By He Reads Truth
On the day his sister was married, in the picturesque village of Innellan on the shore of Scotland, George Matheson endured one of the most traumatic and unspeakable experiences of his life. So unspeakable, he would never disclose it; he would only say this: “Something happened to me, which was known only to myself, and which caused me the most severe mental suffering. The hymn was the fruit of that suffering” (Dough 111).
The hymn was “O Love That Will Not Let Me Go,” which famous American hymnwriter Fanny Crosby would affectionately call her favorite (112).
Crosby and Matheson had something unique in common: they were both completely blind. Born with sight, Matheson’s eyes began failing over the course of his childhood, and he was fully blind by the age of eighteen. But that did not stop young George from pursuing what he loved. Coming from a wealthy merchant family in Glasgow, Matheson studied at the University of Glasgow and graduated with honors. He went on to become an influential pastor, leading a congregation of 2,000 members at St. Bernard’s Church in Edinburgh.
Believers from all over Scotland made the trek to St. Bernard’s to hear the blind preacher deliver his passionate messages from the pulpit, and congregants from all over the world sing his famous hymn to this day. Still, none but God and George himself will ever know what happened on that day in Innellan, as the man sat alone and furiously penned the words of this beloved hymn, the verses coming to him as if dictated by someone else. “It was the quickest work I ever did in my life,” he would later say. “I am quite sure the whole work was completed in five minutes” (111).
The Cross, the Joy, the Light, the Love—these were the truths that held tight to a Scottish pastor as he suffered through a pain he could not bear to name. They are the truths that hold us too.
O Love That Will Not Let Me Go
George Matheson; Albert L. Peace
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.
Dough, Whitney J. The Hymnwriters: Our Unknown Friends: A Biographical Guide to British and American Sacred Song. Franklin, TN: Providence House Publishers, 1995.
52 thoughts on "O Love That Will Not Let Me Go"
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Levi Johnson says:
God is indeed almighty, what a testimony to how He uses us all even in our weaknesses to glorify His name. Truly the only love that will never let us go, very impactful to hear this message, especially among the daily demands of life to know He is always with us, Amen!
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Kevvinlim says:
Our God loves us so much. He defeated enemies for us. He uses us to accomplish His goal. Nothing will stop his way.
He love us, he will never give us too much that we cannot accomplish.
He guide us like a Shepherd. He sees us as son of God. We love him with all our heart, soul and mind. He gave us peace when we trust in Him.
His love will not let us go. He is a provider. When we are in trouble, his love saves us.
Thank you God.
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Henry Hooks says:
For whatever happened that day to George Matheson, it could not have been easy. The verses from Samuel are a shocking display of faithfulness through all scenarios. It speaks of faith even when you are hurting and the way that we should love our Father the way he loves us unconditionally. The title of the song speaks to the faith of the man and how great the power of the lord is. God will never let us go no matter what happens or how much we might reject him. My favorite line from the hymn is I give thee back the life I owe. To me this exemplifies how our lives are not our own. Our faith is not our own, our love is not our own. Everything that we have comes from God. May richer fuller be.
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Dan says:
Right now, I am in one of the hardest seasons of my life. I have wrestled with challenges in never anticipated & my faith & trust have grown because of it. And still, this season continues. David’s words at the beginning of this passage remind me that despite how I am feeling (as inconsistent as emotions can be) the one constant is that God is in control & guiding the steps of me & my family.
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Jordan Covarelli says:
Firstly, from a writing perspective, the rhyming scheme is super unique:
ABAAB.
Whaaaaat?! So cool! It creates this uneven tilt in all the stanzas that underpins the weary soul and need for relief spoken of in the hymn.
In 2 Sam 22:3, David says God is our horn of salvation, which I can draw two parallels from.
1) A horn was a battle cry, signaling an arriving army to attack (particularly reinforcements), or a battle horn was used to signal retreat,but the best sound of a battle horn was when it signaled VICTORY. Our God is our horn of salvation. He IS the promise and declaration of our victory over our enemy. He is the comfort and relief that comes with hearing the announcement that you have conquered and won. Think of a soccer game or basketball game. When that final whistle is blown or that final buzzer sounds that the game is over and you have won, you see the winning team leap for joy, or sink to their knees or faces in relief. Both are appropriate responses to our horn of victory.
My horn of victory personally right now has been freedom from lust, and receiving a full time job doing what I love and getting paid to play for gateway, providing addition provision for my family. The next horn of salvation I need is the announcement of a healthy mom and baby after delivery. With a pregnancy comes so much unknown: what will birth be like? Will there be any complications? What will happen to mom? What will happen to baby? Will the baby have anything wrong with it? There is so much faith and hope and trust being placed in God for things to be ok, and so much time you spend waiting that you won’t know for sure until an exact moment that you know will come. Like being in a battle and knowing you are striving for something and you know there is a deadline approaching. The armies can only battle for so long before either you win or they win. You know the sound of the horn is coming and you pray it is in VICTORY and not retreat or defeat. Good news: God has already told you it will be in victory and salvation. You just have to actively wait for it.
