Wordwise Hymns

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Words: author unknown; published in Gospel Gems in 1878, under the initials A.N.
Music: Emerson E. Hasty (b. _____, 1840; d. _____, 1914)

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (none)
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org

Note: Nothing is known of the author of the words except the initials. One book seems to attribute the text as well tune to Mr. Hasty, but that is unlikely. Another has Charlotte Elliott as the author of the words, but that is even less likely. We just don’t know.

This is a simple, but very nice song. It should be used more than it is. The third and fourth line of each stanza are repeated as a kind of refrain.

CH-1) Jesus, my Saviour, to Bethlehem came,
Laid in a manger to sorrow and shame;
Oh, it was wonderful, blest be His name,
Seeking for me, for me:

Seeking for me, seeking for me,
Seeking for me, seeking for me,
Oh, it was wonderful, blest be His name,
Seeking for me, for me.

Years ago I worked with a man who was formerly an assistant in the laboratory of Frederick Banting and Charles Best, the discoverers of insulin. Their work has changed the lives of millions who have suffered from diabetes.

There are many people and events that have been significant difference makers in history. Some in beneficent ways, others bringing untold grief and painful loss. Hitler, by his invasion of Poland in 1939, plunged the world into a devastating war, and the terrorists’ wanton destruction of the World Trade Centre in 2001 brought a chain reaction that continues to affect us.

One person above all others can be described as the ultimate Difference Maker. That is the Lord Jesus Christ. Twenty years ago, James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe published What If Jesus Had Never Been Born? (A great book, and still in print. Recommended reading.) It’s astonishing to learn of the effects of this one Person on our society. Government, science, health, economics, the arts, and more, have been radically affected by Him and His teachings.

Painting with broad strokes, we see Him as the Creator God. “All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made” (Jn. 1:3). “All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist [they’re held together]” (Col. 1:16-17). And we can add to this the sweeping influence He has had on world history, some of it documented by Kennedy and Newcombe.

But etch the scene in finer detail, and what do we see? The Lord Jesus has revealed His transforming power in the lives of individuals, one by one. While I gaze in wonder at the impact Christ has had on society at large, and I’m certainly affected by it all, the greatest wonder of them all is that God reached down and saved me, through the blood of His Son.

Yes, it’s true that “God so loved the world” that He sent His Son to take sin’s punishment in my place (Jn. 3:16). But it’s difficult to get my mind around that–the whole world. The most thrilling thing of all is that “the Son of God…loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). The gospel is a personal matter. Christ, the sacrificial “Lamb of God” (Jn. 1:29) is my own Saviour.

Nearly a century and a half ago, a lovely gospel song was written about that. Whether the writer, “A.N.” was a man or woman may never be known. But I see that unknown believer bathed in light of the above. The love of God reaches down to individuals, men or women, famous or unknown, rich or poor, educated or illiterate, saves them by His grace, and gives them a place in His forever family.

History is dotted with the names of well known Christians: Martin Luther, Charles Spurgeon, C. S. Lewis, Billy Graham, and more. But aren’t you glad God loved A. N., and that He loves you just as much? And can you speak with confidence, as the hymn writer does of “My Saviour”? Can you confess that, yes, He came to save me, He paid my debt of sin, and one day He’s coming to take me to Himself forever? If not, I pray that you may come to “know the love of Christ which passes knowledge” (Eph. 3:19).

CH-2) Jesus, my Saviour, on Calvary’s tree,
Paid the great debt and my soul He set free;
Oh, it was wonderful–how could it be?
Dying for me, for me!

CH-5) Jesus, my Saviour, will come from on high,
Sweet is the promise as weary years fly;
Oh, I shall see Him descending the sky,
Coming for me, for me.

Questions:
1) Have you trusted in the Lord Jesus as your personal Saviour?

2) What difference is that making in your life today?

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (none)
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org