I am about half way through Lift Up Your Hearts, a hymnal that I found on our bookshelves last time I tidied them up. It’s rather fun to go through different hymnbooks and see what songs I know. Hymnbooks are so different from each other. Today’s hymn is O Jesus I Have Promised.
I remember singing this hymn throughout my formative years, but it didn’t really strike me until I was in my 40’s. Thinking about what the words we sing, what we promise when we lift our voices to God.
Lyrics
O Jesus, I have promised
To serve Thee to the end;
Be Thou forever near me,
My master and my friend;
I shall not fear the battle
If Thou art by my side,
Nor wander from the pathway
If Thou wilt be my guide.
O let me feel Thee near me!
The world is ever near;
I see the sights that dazzle,
The tempting sounds I hear;
My foes are ever near me,
Around me and within;
But Jesus, draw Thou nearer,
And shield my soul from sin.
O let me hear Thee speaking
In accents clear and still,
Above the storms of passion,
The murmurs of self will.
O speak to reassure me,
To hasten or control;
O speak, and make me listen,
Thou guardian of my soul.
O Jesus, Thou hast promised
To all who follow Thee
That where Thou art in glory
There shall Thy servant be.
And Jesus, I have promised
To serve Thee to the end;
O give me grace to follow,
My master and my friend.
O let me see Thy footprints,
And in them plant mine own;
My hope to follow duly
Is in Thy strength alone.
O guide me, call me, draw me,
Uphold me to the end;
And then in Heav’n receive me,
My Savior and my friend.
Author and History
The occasion of a confirmation service for children (daughter and sons) created the impetuous for O Jesus I have Promised to be written. Joh E Bode was the pastor in Castle Camps parish in Cambridgeshire, England. This song was written just for them.
In fact, it became so popular that the leadership in the Church of England told people to stop using it for confirmation services. 🙂 It was published in 1869 in in the appendix of Psalms and Hymns of the Society for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge.
London born, Mr. Bode became in1841. He not only served as vicar in Castle Camp but also in Westwell, Oxfordshire. In 1855 he delivered the prestigious Bampton Lectures at Oxford. These lectures were later published as an anti-Catholicism tract. He loved to write poetry and had hoped to be the Professor of Poetry at Oxford. Fellow poet Matthew Arnold beat him out for the position by fellow poet Matthew Arnold.
He wrote poetry and hymns throughout his life. Only a few of his hymns have withstood the test of time. This one is his most beloved song.
Thinking about this Hymn
Bode didn’t write a whole lot of songs, but this particular hymn has stood the test of time.
Just see the promises made:
O Jesus, I have promised
To serve Thee to the end;
Be Thou forever near me,
My master and my friend;
I shall not fear the battle
If Thou art by my side,
Nor wander from the pathway
If Thou wilt be my guide.
The promises made of service, the awareness of who Jesus is, and the forthcoming troubles one gets as a believer. Nothing to fear if Christ is there. How if we depend upon the Lord, we will stay the course.
I can clearly see why people would want this for a confirmation Sunday. I would want to sing if I was declaring new faith in the Lord. But isn’t it a good hymn of praise for like literally anytime? To remember that Jesus is the guardian of our souls? It’s a fantastic reminder and a call to our hearts to recall the goodness of the Lord we call our own.
I really enjoy looking through older hymn books and seeing older songs. Plus, reading the changes in words over the years is interesting.
it is, isn’t it?