Horatius Bonar, born Edinburgh in 1808, wrote over 600 hymns and renditions of various psalms. He also wrote Christian poetry and prose. His early writing included a line of Gospel tracts known as the “Kelso Tracts,” due to the fact that he was a pastor in Kelso, Scotland when he wrote them. In 1843, he joined the Free Church of Scotland and stayed in that denomination for life.

The hymn is a New Covenant classic based on a sound understanding of our life in Christ. The first verse speaks to the communion with Christ that comes from our placement into Him and He into us. This restful communion is the key to finding the “Sabbath rest” Jesus promised and the writer of Hebrews explained.

The second verse speaks of the living water of the Spirit of Christ given to all who surrender their lives to Him. “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me,  and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water,’ ”  Jesus cried out in Jerusalem (John 7). He was speaking of the living waters of the Spirit Who would indwell true disciples. ” Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive, for as yet there was no Spirit because Jesus was not yet glorified.” That indwelling Spirit is the point of our salvation, and the joining of true disciples into union with Christ. Thus, the last line of this verse, “My thirst was quench’d, my soul revived, and now I live in him.“

The third verse repeats this union in Christ theme. “And in that Light of life I’ll walk, till trav’ling days are done.” In context we rightly see that our union with Christ is a here and now reality for true disciples, and not something we must wait until we die to see. An intimate life in union with Christ is the birthright of one truly born from above. We live no longer by our own lives but by the Christ-life lived in and through us.

I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“Come unto Me and rest;
Lay down, O weary one, lay down
Thy head upon My breast.”
I came to Jesus as I was,
Weary, and worn, and sad;
I found in him a resting-place,
And he has made me glad.

I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“Behold, I freely give
The living water; thirsty one,
Stoop down, and drink, and live.”
I came to Jesus, and I drank
Of that life-giving stream;
My thirst was quench’d, my soul revived,
And now I live in him.

I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“I am this dark world’s Light;
Look unto me, your morn shall rise,
And all your day be bright.”
I looked to Jesus, and I found
In him my Star, my Sun;
And in that Light of life I’ll walk,
Till trav’ling days are done.

Banner image via Pixabay.