Surely Goodness and Mercy

This hymn was the collaboration of two well-known gospel music writers, John W. Peterson and Alfred B. Smith. In 1958, the two men collaborated to write a song based on Psalm 23.

Smith later recalled, “It was written after receiving a letter from a country schoolteacher who was teaching her class the 23rd Psalm. When the part ‘surely goodness and mercy’ was reached, a young boy thought it said, ‘surely good Miss Murphy shall follow me all the days of my life.’ This little incident focused our thoughts on the phrase which became the heart and title of the song.”

According to Peterson, “One day while improvising at the piano in my Montrose, PA studio, Alfred B. Smith, with whom I was associated at the time, walked in. For no particular reason that I can remember, we started to develop a new song. I would come up with a thought, then Al. In a short time ‘Surely Goodness and Mercy’ was born. I had never worked with another writer in such a manner to compose a song. Later Al and I wrote two or three other numbers like that.”

John Willard Petersen was born in Lindsborg, Kansas in 1921, into a musical Swedish family. During WWII, he served in the Air Force as a pilot, flying the notorious "China Hump" route over the Himalayas.

Following the war, he received his musical training at the Moody Bible Institute and the American Conservatory of Music. He has since received honorary doctorate degrees from the Western Conservative Baptist Seminary and from John Brown University.

Alfred Barney Smith was born in 1916 in a small Holland Dutch community in northern New Jersey. Smiths’ early years were filled with loving care from a father and mother who loved the Lord. His mother was a stay-at-home mother who was able to spend her time encouraging and teaching her son in the three “R’s,” reading, writing, and arithmetic, to which she added the fourth "R," religion.

At an early age Smith learned the stories of David and Goliath, Daniel in the Lion’s Den, Noah and the Ark and best of all the story of Jesus. Though his mother had never received any extensive musical training she did love to sing. The first song she taught young Smith was “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”

Music would be one of the most important ingredients in his childhood home. A Symphonic model phonograph manufactured by Thomas Alva Edison was purchased. With the phonograph came twenty-five records chosen by the company. At the time, little did the young parents realize how much the included records would affect the future of their young son.

When Smith was eight and a half years of age his mother began to see that her son was developing an interest in the violin. He began taking lessons on the violin and made great progress. Soon he was performing in concerts in various parts of the east including solos with various symphony orchestras.

At fourteen he was invited to a tent meeting in Hawthorne, New Jersey, where he accepted Christ as Savior. He was thrilled upon hearing the one hundred and fifty people in the tent singing “Saved, Saved, Saved” and “One Day.” That day he fell in love with Gospel music It was a love that never left him.

Smith graduated from Moody Bible Institute and attended The Philadelphia School of the Bible. He was offered a scholarship to Wheaton College. He became acquainted with Billy Graham and worked with him, Graham preaching, and Smith coordinating the music. He participated in the ministries of Singspiration and Youth for Christ.

Smith married Nancy Wilbur and they raised four children. In his later years he battled cancer. Despite this he continued to travel and minister in song and story to countless numbers, his last concert was to an audience of over 2000 people.

Verse One

“A pilgrim was I and a-wand’ring,

In the cold night of sin I did roam.

When Jesus, the kind Shepherd, found me,

And now I am on my way home.”

John 10:11

“I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”

Studylight.org, Clarke’s Commentary: Our Lord had called Himself the Door of the sheep, as being the sole way to glory, and entrance into eternal life; here He changes the thought, and calls Himself the Good Shepherd, because of what He was to do for them that believe in Him, in order to prepare them for eternal glory.

Psalm 32:6

“Therefore let all the faithful pray to you while you may be found; surely the rising of the mighty waters will not reach them.”

Studylight.org, Clarke’s Commentary: Because Thou art merciful; because Thou hast shown mercy to all who have truly turned to Thee and believed in Thee; everyone who fears Thee, and hears of this, shall pray unto Thee in an acceptable time, when Thou mayest be found; in the time of finding. When the heart is softened and the conscience alarmed, that is a time of finding.

Verse Two

“He restoreth my soul when I’m weary;

He giveth me strength day by day.

He leads me beside the still waters;

He guards me each step of the way.

Psalm 31:3

“Since You are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of Your name lead and guide me.”

