I sought the Lord, and afterward I knew

• Deuteronomy 4:29-31
  (hymns)
• 1 Chronicles 28:9
  (hymns)
• Psalm 27:8
  (hymns)
• Psalm 34:1-8
  (hymns)
• Psalm 63:1
  (hymns)
• Isaiah 55:6-9
  (hymns)
• Jeremiah 31:3
  (hymns)
• Lamentations 3:25
  (hymns)
• Matthew 6:9-15
  (hymns)
• Matthew 7:7-11
  (hymns)
• Matthew 14:22-33
  (hymns)
• Matthew 18:10-14
  (hymns)
• Mark 6:45-52
  (hymns)
• Luke 11:1-13
  (hymns)
• Luke 15:1-32
  (hymns)
• Luke 19:1-10
  (hymns)
• John 6:44
  (hymns)
• John 12:32
  (hymns)
• John 15:1-17
  (hymns)
• Romans 5:1-11
  (hymns)
• 2 Peter 3:10
  (hymns)
• 2 Peter 3:19 (hymns)
• 1 John 4
  (hymns)

• Year B, Easter season, Fifth Sunday

Organist and composer Austin Lovelace wrote these words about this hymn: “’He first loved us’ (PHH). This simple yet profound thought is the basis for the hymn. God loved us long before we knew it. We seek God, but already God is holding out a hand waiting for us to take hold of it and be rescued from the seas of life.” How often do we feel like we are thrusting out a hand in every which direction, trying to find something secure to hold on to amidst the stresses and trials that life throws at us? How often do we forget that there is already a hand being extended to us, waiting for us to grab hold? Do we remind ourselves daily of the love God pours out on us each day? As we sing this hymn, may the words sink deep into our hearts: “Always thou lovedst me.”

Text

This anonymous text is thought to have been written in 1878, and was first published in Holy Songs, Carols, and Sacred Ballads. The text has remained unaltered since its publication. There is something both quirky and elegant about the language used – the last stanza can be especially confusing, so it might be beneficial to your congregation to explain the general theme of this verse – that God loved us first, and all we can do to respond is to love Him in return.

Tune

There are a number of tunes that this text has been set to. Most popular is PEACE (Chadwick), followed closely behind by ARTAVIA, PEACE (Brandon), FAITH, and FINLANDIA. The different tunes used generally vary on denomination and tradition – more than a question of what tune is better, it’s simply a question of what tune has been handed down over the years. FINLANDIA is the only one that alters the text – it draws out the verses by repeating the last two lines.

Bifrost Arts has a beautiful, haunting new tune for this hymn. The instrumentation would be very difficult to recreate and isn’t very conducive for congregational singing, but the melody is quite wonderful.

Regardless of what tune you use, be careful to keep the tempo moving since the individual lines are long.

When/Why/How

This is a hymn that works well during a service of confession and assurance, acknowledging our inability to act on our own and being assured that the Lord moves within us, prompting us to grow closer to Him. When focusing on God’s active work to seek us out, think about framing the hymn with a reading of Psalm 139, which echoes much of that theme. A very Reformed hymn, this could also be sung after a sermon on the doctrine of election.

Scripture Passages:

• Matt. 14: 29-31 – “Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. ‘You of little faith,’ he said, ‘why did you doubt?’”
• 1 John 4:10 – “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
• 1 John 4:19 –“We love because he first loved us.”
• Jer. 31:3 – “The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.’”
• Psalm 139 – “…Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me…”

Laura de Jong
Hymnary.org

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