Come, Thou Almighty King
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Come, Thou Almighty King, Help us Thy name to sing, Help us to praise. Father, all glorious, O’er all victorious, Come, and reign over us, Ancient of Days. |
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Come, Thou incarnate Word, Gird on Thy mighty sword, Our prayer attend: Come, and Thy people bless, And give Thy word success; Spirit of holiness, On us descend. |
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Come, holy Comforter, Thy sacred witness bear In this glad hour: Thou who Almighty art, Now rule in every heart, And ne’er from us depart, Spirit of power. |
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To Thee, great One in Three, Eternal praises be Hence evermore. Thy sov’reign majesty May we in glory see, And to eternity Love and adore. |
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United States
An interesting account is told of this hymn’s use during the Revolutionary War (1775-83). A group of British troops invaded an American church service one Sunday morning demanding that the congregation sing “God Save our Gracious King. ” The people responded with the requested tune but sang “Come Thou Almighty King” instead.
This hymn must always be sung with all four stanzas. To omit any of the first three would be to omit one of the persons of the Godhead. The last one is a grand affirmation of the Divine Trinity; God is One yet Three. The late A. W. Towzer in his book “The Knowledge of the Holy” (Harper and Row, 1961), has left these words,
“The doctrine of the Trinity.... is truth for the heart. ”
The tune, “Italian Hymn, ” was composed especially for this anonymous text by Felice de Giardini in 1769. This Italian composer was born in Turin Italy, on April 12, 1716. He moved to London, England, where he became a popular violinist in London’s operatic circles. Later he spent time in Moscow, Russia, as an operatic conductor and died there on 1796.
Callahan, Florida, United States
I sang this beautiful hymn to our Triune God in my quiet time this morning. These old hymns are rich in doctrine and praise!
Kansas, United States
Thankful for this website!
Fredericksburg, VA, United States
Looking back, I remember Moma taking Grandma and me to church. This was one of the songs they sang. That was over forty years ago. Today in the midnight hour, this song brings comfort to my heart. Thanks be to God.
Was the main hymn in the movie Johnny Belinda starring Jane Wyman/best actress. 1949. She was married to President Reagan.
Bellingham, WA, United States
"We do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words." In the same we do not know how to praise. God, our Father, has to reign over us, Jesus, the incarnate Word, will fight for us, the Holy Spirit will witness to us and we can only respond by having Him rule in us. Even in praising the eternal Trinity, we cannot do it by ourselves, we need help. Lord Jesus, fill my heart to such a degree that it overflows in praise now and forever.
Accra, Ghana
I felt something deep in my heart after singing. God is almighty and all victorious.
United States
What a glorious gem this song is! Come, Thou Almighty King!
Detroit, MI, United States
This hymn appeared anonymously in George Whitefield's "Hymn Book", published in 1757. It is usually attributed to Charles Wesley, but was probably published anonymously for a good reason. Scholars think Wesley wrote this hymn as an imitation of the English national anthem, "God Save Our Gracious King." The national anthem had just been written, and it had become popular throughout England. This hymn may have been Wesley's way of keeping priorities straight. - Great Hymns of Faith by Brown & Norton
Beaverton, OR, United States
One of the children massacred in Newtown sang this beautiful hymn sitting by her piano: will never forget this hymn.