I Heard The Voice of Jesus Say

I heard the voice of Jesus say, “Come unto Me and rest;
Lay down, thou weary one, lay down, thy head upon My breast.”
I came to Jesus as I was, weary and worn and sad;
I found in Him a resting-place, And He has made me glad.

I heard the voice of Jesus say, “Behold, I freely give
The living water; thirsty one, stoop down and drink and live.”
I came to Jesus, and I drank of that life-giving stream.
My thirst was quenched, my soul revived, and now I live in Him.

I heard the voice of Jesus say, “I am this dark world’s Light.
Look unto Me; thy morn shall rise and all thy day be bright.”
I looked to Jesus, and I found in Him my Star, my Sun;
And in that Light of Life I’ll walk till traveling days are done.

Written by Horatio Bonar in the mid 1800’s, there is a great story about this particular hymn writer.  Mr. Bonar was one of eleven children, and he and two of his brothers eventually became preachers.  Bonar pastored in Edinburgh, and became one of Scotland’s most famous preachers.  He also wrote hymns, especially hymns written for children.  In his day, it was common for adults to sing the Psalms, and for children to sing hymns because they were a little easier for the children to sing and memorize.  On one occasion when Bonar asked the congregation to sing a hymn, two church leaders walked out in protest of a hymn being sung in service.  The children, however, never protested because they loved the songs that he would write for them, and sing with them.  This story reminds me a little of Jesus words when He said “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

You may be wondering why Mr. Bonar had such an affinity for children.  Well, let me share some of his personal background.  He and his wife lost five of their children in a short period of time at very young ages.  I wonder if his love for children in the church stemmed from the fond memories he had of his own children.  Or maybe he would see qualities and personality traits in the children at church that reminded him of his own children.  I’m not exactly sure why, but His passion for children was evidenced by the hymns he wrote for them.  Later in life, his son-in-law passed away and his daughter returned home to live with him.  His daughter returned with……..five young children.  Bonar is quoted as saying “God took five children from life some years ago, and He has given me another five to bring up for Him in my old age.”  The most powerful words in that statement for me are the words “for Him.”  Even though this man had endured terrible tragedy, he realized his life still had purpose in Christ.  He appeared to have dealt with the great loss, and realized that his life could still have an impact “for Him.”  What a powerful testimony!

Each of the verses of the song start with a quote from Jesus from Scripture, and is then followed up with his response to the words.  I like the fact that the author was (a) in the Word, (b) applying Jesus’ words to himself, and (c) had a proper response to the words of Jesus.  Here’s the three Scriptures the verses are based upon:

Matthew 11:28 says “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”  I like the promise found here.  Jesus says “I will give you rest.”  Not I might, or I could.  But I will.  If you are heavy laden today, will you follow His command to come and let Him give you rest?

John 4:14 says “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”  I like the promise found here too.  Not only does he promise to give us water, but the water that He gives is everlasting.  We will never thirst again once we have taken His living water.

John 8:12 says “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”   There are two promises here from Jesus.  One that we shall not walk in darkness.  Two, that we shall have the light of life.  Two promises that we can also claim today as followers of Him.

In John 10:27-30, Jesus says “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”  Aren’t you grateful today that you are one of His sheep?  Aren’t you grateful that He is calling and leading?  That He is speaking and giving?  I sure am.

Can I encourage you in those times when you are struggling to hear His voice to get into the Word?  Can I challenge you to read the words written in red – the words of Jesus?  His words are powerful.  They are life changing.  They are wonderful words of life.  Let Him speak through His Word.  Let Him speak through the Holy Spirit.  And you too will be able to testify, like Horatio Bonar did,  “I heard the voice of Jesus say….”