Studylight.org, Gill’s Exposition of the Whole Bible: The psalmist desires the Lord would lead him in the way of truth and paths of righteousness, according to His Word; and guide him with His counsel, and by His Spirit, that so he might walk in the way in which he should go; and this he entreats he would do “for His name’s sake” not for any merit or worthiness in him; but for the glory of His own name, and for the honor of His free grace and mercy, for which the Lord often does many things; He defers His anger, He purges away the sins of His people, He forgives their transgressions, and remembers their sins no more, for His name’s sale.

Verse Three

“When I walk through the dark, lonesome valley,

My Savior will walk with me there;

And safely His Great Hand will lead me,

To the mansions He’s gone to prepare.”

Psalm 84:6

“As they pass through the Valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools.”

BlueletterBible.org, David Guzik: The heart for God’s house provided wisdom and strength for the life lived away from God’s house. A difficult place (such as the Valley of Baca) was transformed into a spring, complete with rain and pools of water.

 2 Corinthians 13:11

“Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.”

Studylight.org, Contending for the Faith: Obeying the above traits [unity of faith, encourager, one mind, peace] will ensure that God, our Creator of love and peace, will always be with us.

Verse Four

“And I shall dwell in the House of the Lord forever;

And I’ll feast at the table spread for me.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me,

All the days, all the days of my life.”

Luke 14:15

“When one of those at the table with Him heard this, he said to Jesus, ‘Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the Kingdom of God.’”

Studylight.org, Dr Constable’s Expository Notes: Jesus continued to use the meal in the Pharisee’s house to teach about the messianic banquet and the kingdom to come. He had taught the importance of humbling oneself to participate and had justified that requirement. Now He invited His hearers to humble themselves so they could participate and warned those who rejected His invitation of their fate.

Enduringword.com, David Guzik: Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the Kingdom of God! The man spoke of the goodness and blessedness of the great banquet with the Messiah that was spoken of many times in the Old Testament and is known in the New Testament as the marriage supper of the Lamb. Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!

Psalm 122:1

“I rejoice with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’”

BlueletterBible.org: David Guzik: We should go into the house of the LORD. It is good and important for us to gather with God’s people for prayers, worship, and receiving of God’s Word. The gathering should be formal and ordered enough so that it is regarded as a gathering of God’s house — not everyone doing their own thing, but God’s people coming together for His glory and their benefit in His house.

Revelation 19:9

“Then the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’ And he added, ‘These are the true words of God.’”

Studylight.org, Bridgeway Bible Commentary: God’s rule has been clearly demonstrated in the destruction of the anti-Christian world system and the triumph of his persecuted people. That triumph is now pictured in a heavenly wedding feast in which the redeemed are seen as the bride of Christ. They are clothed in pure white to indicate their heavenly purity. The symbolism then changes. The redeemed, though pictured collectively as a bride, are pictured individually as those invited to share the wedding feast with Christ. John, overcome by the vision, is tempted to worship the angel who explained it to him. He is reminded that Jesus, not the angel, is the source of all these revelations.

Refrain

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me,

All the days, all the days of my life.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me,

All the days, all the days of my life.”

We are reminded through this hymn that just as David, we are all pilgrims through the journey of life. Charles Spurgeon wrote “The sweetest word of the whole is that monosyllable ‘my.’ If He is a Shepherd to no one else, He is a Shepherd to me. He cares for me, watches over me, and preserves me. The words are in the present tense. Whatever the believer’s position, he is even now under the pastoral care of Jehovah.”

 

I am indebted to the follow resources:

Dianaleaghmatthews.com

Livinghymns.org

Johnwpetersonmusic.com

Allmusic.com, Jason Ankeny

Kenneth W. Osbeck, Amazing Grace; 101 More Hymn Stories

By His Grace . . .

O Worship the King

This hymn is all about worshiping God for the wonders that He has done on earth. The whole theme of this hymn is the adoration of God's creation, and of God's promise to sing with the angels above.

Robert Grant was born in India, in 1779, the second son of Charles Grant. Like his father, an evangelical Christian and social reformer with a burden for global missions, Grant drew upon his deeply personal faith to guide his public life. His family relocated to England in 1790. There is no other information about his growing up years.

