I’ve been exploring some of the very modern worship songs as an old guy 😀. But now, I’ve decided to alternate between very modern hymns, old hymns, and in-between hymns, namely the worship songs from the 60s to the 90s that feature in hymnbooks such as Mission Praise. Today it’s the turn of the old hymns.
Today’s song is Redeemed from 1882.
1 Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it!
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb!
redeemed through His infinite mercy—
His child, and forever, I am.
Refrain:
Redeemed, redeemed,
redeemed by the blood of the Lamb!
Redeemed, redeemed–
His child and forever, I am.
2 Redeemed and so happy in Jesus,
no language my rapture can tell!
I know that the light of His presence
with me doth continually dwell. [Refrain]
3 I think of my blessed Redeemer;
I think of Him all the day long.
I sing, for I cannot be silent;
His love is the theme of my song. [Refrain]
4 I know I shall see in His beauty
the King in whose law I delight,
who lovingly guardeth my footsteps
and giveth me songs in the night. [Refrain]
Yesterday, I chose “Therefore the redeemed of the Lord”, a song based on an Old Testament passage about Jews being freed from Babylon to return to Zion. But it pointed to something far better in the future – the heavenly Zion. Today’s hymn speaks of redemption too. The only thing that I can ever remember redeeming was my mortgage. From that moment, the house fully belonged to me. And I myself was redeemed by God through the blood of Jesus. The price was paid for my place in heaven. Now I fully belong to God.
I remember singing today’s hymn on many occasions in evangelical churches in Cork, Limerick and Tipperary. It’s probably not sung much in modern churches, but I do hear a good number of songs on the same theme, even if the style is more contemporary.
The hymn was written by Fanny Crosby, the prolific blind hymn writer who authored more than 8,000 hymns. I’m truly astonished by how she accomplished that. I generally take little interest in the background to hymns, but I’m determined to learn more about the writers. It’s wonderful how someone’s influence can ripple down through history and across the world. Debates go on about whether women should be allowed to be pastors. Whichever side you’re on, you can’t deny that both in Scripture and history, woman have had a profound influence on the Christian church.
Here are some other versions of today’s hymn:
Hibernia Gospel 