“Thou Thinkest, Lord, of Me”

"THOU THINKEST, LORD, OF ME"
"But I am poor and needy: yet the Lord thinketh upon me: Thou art my help…" (Ps. 40.17)

     INTRO.: A song which reminds us of the fact that even when we are poor and needy, the Lord thinks upon us and will be our help is "Thou Thinkest, Lord, Of Me" (#419 in Hymns for Worship Revised and #475 in Sacred Selections for the Church). The text was written and the tune was composed both by Edmund Simon Lorenz (1854-1942). Born in Stark County, OH, to parents who had emigrated to serve as missionaries among German speaking people, he became a United Brethren minister and served as President of Lebanon Valley College in Pennsylvania, but because of health problems retired and founded the Lorenz and Company Music Publishing House in Dayton, OH. "Thou Thinkest, Lord, of Me" was copyrighted in 1885.

     Other Lorenz songs in our books include "Tell It To Jesus Alone" and "Wonderful Love of Jesus." He also provided tunes for "Give Me The Bible," "God Is Love," and "So Tender, So Precious."  Among hymnbooks published by members of the Lord’s church during the twentieth century for use in churches of Christ, "Thou Thinkest, Lord, of Me" appeared in the 1935 Christian Hymns (No. 1), the 1948 Christian Hymns No. 2, and the 1966 Christian Hymns No. 3, all edited by L. O. Sanderson; the 1963 Abiding Hymns edited by Robert C. Welch; and the 1963 Christian Hymnal edited by J. Nelson Slater. Today it can be found in the 1971 Songs of the Church edited by Alton H. Howard, and the 1992 Praise for the Lord edited by John P. Wiegand, in addition to Hymns for Worship and Sacred Selections.

      "Thou Thinkest, Lord, Of Me" is a song of comfort and good cheer.

I. Stanza 1 says that God thinks of us in our trials
"Amid the trials which I meet, Amid the thorns which pierce my feet,
One thought remains supremely sweet: Thou thinkest, Lord, of me."
 A. We are called to undergo various trials in life: 1 Pet. 4.12
 B. These trials are often like unpleasant thorns which pierce the feet of one walking through the woods: Prov. 22.5
 C. However, the fact that the Lord thinks of us, and tells us so in His word, should be sweet to us: Ps. 119.103

II. Stanza 2 says that God thinks of us in our cares
"The cares of life come thronging fast, Upon my soul their shadow cast;
Their gloom reminds my heart at last, Thou thinkest, Lord, of me."
 A. We have various cares to occupy our minds in this life: Mk. 4.19
 B. They often cast a dark shadow upon the joys that we might otherwise experience, reminding us that life is brief like a shadow: Ps. 102.11
 C. However, we can still be take courage from the fact that the Lord thinks about us even in a day of darkness and gloominess: Joel 2.2

III. Stanza 3 says that God thinks of us in our changes
"Let shadows come, let shadows go, Let life be bright or dark with woe,
I am content, for this I know: Thou thinkest, Lord, of me."
 A. Again, we see shadows come and go in life because everything on earth is temporary: 2 Cor. 4.16-18
 B. Sometimes life is bright with joy but sometimes it is dark with woe; even the apostle Paul was abased on some occasions and abounded on others: Phil. 4.12
 C. However, amid all these changes, we can remember that the Lord thinks on us and learn to be content: Heb. 13.5-6

CONCL.: The chorus points out that the result of knowing that the Lord thinks of us is a lack of fear:
"Thou thinkest, Lord, of me, Thou thinkest, Lord, of me;
What need I fear when Thou art near And thinkest, Lord, of me?"
My grandmother once told me that this was one of her mother’s favorite songs. Throughout my life, I have often found help and encourgement in times of tribulation, sorrow, and other problems by going to God in prayer and telling Him, "I thank Thee that ‘Thou Thinkest, Lord, Of Me.’"