My favourite hymn

My favourite hymn is “Jesu, Lover of my soul”. In case you don't know it, it goes like this:

Jesu, lover of my soul,
let me to thy bosom fly,
while the nearer waters roll,
while the tempest still is high.
Hide me, O my Saviour, hide,
till the storm of life is past;
safe into the haven guide;
O receive my soul at last.

Other refuge have I none,
hangs my helpless soul on thee;
leave, ah! leave me not alone,
still support and comfort me.
All my trust on thee is stayed,
all my help from thee I bring;
cover my defenceless head
with the shadow of thy wing.

Thou, O Christ, art all I want,
more than all in thee I find;
raise the fallen, cheer the faint,
heal the sick, and lead the blind.
Just and holy is thy name,
I am all unrighteousness;
false and full of sin I am;
thou art full of truth and grace.  
 
Plenteous grace with thee is found,
grace to cover all my sin;
let the healing streams abound,
make and keep me pure within.
Thou of life the fountain art,
freely let me take of thee;
spring thou up within my heart;
rise to all eternity.

This beautiful outpouring was written around the year 1740. It is by Charles Wesley, still famous today for his Christmas hymn “Hark, the herald-angels sing”. In fact he wrote thousands of hymns.

There was a time when hymns stayed around for decades, maybe even hundreds of years. Today we call them classic hymns. Some churches still love and cherish them and make sure they are sung week by week. In many other churches they have been completely replaced by Christian songs that have been composed recently and are soon discarded in favour of new ones. In a way this is a good thing. We need to be reminded that the eternal God lasts, and the word of God in the Bible lasts, but the words of man are not inspired in the same way. They are often shaped by the day and age they are written in. Each generation finds new ways of expressing praise to God for sending us Jesus Christ, our Saviour, who is “the same yesterday and today and for ever”.

However, because they are so durable, classic hymns often carry many memories for people. We used to sing “Jesu, lover of my soul” at the primary school I went to. In those days schools regularly had a Christian assembly every day where the hymns were often the same as at church. I don’t know why I loved it so much as a youngster of nine or ten. Much of its meaning was lost on me. Maybe it was the beautiful Welsh tune we sang it to, but I like to think it was because of the sense of peace it gives. God is firmly in control. Through all troubles He will bring safely home those who have put their trust in Him through Jesus.

I’ve since come to appreciate the hymn even more for the many Bible quotes it contains - to give just one example:

"... in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by ..." (Psalm 57:1 ESV)

and the way it teaches Bible truth through poetry. There are four well balanced lines in the middle where Wesley contrasts our weakness and sin with God’s perfection but also His patience and kindness:

Just and holy is thy name

I am all unrighteousness

False and full of sin I am

thou art full of truth and grace.

There are many stories from the past about how the hymn has affected people. But my favourite goes back to the American Civil War (1861-1865). A sentry in Grant’s army sang it as he paced backwards and forwards. A soldier of the opposite army had lifted his gun to shoot him through the heart, when the words

Cover my defenceless head

with the shadow of thy wing

rang out on the night. He dropped his weapon, and allowed the sentry to pass unharmed. Eighteen years later an excursion steamer was sailing down the River Potomac, when an evangelist sang this hymn. A gentleman pushed through the company and asked if the singer had fought in the Civil War. He was the man who had refrained from shooting down the singer.

Charles Wesley’s more famous brother John declined to give “Jesu, Lover of my soul” a place in his hymnbook. He thought it was too emotional and intimate. In our times we are less bothered about such things. There is a place for saying openly how much we love and treasure God. For our sakes He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die in pain on a cross. The result is infinitely good for us. We can be put right with God and receive new and everlasting life. Surely in our day more people would be blessed by rediscovering this warm, vibrant and very beautiful hymn.