Louisa M. R. Stead

John 14:1-3
Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.

 Tis So Sweet To Trust in Jesus

 1.      ’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, Just to take Him at His Word;
Just to rest upon His promise, And to know, “Thus saith the Lord!”

Refrain:
Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him! How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er;
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! Oh, for grace to trust Him more!

2.      Oh, how sweet to trust in Jesus, Just to trust His cleansing blood;
And in simple faith to plunge me ’Neath the healing, cleansing flood!

3.      Yes, ’tis sweet to trust in Jesus, Just from sin and self to cease;
Just from Jesus simply taking Life and rest, and joy and peace.

4.      I’m so glad I learned to trust Thee, Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend;
And I know that Thou art with me, Wilt be with me to the end.

Louisa M. R. Stead (1850-1917)

        As a teen­ag­er in Dover, England, Louisa felt called to be a mis­sion­a­ry. She emigrated to Am­er­i­ca at age 21, living in Cin­cin­na­ti, Ohio. She at­tend­ed a camp meet­ing in Ur­ba­na, Ohio, where she felt the call to be a mis­sion­ary ev­en strong­er.  However, due to her frail health, she was un­a­ble to go to China and serve. So in 1875, decided to settle down and have a family instead.  She mar­ried a William Stead, who later died tra­gic­al­ly off Long Is­land, New York. It was a sunny day and Louisa and her husband and daughter, Lily, decided to go for a picnic. While there the Steads heard a scream from a young boy struggling in the murky waters. Mr. Stead ran to the rescue, but as Louisa and Lily watched helplessly, he and the boy drowned in the attempt. Without her husband, Louisa and her daughter became destitute. Around 1880, she emigrated to South Af­ri­ca, where she finally served as a mis­sion­a­ry. There she ­mar­ried a Ro­bert Wode­house, but her health declined and she returned to Am­er­i­ca in 1895 to re­co­ver. When she had, she returned to the mis­sion field in Rho­de­sia in 1901.  There, her daugh­ter Li­ly was mar­ried and be­came a mis­sion­a­ry herself, following in her mother’s footsteps. 

       Louisa Stead believed that God provided for her and her family during her difficult times following Williams' death, and so she wrote the words to the song 'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus' to help others dealing with tragedy in their own lives - encouraging them to always trust, never doubt; and to persevere in faith.

Prayer: God of all wonders, be with us in good times and in bad.  Help us to know your love for us, that you will always be at our side, and no matter how dark the night or difficult the way, you will never let us fall. For every journey that begins in you, ends in you.  Amen.

A lovely rendition of this hymn:

 
 
Craig Fourman