May God Draw Near

Hymn on One License

May God draw near when the hour of trouble strikes

Paraphraser: John L. Bell
Tune: [May God draw near when the hour of trouble starts]
Published in 3 hymnals

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Paraphraser: John L. Bell

John Bell (b. 1949) was born in the Scottish town of Kilmarnock in Ayrshire, intending to be a music teacher when he felt the call to the ministry. But in frustration with his classes, he did volunteer work in a deprived neighborhood in London for a time and also served for two years as an associate pastor at the English Reformed Church in Amsterdam. After graduating he worked for five years as a youth pastor for the Church of Scotland, serving a large region that included about 500 churches. He then took a similar position with the Iona Community, and with his colleague Graham Maule, began to broaden the youth ministry to focus on renewal of the church’s worship. His approach soon turned to composing songs within the identifiable traditi… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: May God draw near when the hour of trouble strikes
Title: May God Draw Near
Paraphraser: John L. Bell
Meter: 11.9.10.9
Place of Origin: Czechoslovakia
Language: English
Copyright: Paraphrase © WGRG, The Iona Community (admin. GIA Publications, Inc.)

Timeline

Instances

Instances (1 - 3 of 3)

Church Hymnary (4th ed.) #11

Hymns of Glory, Songs of Praise #11

Many and Great #20

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