Verse 1.
You spoke to men long, long ago,
gave us the written Word;
we read it still, needing its truth,
through it God’s voice is heard.
Spirit of God …
Verse 2.
Without Your help we fail our Lord,
we cannot live His way;
we need Your power, we need Your strength,
following Christ each day.
Spirit of God …
© Margaret Old – Words and music arrangement Scripture Union 1971.
Used by permission.
Hymn from the Rejoice! Hymn Book, Presbyterian Church of Australia.
This short YouTube is a charming 700 member children’s choir, recorded in 1987.
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