I heard the voice of Jesus say

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,
  Weary, and worn, and sad;
I found in Him a resting-place,
  And He has made me glad.
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.
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'lling days are done.
24
Mary R Tigani

Springfield, VA, United States

My grandson recently took his own life.

At his funeral the entrance hymn played was “I heard the voice of Jesus call. ”

It brought great comfort and consolation. I had forgotten which entrance song had been played but recently I have Ben hearing it frequently and sometimes when I’m praying . It brings great consolation and reassured me my grandson said “yes “ to Jesus in his last moments . He had suffered much since returning from Iraq . I feel now he at peace .

Praise God .


Ana Lara

Storrs, Connecticut, United States

Horatio Bonar was born in 1808 in Edinburg, where his family belonged to the Church of Scotland. Bonar entered the ministry and became pastor in the rural town of Kelso. Bonar also began writing hymns. After the turbulence and disruption of the Church in Scotland in 1843, he became a Free Church of Scotland minister. Bonar also wrote evangelical tracts and had a great ministry among children. He published “God’s Way of Peace: A Book for the Anxious, ” which was translated in three languages and sold over a quarter million copies during his lifetime. Ironically, he never heard his own hymns sung in his congregation in Edinburgh as his was one of the congregations that opposed the singing of hymns during worship. “I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say”-based on Matthew 11:46-was written in 1846, during an intensely painful and stressful time just after the 1843 church division. Bonar spent the next 20 years pastoring the congregation in Kelso, writing and evangelizing. Throughout his life he had been strongly influenced by Thomas Chalmers and in 1866 he planted a new church in Edinburgh called the Chalmer’s Memorial Chapel. He served that church until just before his death. Bonar had begun writing hymns just before his ordination when he was serving as superintendent of a Sunday school. He realized the children did not love or appreciate the songs they were singing so he set out to write songs with simpler lyrics and already familiar tunes. These hymns were received wonderfully! It wasn’t long after this that Bonar, having a gift and an interest for writing spiritual poems, began writing adult hymns. In the course of his ministry he published a number of hymn compilations. “I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say” was one of the hymns he wrote at this time at Kelso and is probably his most famous song having been well received all over the English-speaking world. What makes the hymn so widely appealing is its focus on the Gospel call of Christ to come to Him, look to Him, drink of Him, rest in Him, and the call to obey and to find in Him all that He has promised. It is simple, sweet and encouraging. As with most of his hymns, Rev. Bonar wrote this one with children in mind being concerned that they learn and the great truths about Christ. Perhaps his love of children came from the fact that he and his wife lost five children in rapid succession. While many of his hymns were written for children, they were so full of sound doctrine that adults loved to sing them as well.

Lewis-Els Codington


Stephen Thompson

Norwich, United Kingdom

Peaceful, thought provoking. Fantastic especially when sung to Rafe Vaughan Williams tune - Five Variants of Divas and Lazarus. So dramatic


Anonymous

Mobile, Ala, United States

Love To Worship My Soul Is Made Glad


Daisy Magdalena

Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India

What a peaceful and Heavenly Song


Garymichael

Tuscaloosa, AL, United States

I found in Him a resting place,

and He has made me victorious ,

at peace, content and therefore glad.

He has given me a vantage point,

a perspective.

Others have their world,

their trains of thought , etc.

This song helps me shield mine.


Chandra

Lebanon, Oregon, United States

Great song!

I love it


Monday Joshua

Eket, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

This song always make my day


Anonymous

I love it


Wayne P Crow

Yoongarillup, Western Australia, Australia

Oh how beautiful