216 years.

The hymn pictured on the left (89) was written in 1801, and the hymn on the right (90) was written over two hundred years later by two young ladies inspired by the words of God found in Song of Solomon.

If you look closely at the footnote at the bottom of each hymn, you can see which edition the hymn at hand first appeared in the Old School Hymnal. “I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord” was in the first edition of the Old School Hymnal published in 1920. One hundred years later, “Return to the Beloved” makes its debut in the Old School Hymnal’s thirteenth, Centennial Edition just released. These simple footnotes throughout the hymnal show me that there are countless ways to sing the praises of our Lord and Savior.

People were writing hymns hundreds of years ago that we sing every Sunday. And yet, people are still writing rich, God-honoring, beautiful hymns to this very day. What a rich blessing. Praise the Lord.

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