Come Thou Fount

I wanted to squeeze in one more Easter post before we head to good ole Louisiana.

(Just in case you were wondering, I have some goodies to share with you on Cherche; that will come next week.)


One of my favorite hymns has become "Come Thou Fount." I didn't grow up listening to this hymn or ever hear it in church until my 20s (of which I am still embarking.)  I think this is one of Andrew's favorites too, except he did grow up hearing it often in church. That's neither here nor there. 

Come Thou Fount

Come Thou fount of every blessing

Tune my heart to sing Thy grace

Streams of mercy never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise

Teach me some melodious sonnet

Sung by flaming tongues above

Praise the mount I'm fixed upon it

Mount of Thy unchanging love

Here I raise my Ebenezer

Hither by Thy help I come

And I hope by Thy good pleasure

Safely to arrive at home

Jesus sought me when a stranger

Wondering from the fold of God

He, to rescue me from danger

Interposed His precious blood

O to grace how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be!

Let Thy goodness like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to Thee

Prone to wander Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love

Here's my heart Lord, take and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above

I'm a lover of words, so the depth of this song, written by Robert Robinson, intrigues and inspires me. 


One of the first words in the hymn is simple but stood out to me: "fount". Doing some research, "fount" is the source or origin. One website broke it down and said, "Wow, "Come You Source and Origin of Every Blessing”……Robert understood when writing this song that Jesus was the source of every blessing and that he was so unworthy of that blessing….but he knew it was not on his shoulders to be the source and for that reason….He could keep limping forward. Keep moving…."


And of course, "Ebenezer" wasn't something I was familiar with. I learned that it was from 1 Samuel 7:12. It was a stone that represented a fresh beginning and a reminder that God's mercies are everlasting. One writer uses prayer journals as a type of Ebenezer stone to go back and reflect on God's faithfulness. I thought that was clever. 


I remember Andrew once commented on "flaming tongues above." How can you not comment on it, really? I think he simply said, "Wow, can you imagine?" But I'm so glad he likes this song right along with me. 


The website, Our Rising Sound, broke down the song into what I see as mini-studies. He prefaces the exposition with, "Come Thou Fount is one of the greatest songs of God’s grace I’ve come across. It’s lyrics are challenging, thought provoking, honest, desperate, vulnerable, humbling and encouraging." 


Below is the beginning of the study. The posts are spread out but consists of a total of 9. I thought I would share in case you wanted to read more of this beloved hymn. 


http://www.ourrisingsound.com/2008/03/26/exposition-of-come-thou-fount-in-view-of-gods-mercy-part-1/


Happy Easter to you. He is worthy to be praised!