Joe Barnett informs us that Scottish minister and hymnist George Matheson once wrote, “Something happened to me, which caused me the most severe mental suffering.”

What was the cause of his mental anguish?

One difficulty that Matheson endured was blindness that came to him as a young man.  His blindness was not the “something” that caused his mental suffering, but it was related to it.

His “severe mental suffering” came when he at age 20 told his fiancé that he was going blind.  In a note, she told Matheson that she couldn’t “go through life bound by the chains of marriage to a blind man.”  That rejection broke his heart.

Matheson continued preparing for the ministry.  His sister helped care for him for many years.  Then, his sister got engaged to be married.  On the eve of his sister’s wedding, Matheson, at 40 years old, sat down and wrote a poem entitled “O Love That Will Not Let Me Go.”  It may have been written to celebrate his sister’s wedding, but the words reflected his own heartbreak as well as how he had coped with his loss.

“O love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in Thee;
I give Thee back the life I owe,
That in Thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.”

Matheson wrote about the love of God that would not “let him go.”  In this love, he found rest – even through some difficult challenges in his life. *

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

God will save, reconcile to Himself, and give eternal life to those who place their faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from their sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).  He will continue to love and cleanse from sin those who continue to walk in the light of His Word (1 John 1:7-9).  Even when some reject Him, He continues to love them and long for their return.  Consider how the Father (representing God) longed for the return of His prodigal son (Luke 15:11-24).

The love of God won’t let go of us; He loves us with an everlasting love (see Jeremiah 31:3).  And, if we will cling to Him through our trusting obedience, His love, His mercy, and His grace will save us and give us a home with Him forever (Ephesians 2:4-9).

Isn’t it wonderful to be loved like that?                                                                         

-David A. Sargent

* Information gleaned from “A Love That Won’t Let You Down” by Joe Barnett in Today’s Walk in the Word from Pathway Evangelism (8/23/23) and the entry for “George Matheson” in www.Wikipedia.org.

David A. Sargent, Minister

Church of Christ at Creekwood 
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama  36695

Archived issues of Living Water can be viewed and accessed from our website at: www.creekwoodcc.org