jesus i am resting. by jean pigott.
the one that i listen to on my ipod is by matthew smith (from itunes). the only online version that i could find is here... but if you have never heard it, that online one will give you a nice feel for it. add it to my ever lengthening list of hymns to sing at my funeral. which at this point the musical portion of that well attended (except by me) event will be several hours long. and why won’t i be there? because i will be RESTING RESTING. sorry, couldn’t resist that.
okay back to the serious part about this great hymn...
Jesus, I am resting, resting, in the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness of Thy loving heart.
Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee, and Thy beauty fills my soul,
For by Thy transforming power, thou hast made me whole.
Jesus, I am resting, resting, In the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness Of Thy loving heart.
O, how great Thy loving kindness, vaster, broader than the sea!
O, how marvelous Thy goodness, lavished all on me!
Yes, I rest in Thee, Beloved, know what wealth of grace is Thine,
Know Thy certainty of promise, and have made it mine.
Jesus, I am resting, resting, In the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness Of Thy loving heart.
Simply trusting Thee, Lord Jesus, I behold Thee as Thou art,
And Thy love, so pure, so changeless, satisfies my heart;
Satisfies its deepest longings, meets, supplies its every need,
Compasseth me round with blessings: thine is love indeed!
Jesus, I am resting, resting, In the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness Of Thy loving heart.
Ever lift Thy face upon me as I work and wait for Thee;
Resting ’neath Thy smile, Lord Jesus, earth’s dark shadows flee.
Brightness of my Father’s glory, sunshine of my Father’s face,
Keep me ever trusting, resting, fill me with Thy grace.
Jesus, I am resting, resting, In the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness Of Thy loving heart.
i also found this little gem of a story about the great missionary, hudson taylor and this hymn (isn’t google fun?). seems that at one point during the early years of the china inland mission, a young missionary came to hudson taylor with frantic news of riots around several mission stations. the missionary was quite indignant when taylor not only remained calm, but began to whistle this very hymn, “Jesus, i am resting, resting, in the joy of what Thou art.” this musical and calm reply to the indignant missionary was said to be long remembered (i bet). hudson taylor pointed out to the young man that his being anxious and troubled would not help those in danger, and could well incapacitate and hinder him from seeking God’s direction in the crisis.
so if you hear my humming this hymn... you will know why.
right now i am choosing it as my summer hymn because summer is just so darn RESTFUL for me. sleeping in. older children who can do a lot for themselves. books to read. scrapbooks to fill. empty calendar boxes not to be filled.
i love summer.
i love resting resting.
and blogging twice in one day. see how unencumbered i am? ok. time to go nap.