Hymns of the Church - I heard the voice of Jesus say– 12 March 2024, Anno Domini (In the Year of our Lord)

 

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O forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: 12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.  (1 Kings 19:11-12)

 

            This beautiful old hymn is the work of the beloved Horatius Bonar (1808-1889) who wrote this, and many other hymns, while serving as minister of the Church of Scotland, and later the Free Church of Scotland.  The tune I prefer is Sarah-Elizabeth by Amanda Husberg. Bonar has recorded the voice he heard of Jesus in many of his classic hymns. If you have yet to hear the voice of Jesus, you will doubtless miss the depth of this beautiful old hymn.

 

I heard the voice of Jesus say

 

            I heard the voice of Jesus say,

“Come unto Me and rest;

lay down, thou weary one, lay down

thy head upon My breast.”

I came to Jesus as I was,

so weary, worn, and sad;

I found in Him a resting place,

and He has made me glad.

 

I heard the voice of Jesus say,

“Behold, I freely give

the living water, thirsty one;

stoop down, and drink, and live.”

I came to Jesus, and I drank

of that life-giving stream;

my thirst was quenched, my soul revived,

and now I live in Him.

 

I heard the voice of Jesus say,

“I am this dark world’s Light;

look unto Me, thy morn shall rise,

and all thy day be bright.”

I looked to Jesus, and I found

in Him my Star, my Sun;

and in that Light of life I’ll walk,

till trav'ling days are done.

 

 1 I heard the voice of Jesus say, “Come unto Me and rest; lay down, thou weary one, lay down thy head upon My breast.” I came to Jesus as I was, so weary, worn, and sad; I found in Him a resting place,and He has made me glad. We hear the voice of our Lord in sundry places and under some surprising circumstances, but He speaks in soft and whispering tones to the heart and not the ears. He seldom speaks in the ballroom, the cocktail lounge, or the gambling halls; but even in those venues, He is able. The beloved Apostle of Love, John, was the young man who laid his head upon the breast of Christ at the Last Supper. He loved Jesus unconditionally for he understood, as a young man, that Christ first loved Him unconditionally. Many a heart-broken father or mother came destitute of hope to Christ on behalf of their darlings, and Christ always satisfied the compulsion of love in healing or raising from the dead. He still does! 

 

2 I heard the voice of Jesus say, “Behold, I freely give the living water, thirsty one; stoop down, and drink, and live.” I came to Jesus, and I drank of that life-giving stream; my thirst was quenched, my soul revived, and now I live in Him. The downcast woman of ill-repute heard that voice of Jesus offer the Water of Life at Jacob’s Well outside the gates of Sychar. Her life was changed and made anew at the very utterance of His grace. She left her empty bucket at the well and went home rejoicing. She gained credibility as a woman of faith and all beleived her testimony. The Water of Life is not costly to the beneficiary (in fact, it is free), but of great cost to the Benefactor who purchased it with His own blood on the brow of Calvary. If one drinks of that Flood, it will become an over-flowing stream of grace in the lives of its possessors.

 

3 I heard the voice of Jesus say, “I am this dark world’s Light; look unto Me, thy morn shall rise, and all thy day be bright.” I looked to Jesus, and I found in Him my Star, my Sun; and in that Light of life I’ll walk, till trav'ling days are done. Jesus is truly the Light of the World and our Sun of Righteousness; but He is also our Bright and Morning Star to lead us through the long, dark nights of this world of trouble and hurt. 16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. (Revelation 22:16)

 

That Morning Star is the brightest in our night Heaven and becomes the Sun of righteousness that shall arise with healing in His wings.“2 ¶ But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. (Malachi 4:2)