Hymns in Human ExperienceHart, William J. (William John)
Religion
Hymns in Human Experience
Hart, William J. (William John)
Hymns -- History and criticism
The voice of the bishop was again heard:
“Perhaps today there are loving words
Which Jesus would have me speak;
There may be now in the paths of sin
Some wanderer whom I should seek.
O Saviour, if Thou wilt be my guide,
Tho’ dark and rugged the way,
My voice shall echo Thy message sweet,
I’ll say what You want me to say.”
Then for the second time, the young ministers united their voices with
the one who was leading them in song, as together they rendered the
chorus.
The third stanza followed, by the Bishop:
“There’s surely somewhere a lowly place,
In earth’s harvest fields so wide,
Where I may labor through earth’s short day,
For Jesus the crucified;
So trusting my all to His tender care,
And knowing Thou lovest me,
I’ll do Thy will with a heart sincere,
I’ll be what You want me to be.”[11]
Hundreds of eyes by this time were mist-filled, and it was with
difficulty that many could control their voices when Bishop Leonard
asked the entire company to sing the refrain. Soon, however, about
twelve hundred voices were songfully pledging their loyalty to their
Lord as they sang the words of the chorus.
Few were the words spoken by the leader of the service before another
hymn was rendered:
“I need Thee every hour,
Most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine
Can peace afford.”
These lines voiced a prayer for divine strength, guidance and blessing.
With the young ministers now standing at the altar, young people were
asked to consecrate their lives to the service of Christ. From all parts
of that historic church young men and young women moved forward until
sixty of them had publicly registered their decision. Some of them for
the first time took their stand for Christ, others expressed a desire to
become ministers, missionaries, workers in their home churches.
The effects of this service will remain for many years. For there went
forth from that church in the central part of the Empire State of New
York a great company of hearts touched by the Spirit of God and resolved
to render faithful devotion to Christ’s cause.
The consciousness of the divine providence was emphasized in the
confession:
“Thou My Daily Task Shall Give”
When sixty ministers, heads of various Summer Schools of Ministerial
Training in the Methodist Episcopal Church, met in Evanston, Illinois,
to review the work of the previous year and to plan for the future, the
leader of the devotions one morning called attention to a hymn of great
personal value. Then, on that January day, it was sung with deep feeling
as the ministers were just entering on their task for another year. This
hymn was written by a layman, Josiah Conder, who “passed a busy life as
bookseller, editor and author.” It is well worth committing to memory;
at least, such was the conviction of that group of ministers who sang:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account