3/27 Hymn - "His Way With Thee"

Would you live for Jesus, and be always pure and good?
Would you walk with Him within the narrow road?
Would you have Him bear your burden, carry all your load?
Let Him have His way with thee.

His power can make you what you ought to be;
His blood can cleanse your heart and make you free;
His love can fill your soul, and you will see
’Twas best for Him to have His way with thee.

Would you have Him make you free, and follow at His call?
Would you know the peace that comes by giving all?
Would you have Him save you, so that you can never fall?
Let Him have His way with thee.

His power can make you what you ought to be;
His blood can cleanse your heart and make you free;
His love can fill your soul, and you will see
’Twas best for Him to have His way with thee.

Would you in His kingdom find a place of constant rest?
Would you prove Him true in providential test?
Would you in His service labor always at your best?
Let Him have His way with thee.

His power can make you what you ought to be;
His blood can cleanse your heart and make you free;
His love can fill your soul, and you will see
’Twas best for Him to have His way with thee.

BIBLE REFERENCE: 2 Thessalonians 3:3, 1 Peter 1:5, 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, Jude 1:24-25

Cyrus Silvester Nusbaum - Lyrics & Composer - Born: July 27, 1861, Middlebury, Indiana. Died: December 27, 1937, Wichita, Kansas.

Cyrus Silvester Nusbaum began his ministry in the southwest at the a Methodist Church in 1886 . He went on to become one of the most outstanding evangelists of his time. However, this hymn was born during a time of deep discouragement, following Mr. Nusbaum’s first year of ministry. He gives the following account:

I had spent my first year in pastoral work. Having been appointed to serve as a pastor in one of the poorest circuits in our district, I had struggled hard during the year to take care of the seven preaching places and congregations. It had been a most difficult task, strenuous and discouraging, and the income pitifully small. At the end of the conference year, my wife and I gathered our few necessary belongings, and, with the assistance of one of our members, we arrived at the railroad station in order to take the train to the place where the conference was to meet that year.

Naturally, we had prayed and hoped that, at the conference, I might be appointed to a better charge, but when the Bishop read the appointments the last night of the conference, I was named as pastor of the same old circuit. I was with heavy hearts that we repaired to our lodging place that night. Mrs. Nusbaum sensibly retired early, but I remained in the little parlor with no one to disturb me.

I was very unhappy and a spirit of rebellion seemed to possess me. About midnight, I finally knelt in prayer beside my chair. After some struggle, a deep peace came stealing into my heart. I told the Lord that I would be willing to let Him have His way with me regardless of the cost. With that feeling, of surrender to the will of God, came the inspiration for the new song, now so well-known throughout Christendom...