Scripture Verse

You help us by your prayers. 2 Corinthians 1:11

Introduction

portrait
Ira D. Sankey (1840–1908)

Words: Sam­uel O. Cluff, 1860.

Music: Ira D. San­key, 1874 (🔊 pdf nwc).

If you know where to get a bet­ter pho­to of Cluff,

portrait
Samuel O. Cluff (1837–1910)

Origin of the Hymn

On our first visit to Ire­land, in 1874, we came across these words in a print­ed leaf­let. It was the sec­ond hymn to which I wrote music [The Nine­ty and Nine was the first], and it was much used in our meet­ings in Lon­don. It has long been a fav­or­ite pray­er-meet­ing hymn in many church­es.

Sankey, pp. 158–9

Dwight L. Moody told ma­ny stories of the pow­er giv­en to this hymn. He re­lat­ed that a young man from Swe­den told him that he first heard this song in his na­tive land. It was sung by two ev­an­gel­ists who went house to house to hold a series of meet­ings. The two-roomed log house was packed and after one ev­an­gel­ist had prayed, the oth­er said, Sing one of San­key’s hymns.

The young man con­tin­ued: Since then I have heard this sweet hymn sung in ma­ny plac­es. I have heard it in pri­mi­tive homes on the West­ern prair­ies and by great choirs in our large ci­ties. But when­ev­er I do hear it I am a lad again in the lit­tle log house in Swe­den.

Blanchard, p. 40

Lyrics

I have a Sav­ior, He’s plead­ing in glo­ry,
A dear, lov­ing Sav­ior though earth friends be few;
And now He is watch­ing in ten­der­ness o’er me;
And oh, that my Sav­ior were your Sav­ior, too.

Refrain

For you I am pray­ing, for you I am pray­ing,
For you I am pray­ing, I’m pray­ing for you.

I have a Fa­ther; to me He has giv­en
A hope for eter­ni­ty, bless­èd and true;
And soon He will call me to meet Him in Hea­ven,
But, oh, that He’d let me bring you with me, too!

Refrain

I have a robe; ’tis re­splen­dent in white­ness,
Awaiting in glo­ry my won­der­ing view;
Oh, when I re­ceive it, all shin­ing in bright­ness,
Dear friend, could I see you re­ceiv­ing one, too!

Refrain

When Je­sus has found you, tell oth­ers the sto­ry,
That my lov­ing Sav­ior is your Sav­ior, too;
Then pray that your Sav­ior
May bring them to glo­ry,
And pray­er will be an­swered—
’Twas an­swered for you!

Refrain

Speak of that Sav­ior, that Fa­ther in Hea­ven,
That harp, crown, and robe
Which are wait­ing for you—
That peace you pos­sess, and that rest to be giv­en,
Still pray­ing that Je­sus may save them with you.

Refrain