O Love That Will Not Let Me Go
For me, it's the tune, and this hymn always touches me. I want to share this hymn with you as I also realise how deeply beautiful the lyrics are.
Each of the four verses begins with a key word—Love, Light, Joy and Cross. Love is a haven for a “weary soul” and is as deep as the “ocean.” The second stanza focuses on Light that illumines our way. Our “flickering torch” is augmented by the “sunshine’s blaze” of Christ, the Light of the world. Stanza three is one of Joy—a joy that seeks for us “through pain.” The “rainbow” is a promise of hope emerging from the rain indicating that “morn shall tearless be." The Cross is the theme of the concluding stanza. Through Christ’s suffering on the cross “blossoms red” springing from dry ground that lead to the birth of new life.
The writer of these words suffered two severe blows — the loss of his eyesight and the loss of his beloved. As this hymn reveals, it was his faith in God that kept him going through the adversities that he suffered. He believed that God’s love would not let him go—and that God’s light would follow him all his way—and that God’s joy would seek him through his pain—and that faith made all the difference.
All of us suffer some sort of heartbreak or disappointment or disability at some point in our lives. What makes all the difference is our response —whether we let the hardship stop us or inspire us to greater effort.
Imagining a love that will not let us go seems like the stuff of fantasy, but when we surrender our wounded hearts to God’s love, we know that we can have hope, because Jesus walks with us.
The words are about the extravagant love of God, and enduring faithfulness, and that God's promises are never given in vain.
Julie Feltham
A traditional version
A beautiful choral version