O For A Thousand Tongues to Sing | Hymn25
1740 | Charles Wesley
Charles Wesley was arguably the greatest hymn writer of all time in quality and certainly quantity. During his lifetime, Charles wrote over 6,500 hymns, hundreds of which are still sung today in the Methodist church and non-denominational churches like ours. You may recognize
“And Can it be”, “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus”, or “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”.
Charles Wesley is one of the two famous brothers who started the Methodist movement in the mid-1700s, his brother John Wesley having founded the Methodist church. Though we are not a Methodist church, even our non-denominational tradition owes much to the influence of Charles and his pen. Although Charles grew up a top-ranked student and preacher in the church of England, even going on mission to America, it wasn’t until 1738 when Charles met with some protestant Moravian friends that he came to the conclusion that he lacked true faith: a faith born not of our works, but salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. It was then that Charles experienced for the first time a personal relationship with Jesus.
On the one-year anniversary of his conversion, Charles was pondering a quote he had heard from a Moravian friend: The quote was this: “If I had a thousand tongues, I would praise Christ with them all.”
To commemorate his year of new life, Charles penned the hymn we know today as “O for a thousand tongues to sing.” He wrote 18 stanzas that day, we sing the 5 stanzas that have made it into most hymnals. As we sing, consider the great desire Charles had to express to Jesus his gratitude, adoration, and praise for God’s saving grace. And we can join with Charles in asking that God, by His Spirit, would “assist us to proclaim, to spread through all the earth abroad the honors of thy Name.“
O for a thousand tongues to sing
my great Redeemer’s praise,
the glories of my God and King,
the triumphs of his grace!
My gracious Master and my God,
assist me to proclaim,
to spread thro’ all the earth abroad
the honors of your name.
Jesus! the name that charms our fears,
that bids our sorrows cease,
’tis music in the sinner’s ears,
’tis life and health and peace.
He breaks the power of cancelled sin,
he sets the prisoner free;
his blood can make the foulest clean;
his blood availed for me.
To God all glory, praise, and love
be now and ever given
by saints below and saints above,
the Church in earth and heaven.
Jon Lilley | Worship Arts Pastor