Latest / Traveler’s Tales / A Trunk, A Railroad Disaster, and Sacrificial Love: The Story of "I Will Sing of My Redeemer"

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A Trunk, A Railroad Disaster, and Sacrificial Love: The Story of "I Will Sing of My Redeemer" · Traveler’s Tales

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  Have you ever had a moment so powerful, so life-changing, that you just couldn't keep
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  it to yourself? A moment when silence felt impossible? When something deep within you
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  said, I have to tell someone, I have to sing about this. That is exactly the spirit behind
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  the hymn, I Will Sing of My Redeemer. It is not just a song, it is a declaration, a testimony,
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  a heart overflowing with gratitude for what Christ has done.
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  Welcome to Traveler's Tales brought to you by Enjoying the Journey. This is Greg Dowdy.
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  Every generation stands on the shoulders of those who faithfully walked with God before
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  them. The truth that we cherish today has been preserved and passed down by believers
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  who refused to stay silent. Perhaps this story will stir your heart today.
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  Philip Paul Bliss was born in a humble log cabin tucked away in the mountains. He didn't
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  grow up with wealth or recognition, but he did grow up with something far greater. He
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  grew up hearing his father pray. Day after day, those family prayers echoed through
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  his childhood, leaving an imprint on his heart that would never fade. And alongside those
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  prayers, there was music. His father loved to sing. And somewhere along the way, that
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  love took root in Philip's soul. A melody began to form in his heart, one that would
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  one day reach across generations. As a young man, Bliss became a teacher. He
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  studied, he worked, he built a life. And along the way, God brought into his life a young
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  woman named Lucy. Gifted, poetic, and deeply encouraging. Together they would serve the
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  Lord, traveling, singing, and proclaiming God's truth through music.
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  But there came a moment, a turning point. One evening in 1869, Bliss walked into a meeting
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  where Dwight Moody was preaching. The message was powerful, but the singing was weak. And
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  something stirred in Bliss. Before long, Moody recognized the gift God had given him and
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  urged him, give yourself to this, use your music for the gospel. And he did. From that
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  point on, Philip Bliss was not just a musician, he was a messenger. Traveling from place to
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  place, often with his wife by his side, he lifted his voice to point people to Christ.
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  His songs were not performances, they were proclamations. But then came that day, December
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  29, 1876. A train, a snowstorm, and a bridge that could not hold. In one moment, everything
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  changed. The train plunged into the icy ravine below. Fire broke out. Chaos filled the air.
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  Bliss escaped briefly, but when he realized his wife was trapped inside, he made a decision
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  that revealed the depth of his love and the strength of his faith. He went back, and he
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  never came out. The flames consumed the wreckage, and the world was left grieving the loss of
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  a man whose voice had stirred so many hearts. But that was not the end of his song. Because
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  when his belongings arrived in Chicago, among them were the words to a hymn he had written,
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  words that would live on long after his voice was silenced, I will sing of my Redeemer.
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  Those words were later set to music by James McGranahan, and they spread across the world,
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  sung by countless believers, even becoming one of the first hymns ever recorded on the
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  early phonograph of Thomas Edison. Isn't that something? The man who sang about redemption
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  lost his life, but his song could not be silenced. Why? Because real redemption produces a song
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  that outlives the singer. And that brings us to this moment, to us. Because this hymn
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  is not just about Philip Bliss. It's about your Redeemer. It's about your story. The
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  question is not simply, do you know the song? The question is, do you have a song? Has there
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  been a moment in your life when you realized that Jesus Christ suffered and died on the
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  cross not just for the world, but for you? That he bore your sin, that he carried your
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  burden, paid your debt? Because when that truth becomes real to you, it changes everything.
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  It gives you something worth singing about. So here's the application. Don't let your
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  song grow silent. Sing of your Redeemer with your lips. Praise him openly and unashamedly.
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  Sing of your Redeemer with your life. Let the way that you live reflect the grace you've
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  received. Sing of your Redeemer with your witness. Tell others what Christ has done
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  for you. And if somewhere along the way the song has faded, go back. Go back to the cross.
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  Go back to that moment of salvation. Go back and remember what he did for you. Because
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  when you see your Redeemer clearly, you won't have to force the song. Like Philip Bliss,
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  you will rise from your heart naturally. I will sing of my Redeemer and his wondrous
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  love to me. And once you truly understand that, you will never want to stop singing.
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  Thank you for taking time to listen to Traveler's Tales today. Our prayer is that these stories
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  of faith from fellow travelers will encourage your own. I invite you to visit our website
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  etj.bible where you can find free resources, devotional material, videos, podcasts, and more.