Our Gracious God Has Laid His Firm Foundations

Our Gracious God has laid His firm foundations

Versifier: William Kuipers (1931)
Tune: GENEVAN 87
CCLI Number: 6282350
Published in 3 hymnals

Audio files: MIDI
Representative text cannot be shown for this hymn due to copyright.

Versifier: William Kuipers

Born: 1883, Rochester, New York. Died: 1933, Passaic, New Jersey. Buried: Restlawn Cemetery, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Kuipers emigrated from Friesland to America, in the late 1880s, graduated from Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan, and was ordained in the Christian Reformed Church. He served at the Second Christian Reformed Church of Fremont, Michigan (1914-19); Christian Reformed churches in Oakland, Michigan (1919-23); Dennis Avenue, Grand Rapids, Michigan (1923-27); and Summer Street, Passaic, New Jersey (1927-33). He wrote a number of poems, hymns, and psalm versifications. © The Cyber Hymnal™ (hymntime.com/tch)  Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: Our Gracious God has laid His firm foundations
Title: Our Gracious God Has Laid His Firm Foundations
Versifier: William Kuipers (1931)
Meter: 11.10.10.11
Language: English
Copyright: © 1976 Faith Alive Christian Resources

Notes

A celebration of the glory of Zion as the city of God, whose citizens, gathered from all nations, enjoy God's sure protection and unfailing blessings.

Scripture References:
st. l =vv. 1-2
st. 2 = vv. 3-4a
st. 3 = v. 4b
st. 4 = vv. 5-6
st. 5 = v. 7

This song about Zion has historically been understood as anticipating the gathering of the nations into the people of God (in harmony with many of the prophetic books from Isaiah to Zechariah). As the "city of God," Zion represented the earthly royal city of God's emerging kingdom (see also 46, 48, 76, 84, 122,125, and 137)–citizenship in Zion signified all the benefits of God's blessing and protection. Most likely this psalm was composed for use in the liturgy of an annual religious festival drawing the pious in great throngs to Jerusalem. The psalmist notes God's special love for Zion (st. 1) and extols its glory as the city that draws the nations (st. 2-3). God will recognize as citizens of Zion all who come to confess their faith in the LORD (st. 4), and their response will be praise and adoration (st. 5).

William Kuipers (b. Rochester, NY, 1883; d. Passaic, NJ, 1933) versified this psalm in 1931 for the 1934 Psalter Hymnal; it was reprinted in the 1987 Psalter Hymnal with only a few changes. Another setting of Psalm 87 is at 168.

A graduate of Calvin College and Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Kuipers was ordained in the Christian Reformed Church. From 1914 to 1919 he served the Second Christian Reformed Church of Fremont, Michigan, a congregation organized to be an English-speaking church. Later he served Christian Reformed churches in Oakland, Michigan (1919-1923); Dennis Avenue, Grand Rapids (1923-1927); and Summer Street, Passaic, New Jersey (1927-1933). Kuipers wrote a number of poems, hymns, and psalm versifications.

Liturgical Use:
Pentecost, mission contexts; emphasis on the worldwide kingdom of the Lord and on the new Jerusalem.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook

Tune

GENEVAN 87

GENEVAN 87 was first published in the 1562 edition of the Genevan Psalter; Jacobus J.K. Kloppers (b. Krugersdorp, Transvaal, South Africa, 1937) wrote the harmonization in 1985. In the Hypo-Mixolydian mode, this tune consists off four lines, each of which have their own rhythmic and melodic identity…

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Timeline

Instances

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Psalter Hymnal (Gray) #87

Include 2 pre-1979 instances
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