A great hymn tells a story. They tell us stories of joy, hope, longing for heaven. They allow us to sing to others stories of deliverance, peace, comfort. We sing stories to God of praise, exaltation, faith. These stories allow us to share our stories with others, help us express ourselves, help us worship. Not only do great hymns tell stories, but each one has a story and knowing the story behind the story can give new meaning to these songs that we sing.
I would love to tell you what I think of Jesus….. “No One Ever Cared For Me Like Jesus” is a hymn born out of a time of great sorrow, as many comforting songs are. For when do we feel God’s comfort the most as when we are at our darkest. The composer, Charles Weigle, was born on November 20, 1871. Mr. Weigle was saved at the age of 12 at an evangelistic meeting. Although he was raised in a Christian home, Charles started to fall away, getting in serious fights. One fight landed him in the courts after seriously injuring several boys. The judge listened to the attorney, his son, when the son pleaded for Charles. He offered to take him under his wing and they became friends for life. It was this turning point that allowed him to come to Christ.
Mr. Weigle was always interested in music and spent two years at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, which was to help him greatly in his later evangelistic career. After years of working in the church as a lay person doing ministries such as starting a sunday school and working on the Gospel wagon, a means of singing and preaching in the streets, he surrendered to God’s call on him to be a preacher. He ministered to the Quakers for many years before become a Baptist preacher in 1933. He then became an evangelist known for his voice, his preaching, his altar calls, and the crowds of people who came to hear him, often numbering in the thousands. During this time he started writing hymns. He wrote many hymns that were popular at that time that we don’t hear any more.
At the hight of his evangelistic ministry, just when it would seem that everything was going wonderfully, trouble started at home. His wife and her family started to express their desire that he quit the ministry and be home full time. This continued to such a point that he had to reexamine his calling. But he came out of that time sure that he was in God’s will. He moved his family from California to Florida hoping that would help the situation, but it did not. He was sent notes while in meetings that sent him prostrate to the floor with grief. The day came when his wife took his daughter and left. Even seeing her several months later, she told him that she was proud of the sins of her new life, but on her death bed a few years later, she was remorseful and asked to be forgiven.
For five years, the music in Mr. Weigle’s life was silent. Although he was not bitter and did not quit the ministry, he was broken. It took five years, but his most famous hymn was born out of this time of sorrow.
“It is true That much of the world’s best music and verse have been transposed from the sighs of disillusioned hearts, for
History of the Hymns
column by: Jennifer Holmes