The 2nd horn this verse reminded me of is the horns on the altar of the tabernacle. The investment that Josh grabbed ahold of as an act to beg for mercy and forgiveness before he was executed by Solomon’s orders. It didn’t work out well for Joab, but they were a perennial sign to the people of God that salvation is something that can indeed be grasped and held. It is something we can have a firm grip of and cannot be shaken. In the Old Covenant, it was our strength that was needed to hold onto our salvation: just as it was the person’s hand strength that determined how tightly they could hold to the horns of the altar. But in this New Covenant of Christianity, it is not our strength of grip or will power that determines how securely we have our salvation. Rather, it is the unwavering strength of our God and King that now hold us to our salvation. The death of Christ in the cross was an act of reaching out and taking ahold of us to save us. Just as Jesus’ hands were outstretched on the cross, nailed to the wood, so also his hands are forever outstretched towards his beloved, forever fixed to our hands, holding us securely in his salvation. We can choose to let go. We can tell Him to let go. But if we grow weary and weak, to where our grasp would slip on its own, and for all us this has happened innumerable times, God’s grip still hold firm to us, anchoring us to salvation.
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Calen Warkentin says:
We do not need eyes to see the grace, mercy, love, and power of Jesus Christ of God our Heavenly Father of the Holy Spirit living inside.
Faith is the assurance of things unseen ! -
Terrell says:
Powerful, powerful, powerful. It’s amazing the abilities soulful music has. It can literally change lives. That is why I take my position as music director of my church so seriously; because I know God has created me to literally be an instrument of praise. I kinda wish he did share it though, because powerful testimonies go hand in hand with ageless songs. The hymn “It Is Well With My Soul” came from the same type of emotion — pain. But that just shows God’s power once again — He can literally use YOUR pain to save thousands of lives. What other God do we know that can do THAT?!?
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Kurk says:
I’m broken. My flesh is strong and I have jumped into deep dark waters. I am drowning.
If I look up, I will see God’s light piercing my soul. He is powerful; He will save me. But I must look.
Lord I look to you!! Please tilt my head up when I can’t even pull myself together. Pour into me like only you can.
Forgive me for the vile things you have seen me commit. I want to be broken, but I want to stop destroying myself. Break me so I can be healed by you. -
Brandon Hubbard says:
God is deserving of all the glory. Unwavering and almighty, I take refuge in his love. No weapon formed against me shall prosper when I call upon his name. God is my protector. I will give him the love and praise he deserves.
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Malachi McCaveney says:
These passages bring me to a place that is a sorrowful and despairing. It reminds me when my girlfriend dumped me. It was a hard time but I got through it by only with God’s help. Just like this hymn, the author turns to God’s love for his strength and deliverance.
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Justin Lowery says:
The cross, the joy, the light, the life. What a set they make!
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Tim says:
The Lord delights in me! No matter how many waters I am in or terrible enemies I am facing – from within or without – He will rescue me from out of danger and set my feet on the solid rock of His love. His love will truly never let me go, no matter what happens.
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Tanner Dalton says:
Our God is so very personal to us. When David cried, God came down in a thunderous cloud. It reminds me of the feeling a parent has when their child begins to cry from another room. There parent doesn’t amble into the room without care. In that moment, nothing else matters. That’s the love of our father.
The final chorus for me is so powerful. From the dust, life’s glory dead, God will raise us up to live an eternal life within the safety and refuge of Jesus.
I love this devotional. I’ve been looking for an opportunity for a Hymn study. I am a church song writer and am thankful for all those that have gone before me, those who are my peers, and I’m thankful for the legacy we can leave for future generations.
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Caleb Orta says:
Worship is not just singing a useless anthem to the church, it is a invitation to the almighty God, a prayer in song form.
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Igor Popov says:
Life is going to be hard, there will be trouble, there will be pain. People are going to hurt me. My life will feel like its crumbling. I will have situations in my life that I do not understand. And it’s going to feel like nothing is going my way. It’s going to feel like God is letting everything happen to me. But I know in whom I trust. I know who puts the breath in my lungs. I know who gives me life every morning and wakes me up from my sleep. Though my troubles are big, my God is greater. I trust in you Lord and I lay down my life to you. I call upon you and pray you lighten my burdens. Your love never fails, and your mercy is unending! You are faithful till the end, and I will love you for all my days!
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Matt Vanderworp says:
I’ve sung this hymn so many times without ever knowing the story behind it. I truly wonder what could’ve happened to him that caused so much emotional distress. Also FIVE MINUTES?! I can’t even finish my breakfast in five minutes. I find it so incredible that the spirit led him to write this song which has stood the test of time. At my RUF (Reformed University Fellowship) ministry at the University of Houston, this hymn is a classic (Indelible Grace version). We sing it at least once or twice a month for weekly Large Group meetings.
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Dillon Davis says:
Oh joy that will not let me go
Oh cross that lifteth up my headThese stuck out to me the most.
No matter what comes our way, is that what we are to cling to? The love, the light, the joy, the cross? Is it really ours? Are we that beloved of God?
What is the point? What is life? -
Jonathan DeWeber says:
It’s amazing to see that God is near by. That even when we don’t think he is, he is still near wait patiently for us to call upon his name. Lord forgive me of my lack of trust. Lord take my burdens and help me to build that trust.
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Logan says:
I’ve personally never heard this hymn before. But after reading through it’s words, as well as the scripture from 2 Samuel, it’s hard not to praise God for the love He constantly pours out on us. Not only that, but the comfort I can take knowing that God is the strongest supporter I have in any dark time is THE most amazing feeling one can have. I particularly enjoy the fact that David is speaking these words in Samuel, a man who never doubted that God would be there for him always. Even as we sin, God never ceases to love and support us.
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Joel Scoggins says:
Pain and hurt remind us of God’s goodness when we trust him through the process and see his faithfulness on the other side of our circumstances. His love is enough to see us through. In his love is where we find abundant living (John 10:10) because despair is never an option when we rest and trust in Him.
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