Chris' prayer: Ryan Toby's "Oh Happy Day"

According to Wikipedia, this song has a long and storied history. Its current incarnation, is a gospel hymn that was written in 1967, but was based off a 18th century hymn. That hymn, in turn, draws its origins from an earlier hymn. That hymn drew its inspiration from the Bible. So, this song has been around in some form for a long, long time. So, in every sense of the word, this song is a classic.

The thing I love most about any piece of music that has reached that status is the sheer number of different versions you can find of it. Type in "Oh Happy Day" into the iTunes Store, and you'll get 150 matches– and none of them are this version here, meaning there are probably many, many more versions. One can spend hours scouring iTunes or YouTube looking for just the version that touches them, that connects them with the song. There's one for everybody.

Perhaps not coincidentally, the Jesus that is sung about in this song is the same way. He has so many different ways of touching each of us, that one of them is bound to work out just right. Our Savior is a personal, intimate, individual savior. He came and died for each one of us, and now He lives inside each one of us in a way that is completely unique, and yet of the same God.

Oh, happy day, indeed.


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