Hymn Story: My Jesus, I Love Thee

1 John 4:19  We love him, because he first loved us.

 

Sixteen year old William Featherston of Montreal, Canada wrote this simple but profound hymn in 1862, not long after he was converted to Christ. William wrote no other hymns that we know of and his brief life ended just before his twenty-seventh birthday.

How could such a young man write this thoughtful hymn? The answer begs the question, as young or old, when a person comes to Christ, the Holy Spirit bestows a power that transcends the commonplace.

Young William had been confronted by his sin and an eternity separated from God. In a life changing moment, he had trusted Jesus to forgive His sin.

William had been transformed into a "new creation", a child of God. Sinfulness had given way to repentance. He experienced the incredible joy of a life purchased by the blood of Jesus. Earlier, Jesus had been just a name, but now Jesus was William’s ‘Redeemer’. So loved by God, William could write these beautiful words expressing his love for Jesus.

Though William lived only ten years after writing this hymn, perhaps, instinctively, he knew that his destiny was "endless delight", that he would sing an unending song of adoration to his Lord:

In mansions of glory and endless delight
I’ll ever adore Thee in heaven so bright,
I’ll sing with the glittering crown on my brow,
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ‘tis now.’

Do you belong to Jesus? Are you a "new creation"? If so, then with praise and adoration, sing this ‘love song to Jesus’. Let these words express your devotion for Christ’s sacrificial death on ‘Calvary’s tree’.

But if you’re not a child of God, why not ask Jesus, right now, to become your Redeemer? Acknowledge your need of a Saviour and tell Jesus that you are coming to Him as a repentant sinner, trusting only Him to save you and cleanse you of your sin. Tell Him that you believe in Him and His Word, and that you want Him to take control of your life, to come into your heart and be your Saviour and Redeemer.

Like William Featherstone, it will be the greatest decision you will ever make.

Listen to it here: My Jesus, I Love Thee