Almost Persuaded Hymn Lyrics
Hymn Author: Philip Bliss
1 Almost persuaded” now to believe;
“Almost persuaded” Christ to receive;
Seems now some soul to say,
“Go, Spirit, go Thy way,
Some more convenient day
on Thee I’ll call.”
2 “Almost persuaded,” come, come today;
“Almost persuaded,” turn not away;
Jesus invites you here,
Angels are ling’ring near,
Prayers rise from hearts so dear;
O wand’rer, come!
3 Oh, be persuaded! Christ never fails—
Oh, be persuaded! His blood avails—
Can save from every sin,
Cleanse you without, within—
Will you not let Him in?
Open the door!
4 “Almost persuaded,” harvest is past!
“Almost persuaded,” doom comes at last;
“Almost” cannot avail;
“Almost” is but to fail!
Sad, sad that bitter wail—
“Almost—but lost!”
5 Be now persuaded, oh, sinner, hear!
Be now persuaded, Jesus is near;
His voice is pleading still,
Turn now with heart and will,
Peace will your spirit fill—
Oh, turn today!
History of Almost Persuaded Hymn
In the year A. D. 62 a certain Roman citizen was cast into prison because of a multitude of accusations against him. At his hearing before Festus, he appealed to Caesar for justice and was held for trial at Rome.
Shortly afterward he was asked to state his defense before King Agrippa and Bernice, who were then visiting Festus.
That defense, uttered by Paul for he was the accused prisoner is found in the twenty-sixth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, and is one of the greatest addresses to be found in the Holy Scriptures.
At the conclusion King Agrippa said to Paul: “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian” to which Paul replied, “I would to God that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost and altogether such as I am, except these bonds.”
A clergyman by the name of Brundage was once preaching upon this subject and concluded his sermon with these solemn words:
“He who is almost persuaded is almost saved, but to be almost saved is to be entirely lost.”
Philip Bliss was present and was so deeply impressed by these words that he wrote one of his most helpful hymns, based on the phrase “almost persuaded,” as a direct result of this sermon.
During the Moody revivals many souls, almost persuaded, were helped by the appeal of this hymn to decide for Christ before it was too late.
Philip Paul Bliss was born on July 9, 1938, in Rome, Pennsylvania.
His father, Mr. Isaac Bliss was also a lover of music, and it was from him that the young Philip developed his passion for music. However, the thing that he still fondly remembered of his father were the daily family prayers.
Other hymns that he wrote include, “Jesus Loves Even Me”; “Hallelujah, What A Savior”; “Wonderful Words of Life”; “Let the Lower Lights Be Burning”; Hallelujah ‘Tis Done!” and “Dare to Be a Daniel”.
Unfortunately, his productive life was cut short at the age of thirty-eight on December 29, 1876, at Ashtabula, Ohio.
He died in a train crash. At that time, on 29 December 1876, the train he and his wife were travelling in was in the process of crossing a bridge when the bridge unfortunately collapsed.
Some carriages fell into a ravine but somehow Bliss escaped from the wreck but went back to rescue his wife while the carriages were burning. They perished together in the fire and their bodies were never found.
They left behind two sons aged four and one.
During the recovery process they found Philip’s trunk which contained lyrics of a song he had written but without a tune. The song is, “I Will Sing of My Redeemer.” The Tune was added by James McGranahan, another famous composer.
Below are more stories on famous hymns:
O For a Closer Walk with God Story and Lyrics
Face to Face Hymn Story and Lyrics
I’ll Fly Away Hymn Story and Lyrics
