San Francisco Central Seventh-day Adventist Church

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76 O Love, That Will Not Let Me Go

The hymn of response today is O Love, That Will Not Let Me Go. It was written by another blind hymn-writer, George Matheson. He wrote it in a few minutes, and it was never revised or touched afterwards.

In May 2002, Pastor Duge chose this hymn to close his sermon series that studied the Book of Hosea, which tells of God's struggle to deal with Israel's abandonment of His love.

What shall I do with you, Ephraim?
How can I deal with you, Judah?
Your hesed is like a morning cloud,
Like the dew, it goes early away.
So! I have slashed at you by My prophets,
I have attacked you with My words!
For I want hesed and not offerings,
The knowledge of God rather than pious words!
—Hosea 6: 4-6

O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
that in thine ocean depths
its flow may richer, fuller be.

O Light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee;
my heart restores its borrowed ray,
that in they sunshine's blaze
its day may brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow thru the rain,
and feel the promise is not vain,
that morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life's glory dead,
and from the ground there blossoms
red life that shall endless be.