DOCTRINES >> COMMUNION
SDAH 405
O God, unseen, yet ever near,
Reveal Thy presence now
While we in love that hath no fear,
Before Thy glory bow.
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For Worship Leaders
Make each hymn more meaningful with these helpful tools: Short, ready-to-use hymn introductions for church bulletins, multiple ways to introduce a hymn based on your worship theme and in-depth history and insights to enrich your song service.
Hymn Spotlight: O God, Unseen, Yet Ever Near
Edward Osler penned this hymn as a reflection on the spiritual presence of Christ in the Communion service. Though we cannot see Him with our eyes, we partake of the bread and wine in faith, believing His promise to be with us (Matthew 26:29). As Seventh-day Adventists, we understand the Lord’s Supper as a memorial of Christ’s sacrifice and a renewal of our covenant with Him, looking forward to the day when we shall see Him face to face. Set to the meditative tune MEDITATION by John Henry Gower, this hymn draws our hearts to worship in reverence, reminding us that every Communion is a foretaste of the heavenly supper awaiting God’s faithful people.
📖 Reference: Feel free to share but please cite hymnsforworship.org when reproducing.
Introductions for Sabbath School Song Service (based on specific lesson quarterlies):
During 1835 to 1836 Edward Osler was associated with W. J. Hall in editing and publishing The Mitre Hymn Book, 1836. Osler (1798-1863; see SDAH 26) contributed this text (his best known), entitled “The Spiritual Food,” as well as 15 versions of psalms and some 50 hymns.
John Henry Gower composed MEDITATION in 1890 for Watts’s text “There Is a Land of Pure Delight,” and published it in his Service Book and Hymnal, 1891.
Gower was born at Rugby, England, May 25, 1855. A child prodigy, he was assistant organist at Windsor Castle at age 12! After earning the B. Mus. and D.Mus. degrees at Oxford University, in 1876 he became organist and music master at Trent College, Nottingham. Moving to the United States in 1887, he was appointed organist and choirmaster at the Cathedral of St. John in the Wilderness, Denver, Colorado. During the Columbian Exposition in 1893, he was organist at the Church of the Epiphany, Chicago. A book of Original Tunes that he composed was published in Denver, in 1890. He died there July 30, 1922.
📖 Reference: Companion to the Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal by Wayne Hooper and Edward E. White. Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1988.
Text
1
O God, unseen, yet ever near,
Reveal Thy presence now
While we in love that hath no fear,
Before Thy glory bow.
2
Here may Thy faithful people know
The blessings of Thy love,
The streams that thro’ the dessert flow,
The manna from above.
3
We come, obedient to Thy Word
To feast on heav’nly food,
Our meat, the body of our Lord,
Our drink, His precious blood.
4
Thus may we all Thy words obey,
For we, O God, are Thine,
And go rejoicing on our way,
Renewed by strength divine.
Hymn Info
Biblical Reference
(a) Acts 17:27 (b) Exo 16:15; Isa 35:6
Author
Edward Osler (1798-1863) alt.
Year Published
1836
Hymn Tune
MEDITATION
Metrical Number
C.M.
Composer
John H. Grower (1855-1922)
Year Composed
1890
