Isaac Watts

Isaac and his father left church Sunday morning in 1690.  Isaac, a teenager at the time, complained to his dad that the hymn singing was dreadfully boring and old fashioned. “Well then, young man,” his father said, “why don’t you give us something better to sing.” Isaac took up the challenge and composed a hymn that same week, shared it with the music director of his church, and the congregation sang it the following Sunday in worship.  People were enthusiastic about Isaac’s new hymn and urged him to write more songs for them to sing.  He generated more, one hymn each week based on the morning lesson.  When word spread about this novel way of singing, leaders in other area churches protested that these newfangled songs were a decided break from the customary line-by-line singing of the Psalms.  Well, what do you know?  Complaining about new songs in church is a time-honored tradition!
The writer of this modern manner of singing, Isaac Watts (1674-1748), is known today as the father of English hymnody. He wrote seven hundred hymns for use in churches. We have Isaac Watts to thank for “Joy to the World,” “Jesus Shall Reign” and “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross,” to name but a few. One of my favorites, “O God, Our Help in Ages Past” is a paraphrase of Psalm 90. Although he originally composed it as a nine-verse hymn, most hymnbooks include five verses.  Many hymns double as prayers.  In the words of Augustine, “He who sings prays twice.”