CHRISTIAN LIFE >> Humility
SDAH 569
Pass me not, O gentle Savior,
hear my humble cry;
while on others thou art calling,
do not pass me by.
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For Worship Leaders
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Introductions for Sabbath School Song Service (based on specific lesson quarterlies):
On a visit to one of New York’s prisons in 1868, Fanny (1820-1915; see Biographies) appealed to the convicts to Crosby Christ as their Savior. She was interrupted by one prisoner who exclaimed, “Good Lord, don’t pass me by.” William Howard Doane (1832-1915; see Biographies), who had composed many tunes for Crosby’s words, suggested a hymn with the title “Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior.” She thought about the incident and its spiritual overtones and wrote the words of this hymn, making it a real prayer from the heart. Being blind herself, she could easily understand the feelings of the blind beggar whose story is the basis of the hymn. It was first published in Songs of Devotion, 1870. The tune, composed by Doane in 1870 especially for the words, is one of many gospel songs by this author-composer team.
📖 Reference: Companion to the Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal by Wayne Hooper and Edward E. White. Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1988.
Text
1
Pass me not, O gentle Savior,
hear my humble cry;
while on others thou art calling,
do not pass me by.
Refrain
Savior, Savior, hear my humble cry;
while on others thou art calling,
do not pass me by.
2
Let me at thy throne of mercy
find a sweet relief,
kneeling there in deep contrition;
help my unbelief.
3
Trusting only in thy merit,
would I seek thy face;
heal my wounded, broken spirit,
save me by thy grace.
4
Thou the spring of all my comfort,
more than life to me,
whom have I on earth beside thee?
Whom in heaven but thee?
Hymn Info
Biblical Reference
(a) Luke 18:37 (b) Mark 9:24 (c) Prov 8:14 (d) Ps 73:25
Author
Fanny J. Crosby (1820-1915)
Year Published
1868
Metrical Number
8.5.8.5.Ref.
Composer
William H. Doane (1832-1915)
Year Composed
1870
