Philip Paul Bliss (1838-1876) was a well known teacher, evangelist and soloist. He wrote many hymns, inlcuding ‘I will sing of my Redeemer’ and the melody to ‘It is well with my soul.’ He died at the young age of thirty-eight in a train crash. Of the 160 passengers, only 68 survived the disaster which took the lives of Philip Bliss and his wife, Lucy. The lyrics to the hymn ‘I will sing of my Redeemer’ were found in his belongings after the crash and the song was set to music by James McGranahan and was one of the first songs to be recorded on that new invention, the phonograph.
Aaron Shust has written new music for the hymn. I am always struck by the power of story. We have a story to tell, a wondrous story; a song to sing about a Redeemer’s wondrous love for us. How we do that is our gift to God. But the fact that we have a story to tell and a song to sing is His gift to us.
“I will sing of my Redeemer
And His wondrous love for me
On the cruel cross He suffered
From the curse to set me free.
I will tell the wondrous story
How my lost estate He saved
In His boundless love and mercy
He the ransom freely gave.
I will sing
Sing of my Redeemer
With His blood
He has purchased me
On the Cross
Jesus sealed my pardon
He paid the debt and set me free
I will praise my dear Redeemer
His triumphant power I’ll tell
Of the victory He gives us
Over sin and death and hell
I will sing of my Redeemer
His Relentless love for me
He from death to life has brought us
Son of God with Him to be
We will praise the Lamb for sinners slain
For His blood can wash away our stain
Singing glory, glory to His name
For His blood can wash away…” (‘Sing of My Redeemer’, Aaron Shust, words by Philip Bliss)
‘Sing of My Redeemer’, Aaron Shust, words by Philip Bliss