1
How I praise Thee, precious Savior,
That Thy love laid hold of me;
Thou hast saved and cleansed and filled me,
That I might Thy channel be.
That Thy love laid hold of me;
Thou hast saved and cleansed and filled me,
That I might Thy channel be.
Channels only, blessed Master,
But with all Thy wondrous grace,
Flowing through us, Thou canst use us
Every hour in every place.
But with all Thy wondrous grace,
Flowing through us, Thou canst use us
Every hour in every place.
2
Just a channel, full of blessing,
To the thirsty hearts around;
To tell out Thy full salvation,
All Thy loving message sound.
To the thirsty hearts around;
To tell out Thy full salvation,
All Thy loving message sound.
3
Emptied that Thou shouldest fill me,
A clean vessel in Thine hand;
With no strength but as Thou givest
Graciously with each command.
A clean vessel in Thine hand;
With no strength but as Thou givest
Graciously with each command.
4
Witnessing Thy grace to save me,
Setting free from self and sin;
Thou hast bought me to possess me,
In Thy fulness, Lord, come in.
Setting free from self and sin;
Thou hast bought me to possess me,
In Thy fulness, Lord, come in.
5
O Lord, fill now with Thy Spirit
Hearts that full surrender know;
That the streams of living water
From our inner man may flow.
Hearts that full surrender know;
That the streams of living water
From our inner man may flow.
Delete Comment
Are you sure you want to delete this comment?
Storrs, Connecticut, United States
Hymns 268 and 630 were written and composed by two women who lived around the same time and were both associated with the Keswick Convention in Northern England.
Mary E. Maxwell was born in 1846, in Islington, London, England. She was the eldest daughter of H. W. Dobell of Eltham, London. (Her mother‘s maiden name was Smith). Mary married William Maxwell on February 13, 1873, in Eltham Congregational Church. She died on March 24, 1936, Eastbourne, Sussex, England. Mary Maxwell is associated with the Keswick Convention and is credited for producing various hymn-tunes.
The tune (Channels) for “Channels Only” (268) was however composed by Ada Rose Gibbs who was born Oct. 5, 1863, at Whitechapel in London, England.
Ada’s parents were George Edward Rose and Erllen S. Reeve Rose. Ada sang at City Temple, Holborn, London and studied at the Royal Academy of Music, London for five years. She began working for the Salvation Army in 1890. She also sang for Dwight Moody’s evangelistic missions, and was part of the Keswick Convention movement. Her husband was William J. Gibbs, a former superintendent of the Methodist Central Hall in Kent. They married on August of 1898, in Islington, London. Ada Gibbs died on April 16, 1905.
The hymn first appeared in a 1900s booklet entitled “Twenty-Four Gems of Sacred Song” edited by Mrs. Gibbs who provided the music published for the Keswick Convention.
This hymn is based on 2 Tim. 2:21 “A vessel unto honor…. fit for the Master’s use. ”
From stanza one we learn that we must be saved, cleansed, and filled with Christ.
From stanza two, we must tell others of God’s salvation.
From stanza three, we see that we must look to Christ in order to be emptied, cleansed and filled with His Spirit of power to carry out His Economy (command as stated in the text).
From stanza four, we must allow Christ to save us and possess us fully.
Stanza five admonishes us to be filled with Christ, surrender our hearts to Him that the streams of living water may flow.
The chorus is a prayer, asking the Lord for help and direction to apply these principles in our lives.
This is the highest calling …. for us to serve God as “Channels Only. ”
Aba, Abia, Nigeria
This song has been my mum's favorite hymn and I remember vividly listening to her sing this song over and over again while growing up. It just came to mind and as I googled a line of the song, it popped up.
Lord, make me your channel of blessing. Amen.
FCT Abuja, Nigeria
I am blessed with the lyrics of this hymn it is indeed streems of living water that flows from the sanctuary to our hearts.
Lord make me a channel were other may others may find their way to see you.
Akure, Ondo, Nigeria
I just came back from the hospital for a bacteria infection treatment, as I lay down on my bed this hymn keeps coming to my heart.
How I praise Thee, precious Savior,
That Thy love laid hold of me;
Thou hast saved and cleansed and filled me,
That I might Thy channel be.
Oh Lord thank you for touching me.
I am grateful father.
Fremont, California, United States
How I praise Thee, precious Savior, That Thy love laid hold of me;
Thou hast saved and cleansed and filled me, That I might Thy channel be.
Lord, we take You as our King to be under Your ruling and enjoy You as our blessing. You are our unique and all-inclusive blessing and we enjoy You as our portion for our enjoyment. Make us those who are channel of blessings for others to grow and enjoy the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
I remember the chorus differently
channels only blessed Master
But with all thy wondrous power
Flowing through us Thou canst use us
Every day and every hour
Abuja, FCT, Nigeria
Thank God, l got this again. This song has been so much impressed in my heart. l decided to goggle it, thank God for the song. lt is such an inspirational song that brings revival to me personal .
Enugu, Nigeria
One of my favourite songs as a child. How I long to be used of you O Lord as a channel of your greatness 🙏
Jos, Plateau, Nigeria
This is my favorite Hymn, both for private and public worship
thank You for becoming the slave Savior (Mark)