O How I Love Jesus
This classic hymn has got simple but profound words and a singable melody. How joyful to sing "o how I love Jesus, because He first loved me!" The verses are deep and meaningful. Hear the history of this great hymn on today's episode.
Welcome to another Friday Classic Hymn! We take our favourite old hymns, look at the history behind them, explore the lyrics, and then I'll sing the song at the end.
Some hymns are very wordy, have you noticed this? They're wonderful hymns—theologically rich and beautiful—but chances are a child wouldn't quite understand the words. Like in "Rock of Ages" (I did a video on Rock of Ages just a few weeks back), there's a line that says, "Could my zeal no respite know, could my tears forever flow, all for sin could not atone; Thou must save, and Thou alone." Wonderful words, but a child would probably go, "Huh? What does that mean?"
There are hymns, on the other hand, that are beautifully simple, like "Jesus Loves Me"—which child doesn't understand "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so"? Today's hymn is one that is quite simple as well, but beautiful, theologically rich, very sound, yet easy to understand and easy to sing: "O How I Love Jesus."
Do you know the song? Have you sung it before? Do you have any memories that you can share in the comments below? I hope you will do that because this is such a special song.
By the way, if you love classic hymns and music that helps you lean into God, I hope you'll subscribe to the channel and enjoy the other things that I release here.
Let's talk about the history behind "O How I Love Jesus."
The Story Behind "O How I Love Jesus"
There's not a lot to say about the history of this song. It was written by an Anglican priest, Frederick Whitfield. He was born in 1829 and became ordained in England as a young man. He served at various pastorates around the country, and he was an excellent writer—he wrote about thirty volumes of poetry.
It was in 1855 that he released this poem called "The Name of Jesus." At first, he just released it in leaflets and in little hymn sheets for people to read and sing along to, but in 1861 he published it in a book of his called Sacred Poems and Prose, and it became popular and has remained popular all throughout the years.
The original version was nine verses long. Now we normally only sing three or four verses, but all nine are actually quite beautiful. The chorus—the famous chorus that we know that says, "Oh, how I love Jesus, because He first loved me"—that wasn't his. In fact, the author of that is unknown, but it was a common chorus or refrain that hymn writers or musicians would throw into the middle of the verses that they'd written just to break up the songs in those times. In fact, it's said that often this verse or refrain was used in the middle of "Amazing Grace" in those times.
The author of the tune that we sing the song to is also unknown. Nobody knows where this tune came from, but it's easy, it's singable, it's really beautiful, and one that sticks in your head.
Now, Whitfield died in 1904, but he lives on, I guess as all the hymn writers do, through their works, through their hymns. This is his most popular one by far, but he wrote another very popular one called "I Need Thee, Precious Jesus, for I Am Full of Sin." Do you know that one? I don't—I want to go look it up!
Let's take a look at Whitfield's lyrics that have touched so many lives.
What Do the Lyrics of "O How I Love Jesus" Mean?
I want to look at all nine verses. Chances are you're only familiar with three or maybe four, but all nine are precious.
Verse 1
The first verse is familiar: "There is a Name I love to hear, I love to sing its worth; It sounds like music in my ear, the sweetest Name on earth."
What a beautiful verse to start this song! Yes, the name of Jesus is the most beautiful name. In fact, this is a theme that songwriters have always loved to tell about—the wonder of the name of Jesus. Paul in Philippians 2 spoke about how at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and every tongue confess. There's power in the name of Jesus, and the rest of the song speaks about this.
Verse 2
Look at verse 2. The name of Jesus, he says, "tells me of a Saviour's love, Who died to set me free; it tells me of His precious blood, the sinner's perfect plea."
The name of Jesus reminds him of a loving Saviour who died for our freedom, and it makes him think of the blood that was spilt by the Saviour. It's the sinner's perfect plea. You see, every sinner can come to God and not try to rely on their own sense of worth or goodness to be right with God, but claim the blood of Jesus as the merits for their forgiveness.
