As April comes to an end, I want to share this beloved hymn, one of the best hymns ever written (in my humble opinion), and one that always brings tears to my eyes each time I sing or hear it.
Listen to David Phelps as he sings it. I guarantee you, listening to this version of the hymn is quite a moving experience.
O Love That Will Not Let Me Go
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.
Matheson said about this hymn:
My hymn was composed in the manse of Innelan [Argyleshire, Scotland] on the evening of the 6th of June, 1882, when I was 40 years of age. I was alone in the manse at that time. It was the night of my sister’s marriage, and the rest of the family were staying overnight in Glasgow. 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.
Info taken from: http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/o/l/oltwnlmg.htm
5 comments:
What a beautiful witness to the unfailing love of my Savior. Thank you for sharing this beautiful rendition of this treasured old hymn. May the Lord be with you today and life your heart.
Many hugs..........
Diane
This hymn is very dear to me. We used to sing it a lot in church when our late Dutch Pastor was alive.
This is new to me. Thanks for sharing it AND the story of how it was written. Makes it more precious, I think.
dear crown of beauty,
i have always loved this hymn and i never knew what anguish that the author of it went through.
how resting on the lords' breast he lay even though his heart was in such despair.
how like the lord to not only hold and comfort him but to give him such great words and a tune that would help countless others who needed such comfort when they heard that song.
thanks so much for this song and its birth place, crown of beauty..love terry
thanks for your visit,
i am always so glad to see you....
What a beautiful hymn! Such depth of comfort is precious and rare. Thank you for sharing this.
Thanks also for your encouragement on my blog. I always love hearing and learning from you!!
Blessings, Linda
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