In this Christianity Today article, Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra points out that the Vatican has made a decision to excise the name Yahweh from worship. John Witvliet, director of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, says that evangelicals have been debating this point concerning not only the word Yahweh, but also Jehovah. In fact, “both Yahweh and Jehovah have been removed from the Christian Reformed Church’s Psalter Hymnal, turning “Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah” into “Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer.” Are we letting superstition get in the way of a proper use of God’s revealed name?
Though I was raised in the Christian Reformed Church, I was quite disappointed with the approach they took in the latest edition of the Psalter Hymnal. The hymn you reference threw me the first time the new version was sung. Not only is “Jehovah” changed, but a number of other lyrics are too.
There is something to be said for preserving hymns in their original form. A lot of people, like myself, have memorized a good deal of hymns over time, and those classics are usually memorized in their original lyrical form. To all of a sudden change it for the purpose of “relevance” is nonsense. And if I were the original composer, I’d find it insulting too.
Check out what the CRC did with the Christmas hymns in that hymnal. My wife loves Christmas songs but can’t stand singing them out of that hymnal because in some cases they are morphed beyond recognition.