The hymn was written by Emmanuel T. Sibomana (1915-1975), a pastor in the African nation of Burundi. He lived near Musema, a Baptist mission in central Burundi. He became a Christian in his late teens or his early twenties, and later became a Baptist pastor. Then, in 1946, he published a hymn titled "Umbuntu Bg Imana." Pastor Sibomana's hymn was translated by Rosemary Guillebaud, an English missionary in Rwanda, as "O How the Grace of God Amazes Me."
At the time of writing the hymn he was just a young Christian and a farm laborer working in the heat of the day. The whole seven verses came flooding into his soul. At the end of the day, he ran home and attempted to write down what had inspired him. He then ran to his Pastor's house where his Pastor set the whole hymn to music. While not well known or in many hymnals today, it is a hymn that UK evangelical Christians often sing with heartfelt meaning. Little more can be said about the powerful words that speak for themselves.
What more can be said about the grace of God - God's Riches At Christ's Expense? What should our reaction be? Well the final verse tells us. "Come now, the whole of me, eyes, ears, and voice. Join me, creation all, with joyful noise. Praise Him who broke the chain holding me in sin's domain and set me free again! Sing and rejoice!"
Does God's grace for you amaze you? It should amaze us more every day.
O how the grace of God amazes me!
It loosed me from my bonds and set me free!
What made it happen so?
His own will, this much I know,
set me, as now I show, at liberty.
My God has chosen me, Though one of nought,
to sit beside my King in heaven's court.
Hear what my Lord has done,
O, the love that made Him run
to meet His erring son! This has God wrought.
Not for my righteousness, for I have none,
but for His mercy's sake, Jesus, God's Son,
suffered on Calvary's tree;
Crucified with thieves was He;
Great was His grace to me, His wayward one.
And when I think of how, at Calvary,
He bore sin's penalty instead of me,
Amazed, I wonder why He,
the sinless One, should die
for one so vile as I; My Savior He!
Now all my heart's desire is to abide
in Him, my Savior dear, In Him to hide,
my shield and buckler He,
cov'ring and protecting me;
from Satan's darts I'll be safe at His side.
Lord Jesus, hear my prayer, Your grace impart;
When evil thoughts arise through Satan's art,
O, drive them all away
and do You, from day to day,
keep me beneath Your sway, King of my heart.
Come now, the whole of me, eyes, ears, and voice.
Join me, creation all, with joyful noise:
Praise Him who broke the chain
holding me in sin's domain
and set me free again! Sing and rejoice
Listen to it here. GRACE
2 comments:
Yes, a beautiful hymn - we often sing it in our Church. A few years ago I wrote to Rosemary Guillebaud's niece but unfortunately I seem to have lost my original notes about the initial incident as she confirmed and as you have so succinctly reported.
Many thanks.
So beautiful art thy name, oh lord. The wind, the sun the moon and sky is remarkable. All these things that you have spoken is pure delight, that I might hear and see both day and night. Blessed is your name oh lord, who died just for me as you hang 3 days upon a tree.
Post a Comment