1
I stand amazed in the presence
Of Jesus the Nazarene,
And wonder how He could love me,
A sinner condemned, unclean.
Of Jesus the Nazarene,
And wonder how He could love me,
A sinner condemned, unclean.
How marvelous! How wonderful!
And my song shall ever be:
How marvelous! How wonderful!
Is my Savior's love for me!
And my song shall ever be:
How marvelous! How wonderful!
Is my Savior's love for me!
2
For me it was in the garden,
He prayed: "Not my will, but Thine."
He had no tears for His own griefs,
But sweat-drops of blood for mine.
He prayed: "Not my will, but Thine."
He had no tears for His own griefs,
But sweat-drops of blood for mine.
3
In pity angels beheld Him,
And came from the world of light
To strengthen Him in the sorrows
He bore for my soul that night.
And came from the world of light
To strengthen Him in the sorrows
He bore for my soul that night.
4
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.
He made them His very own;
He bore the burden to Calv'ry,
And suffered, and died alone.
5
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.
His face I at last shall see,
'Twill be my joy through the ages
To sing of His love for me.
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Vancouver, WA, United States
1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. - Romans 5:1-2
What a song, what a Savior!
Dar Es Salaam, Ilala, Tanzania
What a wondeful song.
I really love the first stanza.
I stand amazed in the presence
Of Jesus the Nazarene,
And wonder how He could love me,
A sinner condemned, unclean.
Nairobi, Kenya
A wonderful song of all time. Focuses on the amazing love for Christ for each and everyone of us! "Oh How wonderful". Unquenchable unparalleled and deep love!
Johannesburg, South Africa
Beautiful hymn. My 2 year old loves it and sings along with me...
Abuja, FCT, Nigeria
This hymn is one of those regularly sung in my congregation in First Baptist Church Garki-Abuja, evoking so much emotions anytime, in remembrance of the Saviour's love.
Fox Point, WI, United States
Or you might use a comparative in verse 2: "he had less tears for his own griefs than sweat-drops of blood for mine".
This song has great depth. It focuses the sinner right back on the Savior, and away from his own sins, where Satan would love to keep you looking. On the other side of the coin, the temptation to think "I am ok, because I am saved" and become complacent is wiped away. Instead you enter into a thanksgiving and gratefulness for this impossible task that Jesus accomplished not only because of His great power but even more because of His unquenchable love for each of us. Not a general love for mankind, but a specific love for each and everyone of us, one by one, including me!! How can I not rejoice to the uttermost!
Detroit, Michigan, United States
Preston's question on 1/7/2015 is a good one. Jesus was fully God and fully human. He felt the pain as we do and shed tears for His own suffering which was on our behalf (Hebrews 5:7; Luke 22:42). So line 3 of stanza 2 is not quite true. That is why stanza 2 is omitted in many hymnals. And if stanza 2 is omitted, stanza 3 doesn't fit and needs to be omitted also, and you lose some marvelousness. What Gabriel meant is that the griefs Jesus bore were for us, not for Himself as he says in stanza 4, "He took my sins and my sorrows, He made them His very own." According to Hymnary.org's records, stanza 4 was not in oldest versions (1902), but first appeared in 1910. It appears that Gabriel added stanza 4 later, maybe to help explain stanza 2.
Some hymnals change the line, for example, to "He cried with tears in His sorrow, but ..." (RJ Steven's 'Hymns for Worship'). I would suggest: "He suffered not for His own life, but ...".
By the way, Hymnal.net has the unusual dash between "sweat" and "drops" in stanza 2. That is apparently how Gabriel wrote it because it is in the 1902 version, but the dash was gone by 1905.
Kirkintilloch, Scotland
What an amazing Saviour
Detroit, Michigan, United States
If you ever cease to wonder at the Savior's love for you, a sinner, you can be sure you no longer love Him as you should.
Charles H. Gabriel was born in the state of Iowa, in a shack made of crude boards plastered inside and out. There was not a tree nor a shrub to shelter the house from the howling winds and raging snow storms. He never saw a musical instrument until he was nine years old, and he never had a music lesson in his life. Mr. Gabriel was converted in his teens and began to teach music to black boys, although he had never had a lesson himself. - 'More Living Hymn Stories' by Wilbur Konkel
Northport, Alabama, United States
This song truly tells us how much He loves us and how much we should love Him. What comfort these old hymns give us, how blessed we are to know Him who inspired it!!