"Tis So Sweet" -- The Rest of The Story

"'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus" is a popular Christian Hymn with music by William J. Kirkpatrick and lyrics by Louisa M.R. Stead. The lyrics were written in 1882. They appeared in Stead's Songs of Triumph.

It is said that Louisa M. R. Stead wrote the lyrics after she watched her husband drown and die. Here is the story behind the song:

It was a beautiful sunny day. Louisa M. Stead, her husband, and her daughter Lily, decided to go for a picnic. They went picnicing on Long Island Sound. While having their picnic, the Steads heard a scream. It was from a young boy. Mr. Stead ran to the rescue. Louisa Stead and young Lily watched helplessly as Mr. Stead and the boy drowned. Their troubles were not over yet, however, and without her husband, Mrs. Stead became very poor and destitute.Yet God never left her. He provided for her always and she and her daughter made it through. Louisa learned to trust God, and thus the words to the song 'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus.' Shortly after this incident, Lousia and her daughter Lily moved to South Africa where they became missionaries.

The song is included in many hymnals and has been recorded by many artists.

’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, Just to take Him at His Word;
Just to rest upon His promise, And to know, “Thus says the Lord!”

Refrain

Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him! How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er.
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! O for grace to trust Him more!

O how sweet to trust in Jesus, Just to trust His cleansing blood;
And in simple faith to plunge me ’Neath the healing, cleansing flood!

Refrain

Yes, ’tis sweet to trust in Jesus, Just from sin and self to cease;
Just from Jesus simply taking Life and rest, and joy and peace.

Refrain

I’m so glad I learned to trust Thee, Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend;
And I know that Thou art with me, Wilt be with me to the end.

Refrain

O for grace (Your favor) to trust You, more, Lord!
Grateful

Help Me To Love And Trust You, Lord!

The Country & Western singer, Hank Williams, Jr., has this line in one of his songs: Why must you live out the songs that you've wrote. (Or something like that, anyway.)

My pastoral mentor, James Spruill, has tried to tell me: The Lord makes preachers live what they preach. In other words, if you preach "Do not be discouraged" get ready to battle discouragement. If you preach on "Christian marriage" get ready for a challenge in your own Christian marriage. And on and on it goes. Or so it often seems that way.

Well, yesterday, I wrote on my blog that God's perfect love presently makes all of our tormenting fears history. I know it's true. However, late last night... You guessed it. Tormenting fears came knocking at my heart's door.

Here's what happened: For about an hour I tried to get one of my family members on the phone. It was getting quite late and still no answer after many calls to their cell phone and home phone. It seemed no one I talked with knew where my loved one was. To say I was frightened and upset would be an understatement. The later it got, the more my fear-filled imagination went wild.

It's already a new day. Yep, it's after midnight now. I just asked God to forgive me and to help me personally more than ever to live out the messages I preach in the pulpit weekly and the subjects I post on my blog daily.Why? Because, I openly confess: Last evening, I imagined all kinds of bad things that might be happening to my family member, because of no answer from their end. It went on for about an hour and I was only about 3 minutes from dialing "911" when suddenly... a friend located my loved one. All was well. Wonderfully well.

I know it might seem I am being a little hard on myself, because after all, I do love my loved ones, however, last night, I did not draw fully from the perfect love of my awesome and available God. Let's just say, I allowed fears of torment to lick on the window panes of my soul.

To top it all off, yesterday, I was being still and knowing that God was God. During my stillness, I even repeated one song on my MP3 player over and over again. The title? I am sure you probably know the song well. It's an old hymn of the Church:

"Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
just to take Him at His word.
Just to rest upon His promise,
And to know, 'Thus saith the Lord'"

Lord, help me to LOVE YOU perfectly and to TRUST YOU totally!
Teach me that tormenting fears have no claim on me!
I'm Yours! You LOVE me!
Grateful

P.S. I'd like to repeat the song just once more, please:
Click here: TIS SO SWEET TO TRUST IN JESUS - YouTube

When You Can't Pray

A few years ago I was going through a dark season of life, so I called my praying mom on the phone and asked, "Mom, what do you do when you can't pray?" She said, "Son, that's the very best place to be, because when you can't pray, you simply trust."

Click here: TIS SO SWEET TO TRUST IN JESUS - YouTube

'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, just to take Him at His Word...
Grateful