Close to Thee – Fanny Crosby (1874)

Thou, my everlasting portion,
More than friend or life to me;
All along my pilgrim journey,
Saviour, let me walk with Thee.

Refrain ~
Close to Thee, Close to Thee,
Close to Thee, Close to Thee,
All along my pilgrim journey,
Saviour, let me walk with Thee.

Not for ease or worldly pleasure,
Nor for fame my prayer shall be;
Gladly will I toil and suffer,
Only let me walk with Thee

Lead me thro’ the vale of shadows;
Bear me o’er life’s fitful sea;
Then the gate of life eternal
May I enter, Lord, with Thee.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded (James 4:8)

In Kwa Matingi, Kenya

One of the most amazing moment of my life and ministry came in 2016 in Kenya at a bush church called Grace and Glory Church in Kwa Matingi. For six hours I preached on the Doctrines of Grace – how God chooses us for salvation by grace and securely keeps us unto Himself for all eternity. The crowd of pastors and churchmen sat in rapt attention inside and outside the building as I read and explained each word from John 6, 8, and 10. It was a message few had ever heard before.

As I concluded, I stressed that all we do as pastors and Christians, is to be for the glory of God, for He alone is worthy of all glory, honor, and praise. I stood on the floor among the enthusiastic standing-room only crowd and began to sing one of my favorite American hymns.

To God be the glory – great things He hath done;

So loved He the world that He gave us His Son,

Who yielded His life an atonement for sin,

And opened the lifegate that all may go in.

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! Let the earth hear His voice!

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! Let the people rejoice!

O come to the Father thro’ Jesus, the Son,

And give Him the glory – great things He hath done!

A few words into the song and a young Kenyan near the front stood and joined me singing. Soon the entire convocation was standing and those who knew the song sang so that all Heaven and nature were ringing.

When I finished, I asked the young man at my side to lead the church again, but in the native tongue. It was a marvelous sight and sound as men and women, elderly and children, black and brown and white, Americans and various Kenyan tribesmen joined as one praising the God of Redemption. For a moment, we had something of a real-time glimpse of what will be one day.

And they sang a new song, saying: You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth. Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing! (Revelation 5:9, 10, 12).

** An oldie from September 2016

Pass Me Not – Fanny Crosby (1868)

Pass me not, O gentle Saviour,
Hear my humble cry,
While on others Thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.

Refrain ~
Saviour, Saviour,
Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.

Let me at a throne of mercy
Find a sweet relief;
Kneeling there in deep contrition,
Help my unbelief.

Trusting only in Thy merit,
Would I seek Thy face;
Heal my wounded, broken spirit,
Save me by Thy grace.

Thou the Spring of all my comfort,
More than life to me,
Whom have I on earth beside Thee?
Whom in Heav’n but Thee?

Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Luke 18:39).

EE Hewitt (1851 – 1920)

Not long after E. E. Hewitt became a public school teacher in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she developed a spinal injury after an angry student beat her with his personal chalkboard. The pain was intense and Eliza was forced to quit her job. She spent six months in a full body cast, becoming a recluse in her own home.

During the following years, Eliza was often unable to even leave her bed. Despite the pain she felt a dire need to help the congregation she was part of, Calvin Presbyterian Church. She met this desire by writing short poems to teach to Sunday School students.

Her cast removed, Eliza was cleared by her doctor to take a short walk. She headed for a local city park where the fresh air and sunshine overwhelmed her. Her heart rejoiced and upon reaching home wrote,

There is sunshine in my soul today, More glorious and bright
Than glows in any earthly sky, For Jesus is my light.

O there’s sunshine, blessed sunshine, When the peaceful happy moments roll:
When Jesus shows His smiling face, There is sunshine in the soul.

Her poems caught the attention of John R Sweney, a professor of music at the Pennsylvania Military Academy. With Eliza’s permission, Sweney and his friend William J Kirkpatrick published her poems after adding music.

Though her back improved, it remained a constant problem throughout her life. With improvement, Eliza began teaching the Bible to children in her church Sunday School and a home for orphans. At one point more than 200 young students sat in her class each Sunday.

Eliza became a close personal friend of hymn writer Fanny Crosby.

Hewitt’s poems focused on Jesus and were often published under the name Lidie H Edmunds. She didn’t want to be recognized for her work, but insisted her Saviour and Lord be honored.

Some of her hymns include: My Faith Has Found a Resting Place, When We All Get to Heaven, Will There Be Any Stars in My Crown, More About Jesus, and Sunshine in My Soul.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will rest in hope (Psalm 16:9).

** Listen to Hewitt’s hymn, “Sunshine in My Soul” by clicking here.

Draw Me Nearer – Fanny Crosby (1875)

I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith,
And be closer drawn to Thee.

Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.

Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
By the pow’r of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine.

Oh, the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God,
I commune as friend with friend!

There are depths of love that I cannot know
Till I cross the narrow sea;
There are heights of joy that I may not reach
Till I rest in peace with Thee.