Hallelujah, praise the Lord! Hymn 204 By faith We Have Hope arranged for oboe and piano. I remembered more than 20 years ago when I was teaching in secondary school, I came across the double-reed instruments of oboe and bassoon. I had a go at both of them and found that it was not that easy to produce a good sound, much more difficult than a clarinet or flute. Yet the sound of the oboe is so different to other woodwind family members that I have decided to arrange this hymn with an Oboe.

The melody by this unknown composer is very simple and yet it carries a special message – we as sojourners who are temporarily residing in this world that is not ours should live a simple life. With this in mind, I have also made the accompaniment very simple to highlight this point.

By faith we have the greatest hope and prize awaiting us all in the eternal heavenly Kingdom. Read from below the translation of UK hymns of Praise which is much closer to the Chinese lyrics.

1 By faith we have hope in Jesus Away from our sins and fears,
He conquered the grave to save us, And now He will draw us near;
Our eyes will behold His glory, Our flesh will become like Christ,
The power which raised our Saviour Will too be our greatest prize.

2 By faith we have hope in heaven, Our home for eternity,
For earth is but just a moment, The sigh of a fading breeze;
We pray for the Lord’s returning, We look to His throne above,
Our hearts will remain untainted, Our songs full of grace and love.

3 By faith we have hope in glory, A time when our hope comes true,
New heaven, new earth, new story Where sin can never undo;
The tears which run down our faces, Our God will wipe them away,
For true is His ev’ry promise, Our hope will come true one day.