My Savior’s Love
I often begin by writing a statement referring to another favorite hymn from my childhood, and I do so again. I used to love singing #182 in our hymnal, My Savior’s Love or I Stand Amazed. What a beautiful song about our Savior – and another great song of praise here in November. We begin simply with the words, “I stand amazed…” Oh yes, we do stand amazed in the presence of our wonderful Savior.
Below you will find the lyrics, read a bit about the theology of the hymn, the story of the author, and be able to hear several renditions of this old, beautiful hymn. Sing along, if you like, and rejoice in the opportunity to join in with My Savior’s Love.
My Savior’s Love Lyrics
1 I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus, the Nazarene,
And wonder how He could love me, a sinner, condemned, unclean.
Refrain
How marvelous, how wonderful!
And my song shall ever be:
How marvelous, how wonderful
Is my Savior’s love for me!
2 He took my sins and my sorrows; He made them His very own;
He bore the burden to Calv’ry and suffered and died alone. Refrain
3 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. Refrain
The Theology
One writer associated 23 different Bible verses with the truths of this hymn. Consider these two key verses:
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? … For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31-39)
As the hymnwriter wrote, “I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus!” He is the One who loved us, died for us, and saved us. “How marvelous! How wonderful! Is my Savior’s love for me.”
The Author
Charles Hutchinson Gabriel, author
Charles Hutchinson Gabriel (1856-1932) For the first seventeen years of his life he lived on an Iowa farm, where friends and neighbors often gathered to sing. Gabriel accompanied them on the family reed organ he had taught himself to play. At the age of sixteen he began teaching singing in schools (following in his father’s footsteps) and soon was acclaimed as a fine teacher and composer. He moved to California in 1887 and served as Sunday school music director at the Grace Methodist Church in San Francisco. After moving to Chicago in 1892, Gabriel edited numerous collections of anthems, cantatas, and a large number of songbooks for the Homer Rodeheaver, Hope, and E. O. Excell publishing companies. He composed hundreds of tunes and texts, at times using pseudonyms such as Charlotte G. Homer. The total number of his compositions is estimated at about seven thousand. Gabriel’s gospel songs became widely circulated through the Billy Sunday-Homer Rodeheaver urban crusades. His pseudonyms include: C. D. Emerson, Charlotte G. Homer, S. B. Jackson, A. W. Lawrence, Jennie Ree. [1]
Enjoy This Media
Some groups singing the song from YouTube:
Here are various Homecoming friends from the Gaither Homecoming crew singing the hymn.
An all-ladies group singing this wonderful hymn.
Traditional congregational singing.
Here is the earliest published copy from Praises, song #3 from 1905 [4]:
Here is a more modern version from my childhood hymnbook Favorite Hymns of Praise #182 [6]:
