Love That Will Not Let Us Go

Oh 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 Joy that seekest me through pain

I can not 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 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 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 penned the lyrics to the song written above; his story is a remarkable one. At the ripe old age of 20, George was told by his doctor that he was going blind and that there was nothing that could be done for him. When he told his fiancee that he was losing his sight, she decided that she couldn't go through life with a blind husband and left him. The gracious Lord provided George's sister to be his caretaker. Over the years, George and his sister became extremely close; she grew to be his best friend. The day came, however, that she fell in love and became engaged herself. George now faced the prospect of living alone for the rest of his life, a blind man in his early 20's and seemingly without much hope.

On the evening before his sister's wedding, George was reflecting over his own aborted wedding plans and was overcome with grief at the loss of his sweetheart and at facing life alone. In the darkness of that moment and in the midst of the grief washing over him, he cried out to Jesus and was moved to write the lyrics to the song above. Read them again now that you know the story behind the lyrics. They mean more when you know that they were written in the midst of overwhelming sadness and disappointment - they are a reminder that even in our darkest moments, even when we feel alone in this world, the Lord is with us - they are a reminder that He loves us and walks beside us each step of the way - they are a reminder that He has a master plan and that His plan is indeed best for us, even though we may not believe that fact in moments of grief...

George Matheson.

There are times in every believer's walk when they are tempted to doubt God's providence and plan. Life is naturally full of disappointments, heartache, suffering and seasons of waiting for the Lord to reveal His will and plans to us. A quote that I always run to during these times in my life is from Walter Henrichsen; itsays, "There will be times when it will appear as though His promises fail you; they don't seem to be answered in accordance with your expectation. During these times of testing, your faith must rest in who He says He is rather than your understanding of what He has promised. You are best served trusting His character."

I have come to realize that during the seasons of my life in which I'm waiting on the Lord, struggling with disappointment and praying to understand the Lord's will for my life, the answer that God oftentimes gives is simply, "Trust Me." There are times when God does not want us to know what He is up to behind the scenes. He wants us instead to walk by faith, trusting in His character and trusting in His goodness. We are asked to trust Him even without answers to our most desperate prayers - we are asked to trust Him by our faith. We are asked to remember Whom we have believed..."For I know Whom I have believed," 2 Timothy 1:12.

A bible study that I attended a few months ago was centered on trusting Him by faith. My leader told us that the closer we get to the Lord, the less we need miraculous signs and miracles to prove His existence and goodness and love. How true! No one enjoys being disappointed and having to wait for the Lord to answer our prayers. And certainly no one truly enjoys the discomfort of walking by faith, but it is an essential ingredient in the lives of His disciples. Often times it is painful to wait on the Lord, but patiently we wait and move ahead, bold and confident in His love for and faithfulness to us. Even as we wait, we should run the race set before us and take steps of obedience to trust Him. No, this is not easy; it's not easy for a new believer and it's not easy for men of great faith such as John Piper, Tim Keller or Billy Graham. But trust we must, because our God is great and most worthy of our praise (Psalm 96:4)!

Noah and Job are two biblical characters who were each tested by the Lord and both were asked to be obedient in the midst of trials and major disappointment. The main difference between the testings of these two men is that Noah knew God's plan ahead of time; Job did not. Noah knew the "why" and was given knowledge beforehand concerning God's divine plan. Because he was given insight into the trial that he was facing, he now had to carry the burden of obedience. Job knew nothing of they "why" of God's plan, but he had no responsibility other than holding tightly to the goodness of God until the storm passed. 

None of us enjoys being tested, heartbroken, disappointed. Even George Matheson, who penned such beautiful lyrics of faith in God's sufficiency, struggled with his suffering and disappointment at being blind, single and alone. Unfortunately, being tested is an essential ingredient of the sanctification process, or the process by which God molds us more and more into Jesus' likeness. When we are tested, we have no choice as to whether it will be of the Noah type or of the Job type. That is for God alone to decide, and He expects us to remain strong in faith and hold on to the knowledge that He works all things out for our greatest good (Romans 8:28). Rest assured that He will deliver you from your struggle, heartache, disappointment, grief and waiting. In the midst of these times in our lives, it would be prudent to re-read the lyrics to the song "Oh Love That Will Not Let Me Go" and to remember its truth: God will not let us go, His love for us is stronger than we could ever imagine and He is sovereign over all things. God superintends the affairs of this universe; never forget that He also reigns over even the tiniest details of you life. The safest place for any believer to be is at the center of God's will.

"The Lord works out everything for His own ends...

in his heart a man plans his course, 

but the Lord determines his steps."

Proverbs 16:4,9

"As for God, His way is perfect,

the word of the Lord is flawless.

He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him...

it is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect."

Psalm 18:30,32

"And we know that in all things God works

for the good of those who love Him, who have been 

called according to His purpose."

Romans 8:28

"I am God...I work and who can hinder?"

Isaiah 43:13