Among the family’s many contributions was a partnership with William Wilberforce toward the emancipation of enslaved Africans in the British Empire and an end to the slave trade.

Grant studied law at Magdalene College, Cambridge, and in 1807 passed the bar. He became a Commissioner in Bankruptcy. Between 1818 and 1832, he was an elected member of Parliament for several different Burgs. He was deeply concerned with social issues.

He married Margaret Davidson, daughter of Sir David Davidson. They had four children, two daughters and two sons.

Grant was a strong supporter of world missions and influential among evangelicals in the Church of England. He was a man of varied interests and considerable accomplishments.

Grant was asked to be governor of Bombay and accepted. He took over his new duties in 1834. As governor, he had opportunity to put his social concerns into practice, for the poverty and spiritual condition of the common people were appalling. Among his accomplishments were the opening of several new roads and inducement to commerce. Through his persistent efforts a bill was eventually passed which emancipated England’s Jews. He fought for other minority groups, too,

He held the governorship only four years, dying in the year 1838 at the young age of 59. The people came to love him. When Sir Jamshedji, a well-known Parsi (a person of the Zoroastrian faith), built a medical college, he gave it Robert Grant's name. It is the second oldest medical college in India.

The year after Robert's death in 1838, his brother Charles printed Sir Robert's twelve hymns in a slender volume called Sacred Poems. The only one which is still sung by many people is "O Worship the King."

This hymn is a paraphrase of Psalm 104. Grant’s paraphrase is a very free version of the psalm: “Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, Thou art very great; Thou art clothed with honor and majesty. Who covers Thyself with light as with a garment: who stretches out the heavens like a curtain: Who layeth the beams of His chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds His chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind: Who maketh His angels spirits; His ministers a flaming fire: Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed forever.” (Psalm 104:1-5, KJV)

Erik Routley, one of the most prominent hymnologists of the 20th century, said: “For sheer literary grace and beauty . . . may be one of the six finest hymns in the [English] language.”

Verse One

“O worship the King all-glorious above,

O gratefully sing His power and His love:

Our shield and defender, the Ancient of Days,

Pavilioned in splendor and girded with praise.”

Daniel 7:9

“As I looked, ‘thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took His seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of His head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze.”

Studylight.org, Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible: The Ancient of Days should here be capitalized as it could not possibly refer to anyone else except Almighty God; and the fact that in the New Testament (Revelation 20) it is Christ who sits on this throne, such is a natural result of the early church’s acceptance of our Lord as indeed Deity, to whom the Father has committed the judgment of all men.

Studylight.org, Calvin’s Commentary on the Bible: The Ancient of Days, meaning the eternal Deity Himself.

Verse Two

“O tell of His might and sing of His grace,

Whose robe is the light, whose canopy space.

His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form,

And dark is His path on the wings of the storm.”

1 Peter 5:6

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s Mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time.”

Studylight.org, Gill’s Exposition of the Whole Bible: A phrase expressive of His omnipotence which cannot be stayed; and which is able to cast down the proud, and dash them to pieces, as well as to exalt the humble; but to be under [His hand] in a humble manner is safe and profitable; such are hid as in the hollow of His hand, and are safe as in a pavilion, and comfortable under the shadow of His wings; and such humiliation and submission to Him, and putting themselves under His Mighty hand and care, is the way to exaltation.

Job 36:5

“God is mighty, but despises no one; He is mighty, and firm in His purpose.”

Biblehub.com, Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible: Behold, God is mighty . . . This is a clear plain truth, and worthy of notice that God is mighty, the most mighty, the Almighty, as appears from His works of nature and providence; making all things out of nothing, upholding them by the word of His power . . . and from the works of redemption and grace; ransoming His people out of the hands of them that are stronger than they; converting them by the power of His grace; assisting them to do all they do in a spiritual way; supporting them under all their troubles; protecting and defending them from all their enemies; supplying all their wants, and preserving them safe to His Kingdom and glory.

Verse Three

“Your bountiful care, what tongue can recite?

It breathes in the air, it shines in the light;

It streams from the hills, it descends to the plain,

And sweetly distills in the dew and the rain.”

