Hymns for the Family: His Mercy is More

Hymns for the Home

Hymns for the Home is a series that will highlight hymns and worship music that are great for family worship. They are chosen for their Biblical and spiritual content, as well as their simplicity.

(FREE Song Lyrics Printable)

Devotional

Living in a depraved and sinful world as depraved and sinful people, the mercy of God become our only lifeline. Thanks be to God that His mercy is greater than the sum of all our sin.

He Counts not their Sum

Sin is a pervasive problem for the relationship that God has with His people. His deep knowledge of our sin causes separation, yet in the Gospel, He refuses keep a record.

Patience of a Tender Father

In spite of the glorious love of God, we constantly roam. Yet the tender mercy of our God, stands patient as we pursue so many things in His place. We are welcomed home no matter how deep we dive into sin, because of the Gospel.

Blood Bought Mercy

The Gospel which purchased infinite and beautiful mercy, was bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. He paid the debt that we could never pay with a single innocent sacrifice. It is through this Gospel we can say, though our sins our many, His mercy is more.

History

This week we have another modern hymn. His Mercy is More was released on Matt Papa's "Church Songs" EP in October of 2016. This album of Matt's was the result of his desire to renew the passion that the church once had for liturgy and hymns. He worked with Matt Boswell (worship pastor and elder at Providence Church in Frisco, TX) on this particular hymn to capture the truth found in Zechariah 5: that our sin is no match for the wickedness-cleansing power of God's mercy.

And, although it is not stated by either of the Matt's, it seems that the title of this hymn is taken from a letter that the Anglican clergyman, John Newton sent on March 18, 1767. In the letter, John says, "For if our Physician is almighty, our disease cannot be desperate and if He casts none out that come to Him, why should you fear? Our sins are many, but His mercies are more: our sins are great, but His righteousness is greater: we are weak, but He is power." Regardless of the source for Papa's writing of this hymn, his doing so has been a blessing to many followers of Christ.

There is little public history regarding Papa's life outside of music. However, for almost 20 years, Matt has been producing Spirit-led, Christ-centered, God-glorifying music for any who desire to sing out the truths of Scripture. He has even published a book, "Look and LIve," to show that our lives follow what our hearts focus on, whether that be ourselves or the glory of God. For Matt, the focusing of his heart on the glory of God has coincided with his relationship to music.

Music has always been a deeply important part of Matt's life and relationship with the Lord. Specifically, he has a deep love for hymns. "Hymns have an aesthetic density that isn't present in all of the church's songs," says Papa. "They represent transcendence both as art for our culture and as a part of our sung worship of Jesus. My own focus on the Psalms as laments and the beauty of their emotional honesty brought these songs to life. When we sing a lyric like 'Our sins they are many, His mercy is more' that is a truth for all time, all places and for all generations and it is worth the effort to sing that truth."

Click the QR code for a lyrics video to sing along with.