Verse 3
Verse 3 says this: "It tells me of a Father's smile beaming upon His child; it cheers me through this little while, through desert, waste, and wild."
Lovely! The name of Jesus reminds him that there is a Father who smiles and beams looking at His child. Do you sense the Father beaming over you today? Does this give you hope as you go through desert lands and wastelands and wilderness? Does it cheer you up? Oh, the name of Jesus should cheer your heart so that whatever you're walking through, you have new strength just at the thought of His name.
Verse 4
Verse 4 says this: "It tells me what my Father hath in store for every day, and though I tread a darksome path, yields sunshine all the way."
Again, this name of Jesus is meaning so much to this man. It reminds him that the Father has blessings for him and that even though he's going through darkness—as we all do in a dark world—the light, the sunshine of Jesus shines. John 1 talks about how the light has shone in the darkness and the darkness will never overcome it. Jesus is a light. The name of Jesus is like a light shining in the dark world.
Verse 5
The next verse says, "It tells of One whose loving heart can feel my deepest woe; Who in each sorrow bears a part that none can bear below."
Oh, what encouraging words! The name of Jesus should make us remember that there is One who loves us so that He feels our woes and our struggles along with us. In fact, He carries our burdens alongside us. There are burdens, there are things that we carry that are too heavy for us, but Jesus comes and carries them and helps us. Oh, how wonderful the name of Jesus!
Verse 6
Verse 6: "It bids my trembling heart rejoice; it dries each rising tear."
The name of Jesus helps us to rejoice and dries our tears.
He says, "It tells me, in a 'still small voice,' to trust and never fear."
The name of Jesus reminds him, "I don't need to fear." It's not like a big hammer bludgeoning him from heaven—it's a still small voice reminding him, "My child, because of Jesus, you do not need to fear. You can walk in trust and confidence."
Verse 7
Then verse 7, he says it again: "Jesus, the Name I love so well, the Name I love to hear."
That affection for the name of Jesus is wonderful, isn't it?
"No saint on earth its worth can tell, no heart conceive how dear."
Now, he spends the whole song trying to explain just how wonderful the name of Jesus is, but then he says, "You know what? Nobody can explain just how worthy and wonderful it is, and no heart can fully understand just how dear, how precious is the name of Jesus."
Verse 8
Verse 8 says, "This Name shall shed its fragrance still along this thorny road."
Do you see the theme coming at you all throughout the song—that we go through difficulties, but the name of Jesus is our hope? It sheds its fragrance even on a thorny path.
"Shall sweetly smooth the rugged hill that leads me up to God."
That name of Jesus smooths the way as we journey towards our final destination with God.
Verse 9
Then I love verse 9, the last verse, which says, "And there with all the blood-bought throng, from sin and sorrow free."
One day those who are bought by the blood of Jesus—in heaven—oh, how great it's going to be when we are there, free from our sins and sorrow!
He says, "I'll sing the new eternal song of Jesus' love for me."
You know, Revelation often talks about the new song that is sung in heaven around the throne. I think there are going to be new eternal songs as we all celebrate what He has done for us together.
The Chorus
I've left that little chorus for the end—the chorus which he didn't write but which is always unto this song, which says, "Oh, how I love Jesus, Oh, how I love Jesus, Oh, how I love Jesus, because He first loved me."
So this name of Jesus is precious to me, and He loves me so—so I love Him back. Wonderful words!
Are there any words here that really speak to you today? Again, I'd love for you to share in the comments which line has spoken to you as you've watched this.
Conclusion
I'm going to sing all nine verses! All right, I'm not going to put the chorus in between each one—it's going to take too long—I'll spread it out a little less often than that. But I just love the whole song so much that I really want to sing all of them. Sing with me, won't you?
Thank you for your support of my ministry, by the way. Thank you for the donations—whether through Patreon or PayPal—that help me do this every week.
Sing with me now!
References
Philippians 2:10-11
John 1:5
Revelation 5:9; 14:3