1 Peter 5:7

“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”

Biblehub.com, Barnes’ Notes on the Bible: It is one of the glorious attributes of the true God, that He can and will thus notice the needs of the mean as well as the mighty; and one of the richest of all consolations when we are afflicted, and are despised by the world, is the thought that we are not forgotten by our Heavenly Father. He who remembers the falling sparrow, and who hears the young ravens when they cry, will not be unmindful of us. “Yet the Lord thinketh on me,” was the consolation of David, when he felt that he was “poor and needy.”

Verse Four

“Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,

In you do we trust, nor find you to fail.

Your mercies, how tender, how firm to the end,

Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend!

Isaiah 44:24

“This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb: I am the Lord, the Maker of all things, who stretches out the heavens, who spreads out the earth by Myself.”

Studylight.org, Gill’s Exposition of the Whole Bible: That is, Christ, the Husband of the church, and of every true believer; who secretly betrothed them to Himself in eternity, having asked Him of His Father; and, being given to Him, openly espouses them in conversion, one by one, as a chaste virgin;  which He will do more publicly in a body at the last day, when the marriage of the Lamb will be come.

Psalm 146:6

“He is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—He remains faithful forever.”

Enduringword.com, David Guzik: The singer gives us more reasons for confidence in God. When we trust in the Lord as the Creator of all things, we realize He has power to help us and deliver us that even great men do not have.

True worship is an act by a redeemed man, the creature, toward God, His Creator, whereby his will, intellect and emotions gratefully respond to the revelation of God’s person expressed in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ as the Holy Spirit illuminates the written Word to his heart. This hymn is a model for worship. Its descriptive names used in exalting the Almighty are significant: Shield, Defender, Ancient of Days, Maker, Defender, Redeemer and Friend. Also the vivid imagery — “pavilioned in splendor,” “girded with praise,” “whose robe is the light,” “whose canopy space,” “chariots of wrath," “wings of the storm”— aids us in the worthy praise and adoration of our Heavenly King. This hymn originally had thirty-five verses describing the magnificence of our Creator.

  

I am indebted to the following resources:

En.wikipedia.org

Etymologyofhymns.blogspot.com

Christianity.com

Kenneth W. Osbeck, Amazing Grace

Umcdiscipleship.org, Dr. Hawn

Stacy Edwards. 100 Favorite Hymns

Sermonwriter.com, Richard Niell Donovan

By His Grace . . .

Fill My Cup, Lord

"Quite often I will play around with a song idea in my mind,” Richard Blanchard, the writer of this hymn said. “All of a sudden it will gel. A few of my songs have been given to me by the Lord. It took only six minutes to think up the words of 'Fill my Cup, Lord.' I was finished with the music in another 20 minutes. There have been a few moments in my life when things have come from God. There is no other way to explain them."

Blanchard’s parents were Methodist missionaries in China, where he was born in 1925. When the family returned to the United States, he grew up in Depression-era Indiana, then came south to North Carolina, where his father was an Army chaplain during World War II.

Blanchard attended Davidson College and graduated from Mercer University. He met his wife, Anne, who was a student at Wesleyan College in Macon. He then went to seminary at the Candler School of Theology. Ordained an elder in 1950, he transferred from the North Georgia Conference to the Florida Conference, serving United Methodist congregations there until his retirement in 1988.

His interest in music came from a number of sources: his mother, an accomplished pianist; from the school band where he learned to play the trombone; from a friend who taught him chords so he could play anything by ear, and from the popular music of the Big Band era. 

Blanchard’s method of composition was to write the words to his pieces after developing a thought or reading Scripture, and then to write the music “by ear” to fit the words rather than composing the melody on paper. 

In 1953, Blanchard was waiting for a couple to arrive for pre-marital counseling at Wesley Church in Coral Gables, Florida. They were late, and he was annoyed. He told his secretary he would wait thirty minutes, then he would leave. Instead of fuming, he went to a Sunday school classroom and began to doodle on the piano to kill time.

He later said, “When I was not in the mood to be used of God, God was in a mood to use me. As I waited for the young couple, God gave him the inspiring song ‘Fill My Cup, Lord.'"

Life was never to be a bed of roses for Richard Blanchard. A lung condition required two surgeries and left him with one-third of normal lung capacity. His son, Richard, was left a quadriplegic at seventeen after an accident. And after Blanchard and his wife moved to North Carolina in 2000 to be near their three grown children, they experienced their son’s death and the fatal illness of one of their daughters.

