“When heart and flesh fail, be Thou the strength of my heart and my portion for ever. Let not my courage fail in the trying hour. Permit not the great adversary to harass my soul in the last struggle, but make me a conqueror and more than a conqueror in this fearful conflict.”

I recently came across a wonderful prayer penned by Archibald Alexander many years ago. In it he prays that God would bless and protect him through the years of old age and into the gates of heaven. May his prayer be ours!
O most merciful God, cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength declineth. Now, when I am old and grey-headed, forsake me not; but let Thy grace be sufficient for me; and enable me to bring forth fruit, even in old age. May my hoary head be found in the ways of righteousness! Preserve my mind from dotage and imbecility, and my body from protracted disease and excruciating pain. Deliver me from despondency and discouragement in my declining years, and enable me to bear affliction with patience, fortitude, and perfect submission to Thy holy will.
As, in the course of nature, I must be drawing near to my end, and as I know I must soon put off this tabernacle, I do humbly and earnestly beseech Thee, O Father of mercies, to prepare me for this inevitable and solemn event: Fortify my mind against the terrors of death. Give me, if it please Thee, an easy passage through the gate of death. Dissipate the dark clouds and mists which naturally hang over the grave, and lead me gently down into the gloomy valley. O my kind Shepherd, who hast tasted the bitterness of death for me, and who knowest how to sympathize with and succour the sheep of Thy pasture, be Thou present to guide, to support, and to comfort me. Illumine with beams of heavenly light the valley and shadow of death, so that I may fear no evil. When heart and flesh fail, be Thou the strength of my heart and my portion for ever. Let not my courage fail in the trying hour. Permit not the great adversary to harass my soul in the last struggle, but make me a conqueror and more than a conqueror in this fearful conflict.
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Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs provide us a repertoire of biblical theology.  They enrich our worship of God and assist us with words we couldn’t otherwise bring to express our love and adoration to God.  They express our corporate and personal beliefs, convictions, and faith.  They allow us to actually say the name of Jesus in music.

