O Love That Will Not Let Me Go

I was going to post about this last night when it was fresh, but I fell asleep mid-texting conversation, so there's that.  One of the things we're doing this year with the Praise Team at Grace Life is breaking down some hymns of the faith.  It's a neat process, because it becomes a collaborative effort, and even though I've done a lot of prep work before coming to this meeting, there are things that were pointed out that I didn't notice (all of which will be discussed below).  The hymn for this month is not one I grew up with, but I discovered the version linked sometime during all of the cancer stuff, and it has stuck with me.  Part of what we did last night was to look into the history of the hymn and pull apart the lyrics to figure out where the truths from Scripture were and how it still relates to us.  The text (in all its old English glory) is:

O Love that wilt 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 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.

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.

I love how Ascend the Hill has treated it (the video in the link above, a modernized version with an added chorus related to each verse, really good stuff if you didn't go listen to it), but the original hymn tune is also nice.  But most importantly, the lyrics are so rich.  So this is what we came up with.
First of all, the hymn writer, though not born blind, lost his sight by the age of 18, so all of the delicate imagery is fascinating.  Second, he said that he wrote this after some extreme but unnamed trial that he faced, and that it was written as a hasty response.  Bearing all that in mind, it is interesting how each verse begins with a descriptor that is clearly meant to be replaced with Jesus.  He begins the song focusing on God's love, something that we can rest in, something that will anchor us no matter where the oceans may take us.

He then moves into a description of Light, and it's interesting that in this context the Light is following, not leading.  At least, not until the writer yields his torch, his heart, to be able to shine brighter.  It's also worth noting that it is the heart which stores the rays, borrowed rays, implying that there's something there that wasn't there before.  

Now, to the crux of the matter- the Joy coming in pain, the writer who cannot help but open himself back up.  The writer is pursued by God!  Sometimes we forget that it is a two-way street.  And, given the context of the writing, it is likely that Matheson felt lost, felt like he could not be forgiven.  BUT- he holds onto the promise of God, points specifically to the promise that God would not flood the earth because of man's sinfulness.  Perhaps he himself is feeling so vile that he thinks God cannot forgive him.  But he knows that the next morning is filled with new mercy.

And finally, really bringing everything full circle, the Cross.  This final verse is a word picture in the same way that baptism is a physical representation of everything that culminates in salvation.  But let's not lose the beginning of this verse- I dare not ask to fly (or some versions say "hide") from Jesus!  Why hide from God?  And even more amazing, that he starts by saying that Jesus is lifting his head!

If that doesn't get you pumped, I don't know what to do for you.


We all screw up.  This hymn is written for the Christian who thinks that what they have done is so abominable to God that they choose to avoid him, to fight against Him, to go their own way, to hold onto the hurt, to hide. . . but God is there, waiting for you to return.  His forgiveness that you have received already covered everything you've done and are going to do. And if you haven't experienced that forgiveness. . . if this song doesn't make any sense. . . then let's talk.