The tragic accident in which Richard and Anne's son, Rick, became a quadriplegic at age 17, had a permanent effect on Dick's life. As he grew older, hospital visitation became more important to him because of Rick's injury as well as his own health.

As Richard Blanchard looks back over his life, he declares, “Even though God chose in His providence to impair my physical being, He has in so many other ways “Filled My Cup.”

 Verse One

“Like the woman at the well I was seeking,

For things that could not satisfy;

And then I heard my Savior speaking:

Draw from My well that never shall run dry.”

Isaiah 12:3

“With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.”

Biblestudytools.com: These words are an exhortation to others, or a prophecy that they should do this; that is, apply to Christ for grace, and receive it from Him: for by “water” is meant grace, which is compared to it, because it is softening, purifying, cooling, and refreshing, and extinguishes thirst; and this is to be “drawn,” it is to be come at, though the well in which it is be deep . . . the bucket is faith that it is drawn with, and this is the gift of God; and it is in the exercise of this grace, which requires diligence, strength, and labor . . . this is exercised in the use of means, by prayer, reading of the Scriptures, and attendance on the Word and ordinances, by which faith draws hard, and receives much, and, when it does, it is attended “with joy.”

Verse Two

“There are millions in this world who are craving,

The pleasure earthly things afford;

But none can match the wondrous treasure,

That I find in Jesus Christ my Lord.”

Isaiah 33:6

“He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.”

Studylight.org, Dr. Constable’s Expository Notes: The Lord Himself would be the sure foundation of the blessed Zion. His people would then enter into their time in history, a time marked by salvations of many kinds, wisdom in following God’s ways, and knowledge of the truth . . . "Wisdom is the true and correct evaluation of things, whereas knowledge is the true recognition of what things are. It emphasizes the objective, whereas ’wisdom’ brings to the fore the subjective aspect” . . . Fearing the Lord will be the key to the treasures that He has laid up for His people. The practical meaning of the fear of the Lord is admitting that one’s destiny lies in His hands.

Blueletterbible.org, David Guzik: Honor, respect, and reverence towards the LORD is His treasure. It is a gift God gives us, not so we will cower in fear, but so we will rightly honor Him.

Verse Three

“So, my brother, if the things this world gave you,

Leave hungers that won’t pass away,

My blessed Lord will come and save you,

If you kneel to Him and humbly pray.”

James 4:10

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.”

Biblehub.com, Gill’s Exposition of the entire Bible: [This] is done, when men, before the Lord, and from their hearts, and in the sincerity of their souls, acknowledge their meanness and unworthiness, their vileness, sinfulness, and wretchedness, and implore the grace and mercy of God in Christ, as did Abraham, Jacob, Job, Isaiah, Paul, and the publican; and when they walk humbly with God, acknowledging they can do nothing without Him; owning their dependence on His grace, and ascribing all they have, and are, unto it: and He shall lift you up; this is God's usual way to lift up the meek, and exalt those that humble themselves; He lifts them from the dunghill, to set them among princes; He gives them a place, and a name in His house, better than sons and daughters; He adorns them with His grace; He clothes them with the righteousness of His Son, He grants them nearness to Himself; and at last will introduce them into His kingdom and glory.

Refrain

“Fill my cup, Lord, I lift it up, Lord!

Come and quench this thirsting of my soul;

Bread of heaven, feed me ’til I want no more-

Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole.”

Psalm 16:11

“You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

Dailyverse.knowing-Jesus.com: David expressed his joyful satisfaction and confidence in the God of his salvation, with a truth that must rejoice the heart of every sinner, saved by grace. He believed the Lord was his Refuge and Strength in every eventuality of life. David had come to so firm a faith in the Rock of his redemption, that assaults of the enemy and even death itself did not infect his peace, and he acknowledged he was held securely in the Father's hand . . . Assuredly, this is a truth that must rejoice the heart of all God's blood-bought children; a truth that each one of us can treasure in our hearts and rejoice with singing, as we look for our blessed hope and journey towards our heavenly home.

