Our local county fair—like many—has one building dedicated to the community's agricultural life. We can always count on seeing at least one gargantuan pumpkin, plates of prime vegetables, and brilliantly-hued cut flowers. In past years, there were also displays by local Granges (associations of farmers), showing off their particular area's products and achievements. This year, there were just a handful of displays—perhaps victims of rural attrition and the clampdown of public events from Covid-19. But I had to take a picture of these Grange-sponsored folks who didn't need my reminder to smile. Their sign read, “Pride in the Past.” A smaller one to the side said, “Hope in the future.”
Because of my studies of hymn stories, the signs brought to mind this title: “O God, Our Help in Ages Past.” Sometimes, the historical circumstances behind classic hymns get quite complicated. This one, written by Isaac Watts in 1714, came at a time in English history when people were uneasy about the nation's political future. (Sound familiar?) Watts, a child genius who would write more than 600 hymns (some say as many as 700), had been born himself into a time of political turmoil. His father was imprisoned under the previous regime because of his political views, and his mother would nurse him on the prison steps so his father could could see his baby boy.
Now, another royal was in charge: Queen Anne. But she'd endured poor health all her life. She'd had twelve stillborn children, and five live births. But four of those died before age two and one died at eleven. She would die at 49 with no heirs. By a 1701 rule, she was succeeded by her second cousin, George I. Nobody knew if he'd be as strict and intolerant as previous kings.
In the midst of those politically trying times, Watts turned to Psalm 90 for inspiration: “Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations” (v. 1). His quill began scratching the lyrics: “O God, our help in ages past, Our hope for years to come; Our shelter from the stormy blast, And our eternal home!”
Maybe not “pride” in the past, but faith based on God's faithfulness and trustworthiness. And yes, because He is God, hope in the future. Four hundred years since Watts' hymn, that message hasn't changed. From everlasting to everlasting, He is God (90:2).
When the fair was over, these smiling stuffed folks were either disassembled or taken to somebody's porch for autumn décor. But for whatever smiles they provided the fair's visitors, they offered this message for me. Without God, we're no better than stuffed clothes in a display. With Him, there's truly hope in the future He has planned.
From the fair, go to historic Westminster Abbey in London, for congregational singing of this hymn:
Westminster Abbey - Oh God Our Help in Ages Past (glitch free) - Bing video
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