The Builder and the Architect

Since arriving in Lakeshore I have been introduced to several musicians and bands that I was previously unaware of. One of my favorites has become Sandra McCracken and her The Builder and the Architect cd. (So I know I'm a little behind the times since the cd was released Nov. 15 of last year)

I am especially fond of the song “Grace upon Grace”, which is based upon a prayer called “Grace Active” in the Puritan prayer book “The Valley of Vision.”

In every station, new trials and new troubles
Call for more grace than I can afford
Where can I go but to my dear Savior
For mercy that pours from boundless stores.

CHORUS:
Grace upon grace, every sin repaired
Every void restored, you will find Him there
In every turning He will prepare you
With grace upon grace.

He made a way for the fallen to rise
Perfect in glory and sacrifice
In sweet communion my need He supplies
He saves and keeps and guards my life

To Thee I run now with great expectation
To honor You with trust like a child
My hopes and desires seek a new destination
and all that You ask Your grace will provide.

I love the first verse stating the things we go through require more grace than I can come up with on my own, but I can go to my Savior who will provide grace and mercy that is endless.

I think my favorite line in the whole song, though, would be “and all that You ask Your grace will provide.” Reminding me that everything that God asks of me, He will provide enough grace to accomplish whatever that is.

Another favorite song is “Thy Mercy”

Thy mercy, my God, is the theme of my song,
The joy of my heart. and the boast of my tongue;
Thy free grace alone, from the first to the last,
Hath won my affections, and bound my soul fast.

Without Thy sweet mercy I could not live here;
Sin would reduce me to utter despair;
But, through Thy free goodness, my spirits revive,
And He that first made me still keeps me alive.

Thy mercy is more than a match for my heart,
Which wonders to feel its own hardness depart;
Dissolved by Thy goodness, I fall to the ground,
And weep to the praise of the mercy I’ve found.

Great Father of mercies, Thy goodness I own,
And the covenant love of Thy crucified Son;
All praise to the Spirit, Whose whisper divine
Seals mercy, and pardon, and righteousness mine.

I think Sandra McCracken has done a beautiful job with the entire cd, but the depth of each of the songs is what I enjoy the most. The songs don’t necessarily paint a promised happiness or a light and fluffy picture of Christianity, but speaks of reliance on Christ and our inabilities, God’s grace and mercy toward us sinners, Christ’s death, and our redemption in Christ. Most songs are based off scripture passages and words of great hymn writers (William Gadsby, Isaac Watts, Joseph Hart, John Stoker and the Puritan writers), as well as a reformed perspective.