John 4:14

“But whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Heartlight.org: So often, we settle for façade and not substance. All too frequently, we take the shortcut and miss the destination. But there is no shortcut to spiritual fulfillment. Only Jesus can supply the water that our thirsty souls desire. Only he can fill the emptiness and the ache. An amazing promise about Jesus' gift, His blessing, His refreshment, is that it is lasting. This water that Jesus gives is a spring of water, not a cistern. It is living, not static or stagnant. This water gives life, and this life provides more water. Later in His ministry, Jesus makes clear this water is the Holy Spirit. God comes to live in us through the Holy Spirit. God fills us with His life through the Holy Spirit. God cleanses and transforms us by His Spirit. God quenches our thirst with the Holy Spirit that Jesus gives.

 

I am indebted to the following resources:

Umcdiscipleship.org

Richardblanchardmusic.com

Believersportal.com

En.wikipedia.org

By His Grace . . .

The Haven of Rest

I still remember resting in my bed before going to sleep each night and listening to the radio program, “Haven of Rest.” It started in 1934 and still airs today under the name of “Haven Today.”

The radio program was founded by Paul Myers, a Los Angeles radio personality and station manager. He credited the founding of Haven to hitting rock bottom: kicked out by his wife and passed out on a beach during a drunken bender. He was awakened by a ship’s bell and heard it ring out eight times at 4 a.m., signaling “all’s well.”

It was Sunday morning and Myers knew that all was not well with him. He got up and spent his last pennies on a small breakfast instead of more alcohol and went to church. He was turned away because of his appearance but went back to his cheap hotel room and started reading the Gideon’s Bible. That day he met Jesus.

After returning to his wife and family, Myers shared his new-found faith. He founded a Christian radio program called, “Haven of Rest” that began each program with the words he heard the day of his salvation: “AHOY THERE SHIPMATE … EIGHT BELLS AND ALL’S WELL.”

Today, the daily broadcast airs on more than 650 stations in North America and around the world with a daily listenership of over 500,000.

Although not listed anywhere, I believe he must have been familiar with the hymn “The Haven of Rest.” The first verse pictures the soul as being in exile on life’s sea, and many people we know are in that condition today.

The writer of “The Haven of Rest” was Henry Lake Gilmour who lived in the United Kingdom. Born in 1836 at Londonderry, Ireland, he emigrated to America as a teenager, thinking he wanted to learn navigation. When he reached the United States, he landed in Philadelphia and decided to seek his fortune in America.

He started working as a painter, then served in the America Civil War, where he was captured and spent several months in Libby Prison, Richmond VA.

After the war he trained as a dentist and did that for many years. He married Letitia Pauline Howard in 1858. In 1869 he moved to New Jersey and helped found the Methodist church. He served as Sunday School Superintendent and, for four decades, directed the choir at the Pittman Grove Camp Meeting, also working as song leader at camp meetings in Mountain Lake Park, Maryland, and Ridgeview Park, Pennsylvania.

There are no accounts of when he wrote this hymn. Gilmour was an editor, author, and composer, editing and/or publisher of 25 gospel song books. Gilmour died in Delair, New Jersey, after a buggy accident.

The tune for “The Haven of Rest” was composed by George D. Moore. He was born in the 1800s and died in the 1900s. He was an itinerant evangelist in New Jersey, Pennsylvania in the latter 1800s.

Verse One

“My soul in sad exile was out on life’s sea,

So burdened with sin and distressed,

Till I heard a sweet voice saying “Make Me your choice,”

And I entered the haven of rest.”

Hebrews 4:1

“Therefore, since the promise of entering His rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it.”

Christianity.com, Matthew Henry’s Bible Commentary: As God finished His work, and then rested from it, so He will cause those who believe, to finish their work, and then to enjoy their rest. This rest is, a rest of grace, and comfort, and holiness, in the gospel state. And a rest in glory, where the people of God shall enjoy the end of their faith, and the object of all their desires. The rest . . . is a heavenly rest, which remains to the people of God, and is opposed to a state of labor and trouble in this work. It is the rest they shall obtain when the Lord Jesus shall appear from heaven . . . God has always declared man’s rest to be in Him, and His love to be the only real happiness of the soul; and faith in His promises, through His Son, to be the only way of entering that rest.

