****MY JESUS, I LOVE THEE

Over the past three years, I have presented stories and commentaries on twelve hymns that share something in common.  They are:

1. Holy Bible, Book Divine 
2. Alleluia, Alleluia, Give Thanks To The Risen Lord
3. May The Mind Of Christ, My Savior
4. Now Thank We All Our God
5. I Sing The Mighty Power Of God
6. Savior, Like A Shepherd Lead Us
7. Stand Up And Bless The Lord
8. Take My Life And Let It Be Consecrated
9. For The Beauty Of The Earth
10. Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne
11. All Creatures Of Our God And King
12. More About Jesus

So, what do they have in common?  They were all written for CHILDREN.

Last week I did an internet search for best hymns and Sunday School songs for children, and NONE of those hymns were listed.   Instead, I found songs like:

1. This Little Light Of Mine
2. He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands
3. Give Me Oil In My Lamp
4. Father Abraham Has Many Sons
5. I’m In The Lord’s Army
6. Zacchaeus Was A Wee Little Man
7. Deep And Wide
8. O You Can’t Get To Heaven On A Roller Skate
9. Ten Little Angels

I think we do children a disservice by presuming that they can’t understand and appreciate good hymns.  Music is an effective tool for worship, for teaching and for memorization so, instead of giving them the musical equivalent of junk food, we should teach them hymns that build them up in the faith, support biblical doctrines, and glorify God.

 

Today’s hymn, MY JESUS, I LOVE THEE, was not written FOR children but it was written by a very young man.  His name was William Featherston and, according to most hymn historians, he wrote the poem shortly after he was saved, at the age of about 12 years.

So, how could a young, new Christian write such a fine hymn? 

Well, there’s not much available information about him, except that he attended church throughout his childhood.  Certainly, he must have learned great truths about his great God from the teachings of his parents, the preaching of the Word of God by his pastor, and, quite possibly, from the rich hymns of the faith that were sung each week in his church.

 One Christian writer, Tim Challies, noted that this song assures us of our salvation, celebrates the Gospel, delights us in the loveliness of Christ, strengthens our resolve to praise Him through all our circumstances, and fixes our hope on our eternal home in glory.

William Featherston never saw his hymn in print or heard it sung. He died at the age of 27.  It was several years after his death that Adoniram Judson Gordon gave the poem a melody and published it in his book of hymns.