O Love That Will Not Let Me Go

“But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.” Psalm 3:3 (Amplified Bible)

Yesterday, as I sat in the worship service at church, the presence of God was so strong through a hymn I had not heard in longer than I can remember. Its melody was stirringly simple. A gentleman playing the flute accompanied the piano’s voice. No one sang the words; only the music played. I started to sing along in my mind as I reached for the hymnal in front of me. These were the powerful words I read:

O LOVE THAT WILL NOT LET ME GO

O Love that will not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.

O light that foll’west all my way,
I yield my flick’ring torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.
–George Matheson, 1884, public domain

Jesus, help me to rest my weary soul in You. When my torch flickers, may I remember that there is a morning coming when I will never cry again. Your cross enables me to lift up my head from sin that once caused such shame and separated me from You. May my life never compete with You for Your glory. Your strength, made perfect in my weakness, is where abundant life is found.