Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing (ELW 807)
Devotion
1 Come, thou Fount of ev'ry blessing,
tune my heart to sing thy grace;
streams of mercy, never ceasing,
call for songs of loudest praise.
While the hope of endless glory
fills my heart with joy and love,
teach me ever to adore thee;
may I still thy goodness prove.
2 Here I raise my Ebenezer:
"Hither by thy help I've come";
and I hope, by thy good pleasure,
safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
wand'ring from the fold of God;
he, to rescue me from danger,
interposed his precious blood.
3 Oh, to grace how great a debtor
daily I'm constrained to be;
let that grace now like a fetter
bind my wand'ring heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it;
prone to leave the God I love.
Here's my heart, oh, take and seal it;
seal it for thy courts above.
Text: Robert Robinson, 1735-1790, alt.
"Jesus sought me when a stranger, wand'ring from the fold of God." Robert Robinson, who wrote the lyrics of this beloved hymn, is speaking about himself in the second stanza. Supposedly, before his conversion to Christianity, Robinson, with a band of misfits that he hung around with, attended a large gathering in which the acclaimed preacher George Whitefield was speaking. Their intention was to heckle the believers and make fun of their proceedings. Instead, Robinson found himself captivated by Whitefield's awe-inspiring words that changed his life.
Words sung in worship can give us a sense of awe as well. It can be life-changing to sing a song that reaches down to the depths of our souls as it proclaims God's love and mercy in our lives. Robinson's grace-filled words in this ageless hymn are inspiring. They help shape us and bind our hearts to God through words of joy!
Prayer
O God, you are our fountain of all blessings. As we are filled with your grace and mercy, we cannot help but sing your praise. Amen.