Jesus, lover of my soul

Thank you Lord Jesus!
Thou of life the fountain art,
Freely let me take of Thee;
Spring Thou up within my heart,
Rise to all eternity.

"But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall by no means thirst forever; but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into eternal life." (John 4:14) Recovery Version

Spring Thou up within my heart,

Rise to all eternity.

Thank you Lord your unlimited riches fill the eternity in man’s heart!!

It reminds me of how small and sinful I am, but through him I found assurance of love, peace and mercy. He is truly the lover of my soul!!!!

Of all the hymns Charles Wesley has written, this is usually considered to be his finest. He wrote anywhere from 6, 500 up to 8, 000 hymns. This hymn is still found in nearly every published hymnal and has been translated to almost every language. However, when Charles presented it to his brother John for approval, he did not like it because it was too sentimental. It was not until after Charles died that the hymn began to gain popularity and use. It was first published in 1740 in a collection of 139 hymns known as “ Hymns and Sacred Poems. ” The late Dr. Bodine said, “Is is the finest heart-hymn in the English language. ” Henry Ward Beecher, noted American preacher wrote:

I would rather have written that hymn of Wesley’s than to have the fame of all the kings that ever sat on the earth; it is more glorious, it has more power in it. I would rather be the author to that hymn than to hold the wealth of the richest man in New York. He will die after a little while, pass out of men’s thoughts, what will there be to speak of him? But people will go on singing that song until the last trump brings forth the angel band; and then I think it will mount upon some lips to the very presence of God.

There are many stories of the how Wesley was inspired to write this hymn but none has been completely proven. Some of these are as follows. On his return to England in the fall of 1763, after a disappointing time in the United States, Charles Wesley’s ship was caught in a storm and it seemed that all would be lost but on December 3 they reached land. Wesley wrote in his journal for that day, “I knelt down and blessed the Hand that had conducted me through inextricable mazes. ” Some writers say that during the storm a bird flew into Wesley’s cabin and hid in his bosom for comfort and safety. Another says Wesley wrote this text while lying under a hedge, having been beaten up by an angry mob opposing his ministry. Still others see the text as a picture of Wesley’s own life as a young man as he struggled to find his peace with God before his dramatic conversion on May 21, 1738.

The style of this hymn is childlike in its simplicity. There are 156 simple one-syllable words that appear among the 188 words of the text. Christ is presented as: lover, healer, refuge, fountain, wing and pilot; the All-Inclusive One. All believers can say “Thou, O Christ is all I want, more than all in Thee I find... ”

Many different tunes have been used with this text. The best known of these tunes in America is “Martyn, ” composed by Simeon B. Marsh, who was born in Sherborne, New York, in 1798. He was an organist, choir director and itinerant singing school-teacher. He was a Presbyterian Christian layman. One day in the fall of 1834 he wrote out this tune and called it “Martyn. ” There is no reason why he titled it this way. It was originally meant for one of John Newton’s hymns, “Mary at Her Savior’s Tomb. ” Because of this, it is sometimes called the “Resurrection Tune. ” Thirty years later Thomas Hastings, a leading American musician of sacred music, discovered that the “Martyn” tune matched well with Wesley’s text and began using it which had a great response in his new publications.

As I walk through the darkest valley of this passing life am reminded in isaiah 43:1"do not fear I have redeemed you. I have summoned you by your name; you are mine"Jesus truly you are thy lover of my soul.

Thank you so much saints! May the Lord continue to speak to us and supply us in His Word, in the spirit, and in the Body!

Dear Paullah Leopoldo,

Our home meeting really enjoyed this song tonight and got burdened to look up verses that correspond. Following is a list of verses we came up with that generally follow the flow of the hymn. Praise the Lord for the fellowship in the Body!

Isaiah 40:11
Psalm 91:4, 36:7, 17:8, 46:1-2, 119:114
Matthew 10:8
2 John 1:3
2 Corinthians 12:9
Ephesians 2:5, 7, 8
Acts 15:11
Exodus 15:26
Ecclesiastes 3:11
John 4:14, 7:38
Psalm 51
Revelation 22:17

These verses are wonderful to pray-read together with some other saints!

Praise the Lord saints. Do you know any verses related to this hymn?

This hymn blessed my family tonight as we go through the family retreat during this pandemic covid-19.

Till the storm of life is past, we are safe in Him.

I love this new tune for "Jesus, Lover of My Soul"! Is there any information on the composer? I am arranging a number of hymns for violin and piano, and I included this tune with Aberswyth and the Marsh tune in a nice arrangement. I would like to give credit to the composer of the melody if they can be found.