Come, Sing to the Lord
10

Text and music: Gerrit de Jong, Jr. (1892–1978; LDS)
Tune name: BELLE

There are many reasons to praise the Lord. In “Come, Sing to the Lord,” we praise him for raising up prophets, both ancient and modern, to guide his people and for restoring priesthood authority in these latter days.

The first verse refers to Joseph Smith, the prophet raised up to restore “the blessed gospel.” The second verse places this fact in the context of ancient prophecy: others who spoke in the name of the Lord foresaw the calling and mission of Joseph Smith. Latter- day Saint scripture is specific on this point:

“For Joseph [the Joseph who was sold into Egypt] truly testified, saying: A seer shall the Lord my God raise up, who shall be a choice seer unto the fruit of my loins.

“Yea, Joseph truly said: Thus saith the Lord unto me: . . .

“ . . . And I will make him great in mine eyes; for he shall do my work. . . .

“ . . . Behold, that seer will the Lord bless; and they that seek to destroy him shall be confounded. . . .

“And his name shall be called after me” (2 Nephi 3:6–8, 14, 15).

The third verse emphasizes the restoration of the “keys of the priesthood of our Lord.” Following the Apostasy, many truths and partial truths remained on earth among the various religious denominations; truth did not disappear completely. But priesthood authority was taken away in its entirety. In our day, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints has been the means of restoring this authority to earth. Thus Gerrit de Jong chose to characterize the Restoration by devoting verse three entirely to the subject of priesthood restoration: “powers divine are manifest.”

Concerning the background of this hymn, Gerrit de Jong said that “When an edition of hymns was going to be printed, Tracy Y. Cannon, chairman of the Church Music Committee, asked me to send him a congregational hymn. I wrote it in a few minutes after Sunday School and had a quartet sing it in Sacrament meeting that night in the Highland Park [Salt Lake] Ward” (quoted in J. Spencer Cornwall, Stories of Our Mormon Hymns, 39).

The tune name honors the composer’s daughter, Belle de Jong Van Wagenen. The hymn was first published in Latter- day Saint Hymns (1927).