Lord’s Day, Vol. 2 No. 37
(1) O Love that Will Not Let Me Go
Born in Scotland in 1842, Dr. George Matheson from his earliest childhood had deteriorating eyesight. By the time he was eighteen he became totally blind. In spite of the handicap, he distinguished himself as a brilliant student at Edinburgh University, earning a doctorate. Later, he established himself as an eminent preacher and writer and was honoured by an invitation from Queen Victoria to preach at Balmoral Castle.
When the young lady to whom he was engaged found out that he had become blind, she refused to marry him. Out of that rejection, he wrote of a love that was steadfast and unfailing amidst all the circumstances of life, gave us the devotional treasure, “O Love that Will Not Let Me Go.”
Dr. Matheson gave the following record of how the hymn came about: “Something had happened that 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 my having worked it out myself. The whole work was completed in five minutes, and it never received at my hands any alterations or corrections.”
O love, that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in Thee,
I gave Thee back 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.
The hymn employs great metaphors to express Dr. Matheson’s inspired insights. The first and second symbols in this hymn are love and light. The symbol of the third verse is joy. It is a joy that overcomes pain, with the rainbow emerging out of the storm and the tearless morning succeeding the tearful night.
The hymn climaxes with the great metaphor of the cross. From the crucifixion of Christ and of self, comes life eternal:
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.
How wonderful that from so unlovely a thing such as suffering can come so exquisite offering as this poem. Its lofty language and depth of devotional expression give it a place among the classic hymns of our faith. It stands in stark contrast to the saccharine and shallow expressions that can sometimes characterize modern singing.
May the love, light, joy and cross of which the hymn speaks of be our experience in Christ. This hymn could be found in the Revival Hymns and Choruses # 313. [Extracted and edited from Songs in the Night by Henry Gariepy]
(2) Blessed Hope Devotions (www.blessedhope/category/devotions)
We shall be completing the study of JC Ryle’s Expository Thoughts on the Gospel of Mark in a month’s time on 15 October 2014. We thank God that many who faithfully read the devotions have been richly blessed. Today’s reading is based on Mark 10:35-45. An excerpt is given here for your meditation:
“Let us mark in this passage, the ignorance of our Lord’s disciples. We find James and John petitioning for the first places in the kingdom of glory. We find them confidently declaring their ability to drink of their Master’s cup and be baptised with their Master’s baptism. In spite of all the plain warnings of our Lord, they clung obstinately to the belief that Christ’s kingdom on earth was immediately going to appear. Notwithstanding their many shortcomings in Christ’s service, they had no misgivings as to their power to endure anything which might come upon them. With all their faith, and grace, and love to Jesus, they neither knew their own hearts, nor the nature of the path before them. They still dreamed of temporal crowns, and earthly rewards. They still knew not what manner of men they were…”
Yours lovingly in Christ,
Pr. Lek Aik Wee