I’ve been meditating each morning on these words by George Matheson. See if they strike you in deep places, too.
O Love that will 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.
Thanks for pointing in this direction: I also like the verse:
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.
Peace
Some additional info that deepens this hymn.
Scottish theologian George Matheson was the remarkable blind preacher and hymn-writer of ‘O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go.’ Born on March 27, 1842 in Glasgow, Scotland, he was totally blind when he wrote this heartwarming hymn.
Dr Matheson had partial vision as a boy and by the time he was 18, he was completely blind. He described his writing as the “fruit of much mental suffering.” He never married, and was aided by a devoted sister throughout his ministry. She learned Greek, Latin, and Hebrew in order to aid him in his studies.
Despite handicap, Matheson had a brilliant career at the Glasgow Academy, University of Glasgow and the Church of Scotland Seminary. Amazingly, he obtained BA, MA and BD degrees. He was a scholar and graduated with honors. He received the honorary DD of the University of Edinburgh in 1879.
For 18 years, Matheson became parish minister of Innellan, Argyllshire. He was lecturer at Baird and St Giles, and a pastor of the 2,000 member St. Bernard’s Parish (1886). The University of Aberdeen conferred on him an honorary LLD (1902). He became one of Scotland’s outstanding preachers and pastors, where his eloquent preaching consistently attracted large crowds.
Dr. Matheson left an account of his writing of this hymn: (101 Hymn Stories by Kenneth W. Osbeck. Kregel Publications, 1982.)
“It was the day of my sister’s marriage…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 rather of having it dictated to me by some inward voice than of working it out myself…this came like a dayspring form on high. I have never been able to gain once more the same fervor in verse.”
The four key words of ‘O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go’ are love, light, joy and cross. They are expressions that describe the fulfillment for any believer whose life is totally committed to the will of God.
Peace.
My favorite hymn. Such a shame so few people know it.
Needed to hear this today and to remember it everyday.
there is a newer version of that hymn that came out of RUF. I posted a video of Derek Webb singing it at my blog a while back. link is here
If that link doesn’t work, sorry I can’t remember how to hyperlink in wordpress comments.
oh good it worked. And I meant to say that verse is the one that gets me in the heart.
Their is a vastness to the language of this verse that my mind can barely grasp. It reminds me of the language of the old hymn, “The Love of God”. That for me is what is so rich.
There’s a saying that goes, “All we owe God is one death.” This verse reminds me that what we truly owe Him is one life.
Oh 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 fearless be.
Matheson’s lyrics have always been a favorite of mine. Here’s another version of the song that’s worth a listen.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEeJx67Egwo
yes. one of my favorites.
Mike–
This is my all time favorite hymn. The words and harmonies weave together to make one of the most beautiful heart expressions I’ve ever experienced.
16 years ago at my dad’s funeral, a group of singers sang this hymn. In that moment it took on even deeper meaning for me…
“I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.”
It is Hope that we hold onto…and which holds onto us.
That will not let me go. . .a thought too wonderful to comprehend.
The combined musicality and poetry of this hymn always bring tears to my eyes and surprisingly, pain to my heart. Maybe it’s the pain of longing …. a deep longing for God - face-to-face.
O Light that follow’st all my way,
I yield my flick’ring torch to Thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in Thy sunshine’s glow its day
May brighter, fairer be.
I will never forget the first time I heard this wonderful hymn sung. I was a freshman at Harding in 1974, and when the College church (full of HU students) started singing, I was blown away. I couldn’t believe I had NEVER heard this beautiful song up until that moment! I won’t ever grow weary of singing it.
DU
It’s good, but it’s no “Did You Repent, Fully Repent?”
Mike,
I have read alot on this blog about parents dealing with the grief after the loss of a child. I watched something last night that was very powerful. Thought I would share it with you.
http://www.rickandbubba.com
Good stuff, makes me wonder how so many I know who claim to love Christ can continue on in willful sin, watch filthy network television programs, and continue spending money on expensive luxuries for personal gratification while the world starves, and dies in sin, all around us. May anyone reading this not be counted among those. “I give Thee back the life I owe”
-Jim
We should all keep a hymnal on our desk so we can go deep with God singing or humming those classics. Just because the church no longer sings them doesn’t mean we can sing them and lose ourselves in God. Songs like this are timeless, enriching, and even healing.
Mike thanks for sharing with us this wonderful hymnal.
A power message for the Church today as well as the world in which we live. I wish more people knew this hymn.
This is also my all-time favorite hymn. I hope it will be sung at my funeral. In combination with the beautiful melody and harmony, the lyrics express something to God that is more than words can say.
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