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CHRISTIAN CHURCH SDA HYMNAL (1985)

SDAH 359: Hark! The Voice of Jesus Calling

CHRISTIAN CHURCH >> Mission of the church

SDAH 359

Hark! the voice of Jesus calling,
“Who will go and work today?
Fields are white, the harvest waiting,
Who will bear the sheaves away?”

Text
Text

1
Hark! the voice of Jesus calling,
“Who will go and work today?
Fields are white, the harvest waiting,
Who will bear the sheaves away?”
Loud and long the Master calleth,
Rich reward He offers free;
Who will answer, gladly saying,
“Here am I, O Lord, send me”?

2
If you cannot cross the ocean
And the heathen lands explore,
You can find the heathen nearer,
You can help them at your door;
If you cannot speak like angels,
If you cannot preach like Paul,
You can tell the love of Jesus,
You can say He died for all.

3
If you cannot be the watchman,
Standing high on Zion’s wall,
Pointing out the path to heaven,
Offering life and peace to all;
With your prayers and with your bounties
You can do what Heaven demands,
You can be like faithful Aaron,
Holding up the prophet’s hands.

4
While the souls of men are dying,
And the Master calls for you,
Let none hear you idly saying,
“There is nothing I can do!”
Gladly take the task He gives you,
Let His work your pleasure be;
Answer quickly when He calleth,
“Here am I, O Lord, send me.”

Hymn Info
Hymn Info


Biblical Reference
(a) Isa 6:8; John 4:35 (b) 2 Cor 5:15 (c) Eze 3:17; Ex 17:12

Author
Daniel March (1816-1909)

Year Published
1868

Hymn Tune
FILLMORE

Metrical Number
8.7.8.7.D.

Composer
F.E. Belden (1858-1945)

Year Composed
1886

Hymn Score

Piano Accompaniment

Notes

Get to know the hymns a little deeper with the SDA Hymnal Companion. Use our song leader’s notes to engage your congregation in singing with understanding. Even better, involve kids in learning this hymn with our homeschooling materials.

There are times God prepares us, through education or experiences, for a specific task; at other times, He chooses us to serve simply because we are willing and humble. It’s not always easy to know, though, what God’s call is in our lives, is it? Nevertheless, the Bible is full of stories of people whom God chose for a particular assignment.

Interestingly, Ezra and Nehemiah were called for a specific task by God: to rebuild what lay in ruins. However, rebuilding in this case involved various tasks. They were to lead the people of Israel back to Jerusalem and to rebuild the temple and the city. At the same time, they were to teach the people about God and above all guide them back to a committed relationship with Him.

How about you, what do you think is God calling you to do? When He calls, our response should be what Daniel March wrote in the 4th stanza of this hymn:

While the souls of men are dying, and the Master calls for you, Let none hear you idly saying, “There is nothing I can do!”
Gladly take the task He gives you, Let His work your pleasure be; Answer quickly when He calleth, “Here am I, O Lord, send me.”

Hymns Suggestions for “God’s Call”, Oct 12-18, 2019, Lesson 3

The Lord seeks for people who are willing to preach the truth to the world. Will you freely say, “I will go?” Indeed, the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. May our ears be sensitive to God’s calling and hearken His invitation. (Lesson 11, 1st Quarter 2021 -Wednesday, Fast Fight, 3/10/2021)

Daniel March was invited to preach to the Christian Association on October 18, 1886, in his own church in Philadelphia.  He was greatly interested in foreign missions and chose for his text the missionary theme implied in the Isaiah 6:8 “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me,” He looked for a closing hymn that would reinforce his message, but failed to find one suitable.  On the impulse and inspiration of the moment he sat down and wrote this hymn in eight four-line stanzas, using the words of his words to complete both the first and the last stanzas.  Notice the reference to lay workers, who may not desire or be capable of leadership, but may nevertheless make a contribution to victory, as did Aaron and Hur when they “stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side, and his hands were ready”  (Ex. 17:12).  The hymn was sung from manuscript in the church, and published the next year in Bright Jewels for the Sunday School, 1869.

March was born July 12, 1861, in Millbury, Massachusetts.  He graduated from Yale in 1840 and was ordained a Presbyterian minister in 1845.  Later he joined the Congregational Church and ministered in Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts.  He was world traveler and lecturer and wrote several religious books.  He was died at Woburn, Massachusetts, on March 2, 1909.

  FILLMORE, in honoring the composer of SDAH 539, was composed in 1886 by Franklin Edison Belden (1858-1945; see Biographies).  The form is AABA, scores 1, 2, and 4 being almost identical.

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