Amazing Grace-366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions
November 25 WE GATHER TOGETHER Source Unknown Translation by Edward Kremser, 1838–1914 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. (Colossians 4:2) Thanksgiving is not merely a day to be observed once each year; for the Christian it must be a way of daily living. No Thanksgiving Day gathering would be complete without the singing of this traditional Dutch hymn. Today we sing this hymn as an expression of thanks to God as our defender and guide throughout the past year. The text was originally written by an anonymous author at the end of the 17th century to celebrate the Dutch freedom from the Spanish overlords, who had been driven from their land. Freedom was now theirs, both politically from Spain and religiously from the Catholic church. “We Gather Together” must be understood and appreciated in its historical setting. For many years, Holland had been under the scourge of Spain, and in 1576, Antwerp was captured and sacked by the Spanish armies....