O Love That Will Not Let Me Go
O Love That Will Not Let Me Go
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.
O Light that foll’west all my way,
I yield my flick’ring 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 went completely blind when he was eighteen years old. Still, he went on to become a great preacher in the Church of Scotland, assisted by his sister, who learned Greek and Hebrew to help with his research.
This hymn was written on the evening of June 6, 1882. Matheson later wrote, “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.”
What was it that happened to him? Some think he was remembering the time his fiancée broke their engagement when she learned that he was going blind. Or perhaps it was difficult for him to have his devoted sister getting married. In any case, he was led to ponder God’s eternal love, which would turn his “flick’ring torch” into blazing daylight.
I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.
Romans 8:38
From the book