On a recent Sunday, my Presbyterian Church sang the hymn, There Is a Fountain, during and following the Lord’s Supper. Of course, the focus of the hymn is on the sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ.  However, we began our worship with O Worship the King—another focus on Jesus Christ and a bit later, Hallelujah! What a Savior—again, a focus on Jesus Christ.  We ended our worship with singing the Doxology—praising “Father, Son, and Holy Ghost”—our triune God.  Our worship was rich, Christ-centered, and triune God-centered.
As I was driving home, I thought of what we would miss if we never sang a hymn specifically addressing the Trinity, praising the Father and Creator, praising the Son and Redeemer, and praising the Holy Spirit, our Helper and Sustainer. When the New Covenant was introduced, it appears that God ordained the hymns to reflect the revelation of this Covenant just as there were participants brought into that New Covenant.  Did the Holy Spirit cease to inspire new songs that clearly expressed the New Covenant, as had the Psalms in the Old Covenant?
“. . . speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord.” Ephesians 5: 19 (NASB)
I realize Ephesians 5: 19, despite clearly expressing speaking to one another in hymns and spiritual songs as well as Psalms, is not interpreted the same within Reformed denominations.  Some consider all three words referring only to the Psalms.  In addition, they consider the Psalms as alone being inspired by the Holy Spirit and appropriate for singing in congregational worship.  However, in the Greek “Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs” are separated by a conjunction—kai, meaning and.  In the original Greek kai and has various meanings including ‘also,’ ‘even.’ ‘so then’ and ‘both.  The clearer understanding in this verse is “and.”
Hermeneutically, and to be consistent with principles of grammar, it appears to me one can most accurately interpret the verse as referring to three different modes of music or hymns.  And there is some historical background supporting the nature of hymns that were known to the Gentile world at that time, which may be why Paul chose a specific word recognized by new Gentile believers. This would relate to the nature of the New Covenant that incorporated Gentiles into God’s Covenant family.
According to Ken Puls of Founders Ministry, “Hymn was a term that would have been especially familiar to the Gentiles. In the Greek and Roman empires leading up to the time of the New Testament, hymns were sung in praise of heroes and gods. People would celebrate the military victories of great generals and exalt the false gods of mythology in hymns. But as the gospel swept across the known world, the church transformed the hymn into a song in praise to the one true God. Its transformation astounded the Romans. In 112 when Pliny, a governor in Bithynia, wrote to Emperor Trajan, asking for advice on how to handle the rising number of Christians in the realm, he commented that the Christians were observed singing “a hymn to Christ as to a god.” In his mind hymns were songs for heroes and champions, not for one shamefully crucified on a cross! When Paul spoke of singing hymns, he wasn’t thinking ‘traditional’ or reminding the church to include or revive some of the old songs from the past. He had something more radical in mind. Paul encouraged the church to claim the music of the culture and sing it to God’s glory. The hymn is the first example in church history of a secular form of music being captured and claimed for the sake of the gospel—its transformation so complete that today a hymn is most commonly recognized as belonging to the church.”
Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs provide us a repertoire of biblical theology.  They enrich our worship of God and assist us with words we couldn’t otherwise bring to express our love and adoration to God.  They express our corporate and personal beliefs, convictions, and faith.  They allow us to actually say the name of Jesus in music, such as “Jesus, O What a Name!” They are so important that many choose certain hymns or spiritual songs they want sung at their funeral.  For me, I have already chosen Holy, Holy, Holy as the first hymn to focus on our triune God, the second to be The Church’s One Foundation to focus on my family in and because of Christ, and ending with the spiritual, He Never Failed Me Yet to focus on God’s faithfulness to a sinner who was definitely saved only by grace.
Lastly, how could Easter be celebrated more worshipfully without Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus?  Let’s thank the Holy Spirit for inspiring the Apostle Paul to give such clear direction as to what we could and should sing!
Helen Louise Herndon is a member of Central Presbyterian Church (EPC) in St. Louis, Missouri. She is freelance writer and served as a missionary to the Arab/Muslim world in France and North Africa.
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As retired pastors, we have years of experience and wisdom to share with others. Take inventory of what you’ve learned. Don’t think for one moment your ministry is over. Some of your best years have just begun. You’re in new territory with seasoned wisdom ready to be delivered to those coming behind you. 

Anyone who leaves a position he or she held for many years is bound to experience some nostalgia. Retired pastors can feel adrift with no measurable purpose, especially after years of being the person to whom so many looked for guidance and biblical truth. You may be longing for the place and significance you once had.
After having pastored for 47 years at the church my wife and I founded, I understand. I welcomed retirement, but it was also unknown.
What now? I wondered. Kay and I had moved from northern Virginia all the way to a suburb of Nashville. Would this new chapter be one of rest or work? The answer, it’s turned out, is both.
Here are four lessons I’ve learned as a retired pastor.
1. Retirement Gives the Gift of Time
Retired pastors need physical and emotional renewal. They need time to reflect, give thanks, and pray about what’s ahead.
But they also need time to enjoy their families. Perhaps you need time to serve your spouse. My wife, Kay, has sacrificed for me and our church over the years, and retirement has allowed us to enjoy one another in a different way than when life was back-to-back with ministry activities.
Surprisingly, Kay and I are doing more ministry together now in retirement than we were able to when I was pastoring full-time. If you have grown children or grandchildren, use this newly available time to invest in their lives as well. This is the season to put Deuteronomy 6:4–7 into action.
2. Retirement Is a Blessing, Not a Limitation
After you’ve rested and replenished, it’s time to think about what’s next. What surprised me is that getting back into the ministry saddle in a different capacity has been life-giving for me. That’s the stage I’m enjoying now at a church in Franklin, Tennessee.
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