"For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" 2 Corinthians 4:5-6
Lyrics
O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.
O light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.
O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.
O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.
O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.
O light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.
O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.
O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.
George Matheson is the author is this hymn. By the time he was 15 years old he learned that he was going blind. He was not a young man to be so easily discouraged by this news, and he set out to educated, he graduated at age 19 from University of Glasgow and following that proceeded into theological studies.
As he was finishing his studies he realized that he was rapidly becoming blind. He told his girlfriend at the time what his condition was and she promptly dumped him. This was a terrible heart break for him, but what could he do? He continued on in his life. Going on to become a minister of word. He wrote several books as well. His sister was a great help to him at the time.
When his sister got married, he was left at home alone while the rest of the family went to celebrate the nuptials, the memory of that time of his life came flooding back to him, and in his own words:
"Something happened to me, which was known only to myself, and which caused me the most severe mental suffering. The hymn was the fruit of that suffering. It was the quickest bit of work I ever did in my life. I had the impression of having it dictated to me by some inward voice rather than of working it out myself. I am quite sure that the whole work was completed in five minutes, and equally sure that it never received at my hands any retouching or correction. I have no natural gift of rhythm. All the other verses I have ever written are manufactured articles; this came like a dayspring from on high."
He never married. Remaining devoted to God for the rest of his life.
He died of a sudden stroke in 1906, his hymn remaining popular.
As he was finishing his studies he realized that he was rapidly becoming blind. He told his girlfriend at the time what his condition was and she promptly dumped him. This was a terrible heart break for him, but what could he do? He continued on in his life. Going on to become a minister of word. He wrote several books as well. His sister was a great help to him at the time.
When his sister got married, he was left at home alone while the rest of the family went to celebrate the nuptials, the memory of that time of his life came flooding back to him, and in his own words:
"Something happened to me, which was known only to myself, and which caused me the most severe mental suffering. The hymn was the fruit of that suffering. It was the quickest bit of work I ever did in my life. I had the impression of having it dictated to me by some inward voice rather than of working it out myself. I am quite sure that the whole work was completed in five minutes, and equally sure that it never received at my hands any retouching or correction. I have no natural gift of rhythm. All the other verses I have ever written are manufactured articles; this came like a dayspring from on high."
He never married. Remaining devoted to God for the rest of his life.
He died of a sudden stroke in 1906, his hymn remaining popular.
RSS Feed
