Welcome!  Hymns have been and continue to be a real source of inspiration to me.  My desire in this blog is to share special hymns with my readers hoping that the words will minister to them, especially in times of great personal need.  If one of these hymns ministers to you, please take time to leave a comment so that I know that my blog is helping others as much as it helps me. Sometimes I will also provide a link where you can go to hear the hymn played.  So, please join me here each week and sing along as we praise God together.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

NO ONE UNDERSTANDS LIKE JESUS

All of us go through periods when we feel all alone and nobody seems to care.  The problems seem so heavy and we wish that we just had somebody who could help us through the fog that we face.  The difficult times that we are now living in have brought new, heavy tensions.  Unemployment, bills, mortgages, illnesses, family struggles, fears, terrorism, loss of freedoms, uncertainty - heavy burdens to bear.  Unfortunately, during the past year three acquaintances of mine have committed suicide to escape their troubles.  A hymn by John Peterson has often been a comfort to me when I have faced these seemingly "impossible" pressures.  Incidentally, back when I used to sing solos this was the first hymn that I sang with a taped background - in fact it was the first time any musician used a background tape in our church.  Mr. Peterson wrote this hymn in the early years of his ministry.  Here is his account of how it was written. "At one time I had a fairly responsible position with a well-known gospel ministry. One day a supervisory position opened up in my department. I was led to believe that I was to be promoted to this position. I was thrilled and challenged by the prospect of a new joy. But I was by-passed, and a man from the outside was brought in to fill the position.  There followed days of agonizing heart searching. It was all I could do to keep from becoming bitter. One night I had occasion to spend an evening with the man who was brought in for "my" position. For some reason or other, though otherwise a very pleasant fellow, that night he became quite caustic in some of his remarks to me; and I was deeply hurt.   Later that evening, after returning home, I was sitting in our living room thinking about the events of the past days and about the bitter experiences of that evening. I began to feel very alone and forsaken. Suddenly, I sensed the presence of the Lord in an unusual way and my mind was diverted from my difficulties to His faithfulness and sufficiency. Soon the thought occurred to me that He fully understood and sympathized with my situation--in fact, no one could ever completely understand or care as did He. Before long, the idea for the song came and I began to write."

No one understands like Jesus.
He's a friend beyond compare;
Meet Him at the throne of mercy;
He is waiting for you there.

No one understands like Jesus;
Ev'ry woe He sees and feels;
Tenderly He whispers comfort,
And the broken heart He heals.

No one understands like Jesus
When the foes of life assail;
You should never be discouraged;
Jesus cares and will not fail!

No one understands like Jesus
When you falter on the way;
Tho' you fail Him, sadly fail Him,
He will pardon you today.

CHORUS:
No one understands like Jesus
When the days are dark and grim;
No one is so near, so dear as Jesus--
Cast your ev'ry care on Him!

Listen to this beautiful hymn sung here.    LISTEN

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Just this morning I was talking to my Jesus, my God, my friend and my lover who loves me so much. When people all around us fall apart to console us or comfort us in times of desperation, there is just one person who is always available, who loves unconditionally and who cares even if we have sinned. I came across this hymn three weeks back and some of those lines are just what I have thought in my heart. And the last line that Jesus will pardon me today even if we failed Him, dashed my doubts and fears and gave me instant peace, comfort and hope. Thank you Jesus.

Unknown said...

I am so blessed by reading this for the first time, and the Holy Spirit led me to it here in 2018. During my morning devotions, it occurred to me to google for the lyrics of the old hymn, “No One Understands Like Jesus.” What a wealth of encouragement I found in your blog entry here. So much so that I have tweeted the entire post into my Twitter page. Only 2-1/2 months ago, I nearly achieved suicide even as a Christian, but the Lord didn’t allow that to happen. Lately, there have been several celebrity suicides and it is on the minds of many. As your writing is helping me to recover from depression, it is so appropriately going to encourage many others who happen to read it on Twitter today.

Thank you, and God’s best blessings are yours, I pray..

Mary Ann
ayounglady2@gmail.com