Sunday, September 18, was a wonderful day. I was blessed beyond measure. Two women in the church, Beth on piano and Lou on flute played my favorite hymn after song service. They said they had a “special request.”
That “special request” was from me. In all the years I have been in church, almost 50 now, I have never heard my favorite hymn sung. Honestly, I do not even remember when I first came across it. It was in the hymnal at church as I was lazily going from one hymn to another practicing on the organ one day. It touched my heart so deeply then and has gone deeper and deeper as the years progressed.
These two wonderful women knew I loved this song, and they practiced it for weeks in secret. I am rarely surprised, but I sure was that morning. I cried throughout the day as I remembered their loving blessing.
The hymn is “My Jesus, I Love Thee.” These are the words that touch my heart so ….
“My Jesus, I love Thee, I know Thou art mine; For Thee all the follies of sin I resign; My gracious Redeemer, my Savior art Thou; If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.
“I love Thee because Thou hast first loved me, And purchased my pardon on Calvary’s tree; I love Thee for wearing the thorns on Thy brow; If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.
“I’ll love Thee in life, I will love Thee in death, And praise Thee as long as Thou lendest me breath; And say when the death dew lies cold on my brow, If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.
“In mansions of glory and endless delight, I’ll ever adore Thee in heaven so bright; I’ll sing with the glittering crown on my brow, If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.”
Yes, LORD. If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ‘tis now.
