Musical Notes

Hello OCBC family,
“Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, ‘We never saw anything like this!’” (Mark 2:12). 

This verse is the conclusion of this marvelous story about Jesus healing a paralytic man. If you know this passage very well, we see Jesus forgiving the sins of the paralytic man before to perform the miracle of making him walk. What we can learn from this passage is that Jesus, God in flesh, is able to forgive sins and heal those who are sick. And what was the paralytic’s response to Jesus’ command? “He arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all.”

Now, this is the phrase that will call our attention, and especially to Charles H. Gabriel, “all were amazed and glorified God.”

“I stand amazed in the presence
Of Jesus the Nazarene,
And wonder how He could love me,
A sinner, condemned, unclean.”

Charles H. Gabriel wrote these lyrics. He was a prolific American composer, and he composed over a thousand hymns and several songbooks to be used during revival meetings. This hymn, “I Stand Amazed in the Presence” or “My Savior’s Love” has a powerful message, because Grabiel’s aim was to share the powerful message of Jesus’ sacrificial death for the sinners.

On the second stanza, Gabriel shares the time that our Lord experience agony in the garden of Gethsemane, and he also makes this passage very personal, “for me.”

“For me it was in the garden
He prayed: Not My will, but Thine.
He had no tears for His own griefs,
But sweat drops of blood for mine.”

Then, the author in the fourth stanza tells us about the crucifixion, and the mystery of the wonderful act of mercy from God to sinners. And, again, Gabriel made it very personal.

“He took my sins and my sorrows,
He made them His very own;
He bore the burden to Calvary,
And suffered and died alone.”

But Gabriel doesn’t leave our Savior dead and alone in the tomb, he finished the hymn with our Lord alive and returning from heaven, and we, believers, will be in his presence for eternity.

“When with the ransomed in glory
His face I at last shall see,
’Twill be my joy through the ages
To sing of His love for me.”

This hymn might not have the deep theology as “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” by Isaac Watts, or “And Can It be” by Charles Wesley, but it has a powerful message and make us want to shout,

“O how marvelous! O how wonderful!
And my song shall ever be:
O how marvelous! O how wonderful!
Is my Savior’s love for me!”
​
In His service,
Israel