Samuel Trevor Francis was born in 1834 in Chestnut, Hertz,
England. He was raised by a godly mother and grandmother. He was
taught to read using the Bible as a textbook and remembers his mother praying
that her sons would grow up to be God-fearing men. Samuel attended church
services regularly with his family and sang with the choir, but he was not
saved.
As a child, Samuel enjoyed poetry and even compiled a
handwritten volume of his own work. He also developed a love for music and
joined a church choir at age nine. However, throughout his youth,
religion was primarily a matter of tradition for him.
As he grew older, his father arranged for him to be an
apprentice with a medical doctor. He was in that program for 12
years. But after that year his father passed away and Samuel dropped out
of the program. He went to stay with his uncle in Hull. There he
met Mr. Akester, a chemist who was leading youth Bible studies. Samuel
was exposed to clear gospel preaching through these meetings.
At age 19 when traveling back to London, he had a spiritual
turning point as a teenager, at one point even contemplating suicide. Lonely,
walking home after work, he was asking God to have mercy on him. He had to
cross the Hungerford Bridge. Mulling over his sadness and loneliness, he
heard a whisper tempting him to end his misery and jump into the churning
waters below.
When he drew back from that thought another emerged, a
question: “Do you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ?” Samuel immediately
answered that he believed and he put his trust in Christ as his Savior.
He received the reply, “Then you are saved.” With the joy of that
response, Samuel ran across the bridge and went back home.
Samuel searched for a home assembly. He found a church
similar to the assembly he attended in Hull. Later, he joined the Moody
and Sankey London campaign in 1873-1874 as their singing director during the
meetings.
Someone soon after invited him to come “see a man buried
alive.” It was actually a baptismal service held by Andrew Jukes, an English
theologian who greatly influenced Hudson Taylor (1832-1905), the famous English
missionary to China. It was Taylor whose work led to the China Inland
Mission (which is today the Overseas Missionary Fellowship – OMF). Samuel was
moved by the service and was introduced to people that spoke passionately about
the gospel
Soon thereafter, Samuel began open-air preaching, and during
the English Revival of 1859 (when Francis was in his 20s), his preaching led
many people to the Lord. Francis was not only a gifted preacher, but he was a
talented singer and hymn writer.
One friend wrote of Francis: “All his poetical work, as well
as his spoken word, was permeated by a realization of the love of Christ, and
with a heart desire to see the Savior’s face.”
The depths of the ocean are a frequent metaphor for the
immensity of God. It makes perfect sense when we realize how big the ocean is
and how little of it we actually know. Samuel utilized this imagery in
picturing the love of Jesus. It was only the greater depths of Jesus’s love
that were able to overwhelm the rivers of depression experienced by the
teenaged Samuel.
Scripturesavvy.com: In Ephesians 3:18, we are encouraged to grasp the vastness of God’s love. The Apostle Paul uses vivid imagery to convey the dimensions of God’s love: width, length, depth, and height. This is not just a mere description but a call for us to truly understand how immense and all-encompassing the love of God is. It stretches beyond human comprehension, covering every aspect of our lives. We find ourselves in a relationship with a God whose love is boundless and limitless . . . The “depth” suggests that God’s love reaches deep into our hearts and souls, offering healing and restoration. Many of us carry wounds from our pasts, but God’s love can penetrate those depths, bringing about a profound transformation. His embrace comforts us and assures us that we are valued and cherished.
Scripture.savvy.com: Praise is not just meant to be a private or sporadic act; it is a community-oriented response. When we worship together, we reflect God’s glory back into the world, providing a testimony of His character and goodness. United in praise, we can impact those around us, just as the early church transformed the world through their worship and love for one another.
Studylight.org, Contending for the Faith: The statement about Jesus’ being unchangeable is Paul’s final plea to his readers to persevere in their faithfulness to Jesus Christ and His doctrine. It also presents the best possible argument that can be made to encourage one to remain steadfast to Jesus. This sentence emphasizes the importance of holding to their faith in Jesus’ doctrine because He is the same now as He was the first time they were taught about Him. He is forever unchangeable.
Godbless.ing: This verse from the book of Hebrews is a powerful reminder of the unchanging nature of Jesus Christ. It emphasizes His eternal consistency and reliability throughout all time. The verse highlights the timeless nature of Jesus’s character, teachings, and promises by stating that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Enduringword.com: The psalmist declares his intention and action – to lift up his eyes to the LORD. This means that his eyes are not on his circumstances or himself, but on the LORD . . . “It is good to have someone to look up to. The Psalmist looked so high that he could look no higher. Not to the hills, but to the God of the hills he looked.” (Spurgeon)
Barnes’ Notes on the Whole Bible: The word translated “haven” occurs nowhere else. By some it is rendered “shore,” but the word “haven” or “port” seems best to express the sense of the passage: “the haven of their desire.” No one can appreciate this fully who has not been long at sea, and who has not experienced the intense desire once more to see “land” . . . So God brings His people to rest in heaven - their haven, their home. After being tossed by the tempests of life, after encountering its storms and dangers, after the fear and agitation experienced, He stills the storms; the way becomes smooth and calm; the end of the voyage is serene; and death is like the ship smoothly gliding into port with its sails all set. The soul enters heaven - the desired haven - the port that was longed for; a safe haven, beyond all storms or tempests; an eternal home!
Thousands of years ago, the apostle Paul wrote of this love:
"How wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ" (Eph.
3:18). And the beautiful hymn, "O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus"
echoes Paul's words. The melody ebbs and flows, reminding us of a boundless
ocean, the ocean of God's love.
Underneath me, all around me. That's how the hymn writer
described Jesus' love. And that's how His love affects us all. When we face the
darkest trial of our life, God's comfort and encouragement surround us. When
life brings happiness, His love is there in every blessing. No matter where we
are, God's love always fills us with the greatest gift of all: new life.
It is a love that has no comparison among human
relationships, even those of the highest purity. It is a love that is
tied to all of God’s attributes, so that His love is holy, it is eternal, it is
compassionate, it is gracious, it is wise, it is powerful, it is patient, it is
kind, it is merciful … it is all of these and vastly more.