Verse Two

“I yielded myself to His tender embrace,

And faith taking hold of the Word,

My fetters fell off, and I anchored my soul:

The haven of rest is my Lord.”

Hebrews 6:19

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain.”

Biblehub.com, Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers: A beautiful image, introduced for a moment only to set forth the security of the soul, though tossed by the waves of trouble. This symbol of hope, so familiar to us in Christian art, is not mentioned in the Old Testament, but is found in Greek proverbial sayings, and (it is said) appears on ancient coins.

Studylight.com, Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible: Hope is the great anchor, or stabilizer, of the human soul; and that hope for the Christian is Christ the Lord, who has entered into that which is beyond the veil, that is, into heaven itself; and this corresponds to the actions of the ancient high priest who was typical of Christ in that he went into the Holy of Holies, behind the veil, in the tabernacle. The aptness of the figure of an anchor appears in the fact that an anchor is not doing any good at all as long as it is visible. It is only when it disappears in the deep beneath that it stabilizes and protects the ship; how beautiful is the imagery of Christ’s also being out of sight from Christians, having disappeared into the unseen world, but who is nevertheless connected with Christians by the strong and effective cable of His love, just as the anchor, though unseen, is connected to the ship by a mighty chain.

Verse Three

“The song of my soul, since the Lord made me whole,

Has been the old story so blest,

Of Jesus Who’ll save who-so-ever will have,

A home in the haven of rest.”

John 6:40

“For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

Studylight.org, Clarke Commentary: Lest they should take a wrong meaning out of his words, as many have done since, He tells them that, far from any person being excluded from His mercy, it was the will of God that everyone who saw Him might believe and be saved. The power, without which they could not believe, He freely gave them; but the use of that power was their own. God gives the grace of repentance and faith to every man; but He neither repents nor believes for any man. Each must repent for his own sins, and believe in the Lord Jesus, through the grace given, or perish.

Verse Four

“Oh, come to the Savior, He patiently waits,

To save by His power divine;

Come, anchor your soul in the haven of rest,

And say, ‘My Beloved is mine.’”

2 Peter 3:9

“The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

Studylight.org, Clarke’s Commentary: It is not slackness, remissness, nor want of due displacement at sin, that induced God to prolong the respite of ungodly men; but His long-suffering, His unwillingness that any should perish; and therefore He spared them, that they might have additional offers of grace, and be led to repentance to deplore their sins, implore God’s mercy, and find redemption through the blood of the Lamb.

Enduringword.com, David Guzik: The truth is that God will keep His promise, and without delay according to His timing. Any perceived delay from our perspective is due to the longsuffering of God, who allows man as much time as possible to repent . . . Many of those who are Christians today are happy that Jesus didn’t return ten years, or five years, or two years, or even two months ago. There is a compassionate purpose in God’s timing.

Refrain

“I've anchored my soul in the haven of rest,

I'll sail the wide seas no more;

The tempest may sweep o'er the wild stormy deep,

In Jesus I'm safe evermore.”

1 John 5:18

“We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them.”

Studylight.org, Bridgeway Bible Commentary: Sin is not a characteristic of Christians, because Christ keeps them from coming under the power of Satan. Since they belong to God, their lives are different from those of worldly people. John repeats that Jesus Christ, the Son of God who died for sinners, is the true God and He gives believers eternal life

Studylight.org, Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible: The New English Bible stresses that the Christian’s safety is not of himself but of the Lord. Jesus promised that He would be with His followers "even unto the end of the world" and a glimpse of that providence is in this.

Studylight.org, Contending for the Faith: Jesus takes watchful care of the Christian, guards him, and helps him to overcome the temptations of sin. We can accomplish anything "through Christ who strengthens us." The Christian has Someone on his side, a divine One. There is great comfort in knowing that our security in spirituality does not depend entirely on ourselves; we have the assistance of a divine helper. "The Christian has an active enemy, but he has also a watchful Guardian" (quoted by Barclay 144-145).

If your soul has never entered the haven of rest, now is the time to do so. The Savior patiently waits and will save by His power divine.  "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure."  Hebrews 6:19.

 

I am indebted to the following resources:

Hymnary.org, John Perry

Barryshymns.blogspot.com

En.wikipedia.org

Haventoday.org

By His Grace . . .