These words first appeared on a hymn sheet in 1855, written by Frederick Whitfield (1829-1904; see SDAH 248), in six stanzas of eight lines each under the title “The Need of Jesus.” It was reprinted in his Sacred Poems and Prose, 1861, which contained 25 other hymns, but the hymn there began with the second stanza, the same as it appears in SDAH. Whitfield also wrote SDAH 248, “O, How I Love Jesus.”

Scripture allusions are: “Unto you therefore which believe He is precious” (1 Peter 2:7). “They were strangers and pilgrims on the earth” (Heb. 11:13). “I will love thee, O Lord, my strength” (Ps. 18:1). “The Lord was my stay” (verse 18). “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (1 Peter 5:7). “Behold the Lamb of God” (John 1:29). “One sat on the throne.. . And there was a rainbow round about the throne” (Rev. 4:2, 3). “And they shall see His face” (Rev. 22:4).

RUTHERFORD, named after a famous Scottish preacher, Samuel Rutherford (1600-1661), was composed in 1834 by Chretien D’Urhan for a French hymn. He was born in Aix-la-Chapelle on February 16, 1790. He became a violin and viola player, and in 1831 concertmaster at the Opera Francaise, holding that position 30 years. He was an ascetic, eating only one meal a day, often of only bread and radishes. He died at Bellville, Paris, on November 2, 1845.

The tune was arranged by Edward Francis Rimbault, who was born in Soho, London on June 13, 1816. He was organist at several London churches and a noted musicologist. He edited and published music of all kinds. One of the founders of the Music Antiquarian Society in 1840, he took a particular interest in editing old church music. Honorary degrees were conferred on him by Harvard, Stockholm, and Göttingen. He died in St. Pancras, London on September 26, 1876.

📖 Reference: Companion to the Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal by Wayne Hooper and Edward E. White. Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1988.