"As I journey through the land, singing as I go, Pointing souls to Calvary—to the crimson flow, Many arrows pierce my soul from without, within; But my Lord leads me on, through Him I must win.
Refrain: Oh, I want to see Him, look upon His face, There to sing forever of His saving grace; On the streets of glory let me lift my voice, Cares all past, home at last, ever to rejoice.
When in service for my Lord dark may be the night, But I’ll cling more close to Him, He will give me light; Satan’s snares may vex my soul, turn my thoughts aside; But my Lord goes ahead, leads whate’er betide.
When in valleys low I look toward the mountain height, And behold my Savior there, leading in the fight, With a tender hand outstretched toward the valley low, Guiding me, I can see, as I onward go.
When before me billows rise from the mighty deep, Then my Lord directs my bark; He doth safely keep, And He leads me gently on through this world below; He’s a real Friend to me, oh, I love Him so."
What a joy to wake up to this amazing hymn this morning. I wrote a few words from the chorus in my post yesterday and to my delight, the Good Lord decided to start my day with this song.
This hymn was written by Rufus H. Cornelius in 1916, Mr. Cornelius is another one of the great songwriters that was from this area. He was born in Blount County and went to the public schools in Oneonta. He began teaching school at an early age and became the Oneonta High School principal. While teaching he begin to love church music and started to study with some of the best teachers and there were many in this area. He later moved to Texas and established a publishing house and produced many song books. But he devoted much of his time to conducting singing schools and was considered one of the best in the state of Texas. Of all the songs by Mr. Cornelius, "Oh, I Want To See Him" has carried his memory for years and I believe will for years to come.
I believe the chorus captures the heart of every Christian. I know it does mine. It is the "essential" of our faith. It is the hope, that promise, that makes us realize that this life's journey is one that we are just passing through to a home far better than this. Ok, here I go again. If I'm not careful, I will be a shouting Baptist. I mean isn't that something to be excited about?
I pray you will be blessed hearing this amazing hymn this morning and may your Thursday be terrific!
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