Bliss was born in Clearfield County, PA in 1838. His
youthful days were spent on a farm or in a lumber camp, where he experienced
severe poverty. At an early age, young Bliss displayed unusual talent and
interest in sacred music. Although he never received formal training in music,
his self-study made him a knowledgeable and proficient musician.
Always interested in music, he carried items from his
family’s home into town to sell. One day he heard a lady playing the piano in a
house along the way. Walking into the house without her knowledge, he
asked her to play some more but was ordered to leave.
His family was poor, and at age eleven he left home to work
on farms and in lumber camps. The following year he joined the Baptist
Church at Elk Run, PA, and began studying music. His first instruction
was under J. G. Towner. Also, he attended a music convention conducted by
William B. Bradbury
At the age of twenty-five, Bliss sent a letter and a copy of
his first music manuscript to Dr. George Root, wondering if he could sell his
song to the Root and Cady Music Company, a leading music publishing house, in
exchange for a flute. Root recognized the talent of this young man and
immediately encouraged him with a new flute.
In 1859 he married Lucy Young of Rome, PA, and for a year
afterward worked on her father’s farm. Beginning in 1860, with the help
of his horse, Old Fanny, a ramshackle buggy, and a $20 melodeon, he rode about
rural Pennsylvania as a professional music teacher, conducting singing schools
in the winter and continuing his own music education during the summers at the Normal
Academy of Music at Geneseo, NY, conducted by Theodore E. Perkins and
others.
Bliss was an impoverished music teacher making only $13 a
month. By age 36 he was earning a fortune with his royalties being counted in
the tens of thousands of dollars, although he gave much of it away to
charity. “Wonderful Words of Life” was produced in 1874 for the first
issue of a religious paper named Words of Life, published by Fleming H. Revell
in New York City.
In 1876, after a grueling fall schedule, Mr. and Mrs. Bliss
spent the Christmas holiday with their family in Rome, PA. Leaving the
children with relatives in Rome, they left for Chicago for an engagement at
Moody’s tabernacle. On Dec. 29, while they were riding their
Chicago-bound express through Ohio, the bridge over a ravine near Ashtabula
gave way, and seven cars crashed through the trestle.
They plunged into the icy riverbed below and burst into
flame. Bliss, just 38 years old at the time, survived the fall, escaped
through a window, and crawled from the wreckage. However, when he did not
see his wife, he fought his way back through the fire into the burning mass in
a vain effort to locate and rescue her. Both of them perished in the
flames, along with a hundred other people
Bliss is well known from his work with the evangelistic revival meetings of the mid-nineteenth century with leaders such as Dwight L. Moody (1837-1899) and Daniel Webster “Major” Whittle (1840-1901). Bliss and his wife, Lucy, both joined these revival meetings as singers, leading the songs of what would be known as the gospel era of hymnody. The Blisses defined the era with a life on the road as traveling evangelists with their colleagues for many years to come. Most of these worship services took place in the midwestern and the southern United States, and they served as the framework within which Bliss wrote his hymn texts and tunes.
Bliss would go on to compose other great hymns such as “Jesus
Loves Even Me,” and “Hallelujah, What a Savior” before his untimely death.
Godsbless.ing, Reverend Michael Johnson: We can fear God and keep His commandments by understanding that our ultimate purpose in life is to fear God and keep His commandments. This means recognizing God’s authority and obedience to His will above all else. We demonstrate our fear of God by acknowledging His sovereignty and submitting ourselves to Him . . . Fearing God involves reverence, awe, and respect for His power and holiness. Keeping His commandments requires us to live in accordance with His Word and to follow His instructions for our lives. This involves actively seeking to align our thoughts, words, and actions with what pleases God and leads us closer to Him. We ultimately show our devotion to God and acknowledge His wisdom and goodness by fearing Him and keeping His commandments. This deepens our relationship with Him and helps us live a life that is pleasing to God.
Scripturesavvy.com: “For us all.” This inclusive language reminds us that God’s love and sacrifice extends to everyone. No one is excluded from the redemptive power of Christ. Each person has inherent value in God’s eyes, and we are all called to respond to that love. This also serves as a reminder of community; as believers, we are invited to share that love with the world around us.
Biblehub.com: The term "freely given" suggests that this grace is not earned or deserved but is a gift from God. This aligns with the broader biblical narrative that salvation is a gift from God, as seen in Ephesians 2:8-9, where it is stated that salvation is by grace through faith, not by works. The historical context of the early church, which was grappling with the transition from the Law to grace, underscores the radical nature of this gift. It was a departure from the works-based righteousness of the Old Covenant to the grace-based righteousness of the New Covenant.
Reignitedfaith.com: The prophet Micah declares that there is no other God like the God of the Bible. He is the only God who is truly merciful and forgiving. He then proceeds to list several characteristics of God that set Him apart from other gods . . . These verses remind us that God is a God of mercy and forgiveness. He is willing to forgive us for our sins, no matter how great they may be. He does not hold our sins against us forever. Instead, He casts them into the depths of the sea, where they can never be found again.
Coffman’s Commentary on the Bible: This Great Commission, as the saints of all ages have consented to call it, constitutes the marching orders of His church for a day and to all eternity. It is a whole galaxy studded with many of the biggest stars in the firmament of Christian doctrine. It may well be doubted if many passages of similar length are more packed with divine truth than are these words of the Commission. They are exactly what one should have expected, only far more, from the lips of a supernatural, divine Savior, on point of departure to the eternal world of the spirit, and uttering one last comprehensive command to His disciples for all generations to come.
Scripturesavvy.com: The primary lesson is the recognition of the power our words and thoughts carry. They are not mere expressions; rather, they reflect our heart’s position and our relationship with God. This awareness prompts self-examination, urging us to be more intentional about what we communicate and how we express ourselves . . . Our oral expressions hold great power, capable of building up or tearing down. Mouths have been used for great encouragement but unfortunately also for spreading harm. We must consider what we are speaking and who we are speaking it to. With every word we utter, we can be ambassadors of God’s love.
Bliss said, “I carried that song [Wonderful Words of Life] through
two seasons of evangelistic work, never thinking it possessed much merit, or
that it had the element of special usefulness, particularly for solo purposes.
It occurred to me to try it one day during the campaign in New Haven, and, with
the help of Mrs. Stebbins, we sang it as a duet. To our surprise the song was
received with the greatest enthusiasm and from that time on to the close of the
meetings was the favorite of all the hymns used."
By His Grace . . .
