Mighty truths and stirring melodies often meld in the forge of pain. Englishman Robert Robinson wasn’t the first boy to habitually wander from the narrow path. He only went to a meeting to hear George Whitefield so he could mock it, but instead, he changed. As a young adult trying to etch out a new path for life, he wrote down the anthem of his heart. It’s an invitation, a declaration, and a confession that resonates with anyone likely to drift off course and long to return.
Invitation to COME
Having learned Jesus is the Fountain of every blessing and the changer of hearts, Robert invites Him to “Come” tune his heart to produce a song of God’s grace and mercy. Though writing in the 18th century, Robert recognized that God’s character calls “for songs of loudest praise.” This is the chorus of those who want more Jesus, who long to have the Living Water fill them to an overflow of praise. Robert longed to produce a song of praise.
“Come, Thou Fount of ev’ry blessing, tune my heart to sing Thy grace.”
Declaration of FAITH
“Jesus sought me when a stranger,” Robert admitted, but he declared recognition of how God helped him in his times of trouble. He had been wandering and in danger, but the blood of Jesus rescued him. In the Old Testament, Samuel set up an “Ebenezer stone” after God delivered the nation of Israel. Robert’s hymn was an “Ebenezer stone” of God’s rescue in his life. If you’ve experienced personal rescue, the words to this song may give your heart the voice of expression you long for.
“Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, “Till now the Lord has helped us.” (1 Samuel 7:12)
Confession of NEED
Truth and music often meld in the forge of pain. This hymn is no different, revealing the writer’s desperate need for grace and his struggle not to wander from His Lord. No matter how much I want to cling to the Fount of every blessing, I know that I have a tendency to leave the Lord I love, to wander from the close fellowship I’m meant to have with Him.
“Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it; prone to leave the God I love,” he wrote.
Robert Robinson did stray from the Fount of every blessing after he wrote this hymn. He later recognized his folly, and in reflecting on the words he once penned, he confessed, “I would give a thousand worlds to enjoy the feelings I had then.”
Mighty truths and stirring melodies often meld in the forge of pain.
- Every day must bring a fresh invitation for the Fount to “Come” tune our hearts to his praise.
- Every day must resound with a declaration of our faith in God’s help for our trouble.
- Every day must bring us down on a bended knee, where we beg God to come.
“Let that grace, Lord, like a fetter, bind my wand’ring heart to Thee. Here’s my heart; Lord, take and seal it; seal it for thy courts above.”
Download a printable Worship Worksheet: Come Thou Fount Bible Study Tool.
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Caroline says
Love that reflection worksheet to go along with this song, Julie!
Julie Sanders says
I hope it will be a good tool for taking the song one step further.