Where Shall My Wondering Soul Begin Lyrics
Author: Charles Wesley
Where shall my wondering soul begin?
How shall I all to heaven aspire?
A slave redeemed from death and sin,
a brand plucked from eternal fire,
how shall I equal triumphs raise,
or sing my great deliverer’s praise?
O how shall I the goodness tell,
Father, which thou to me hast showed?
That I, a child of wrath and hell,
I should be called a child of God!
Should know, should feel my sins forgiven,
blest with this antepast of heaven!
And shall I slight my Father’s love,
or basely fear his gifts to own?
Unmindful of his favors prove,
shall I, the hallowed cross to shun,
refuse his righteousness to impart,
by hiding it within my heart?
Outcasts of men, to you I call,
harlots, and publicans, and thieves;
he spreads his arms to embrace you all,
sinners alone his grace receive.
No need of Him the righteous have;
he came the lost to seek and save.
Come, O my guilty brethren, come,
groaning beneath your load of sin;
his bleeding heart shall make you room,
his open side shall take you in.
He calls you now, invites you home:
Come, O my guilty brethren, come.
For you the purple current flowed
in pardon from his wounded side,
languished for you the eternal God,
for you the Prince of Glory died.
Believe, and all your sin’s forgiven,
only believe–and yours is heaven.
Where Shall My Wondering Soul Begin Hymn Story
“Where Shall My Wondering Soul Begin” is another wonderful hymn from the pen of Charles Wesley. It is a hymn that he composed in commemoration of his conversion.
This is not conversion from another religion to Christianity for Charles and John Wesley were Christians, but this was when they decided to rely fully on Christ for salvation.
It was the understanding that there is nothing we can do to earn our salvation and that our salvation is hundred percent by God’s grace.
To understand this, they were helped by Peter Bohler a Moravian Christian. When he left the Wesley’s went to live with a certain Bray who continued where Bohrer had left.
Charles gave his life to Christ on 21st May 1738 followed almost immediately by his brother John Wesley. He wrote this hymn two days later.
This is how Charles Wesley describes the circumstances that led to this song:
” At nine I began a hymn of my conversion, but was persuaded to break off for fear of pride. Mr. Bray coming in, encouraged me to proceed in spite of Satan. I prayed Christ to stand by me, and finished the hymn. Upon my afterwards showing it to Mr. Bray, the devil threw in a fiery dart, suggesting that it was wrong, and I had displeased God.
“My heart sank within me, when, casting my eyes upon a Prayer Book, I met with an answer for him: ‘Why boasteth thou thyself, thou tyrant, that thou canst do mischief?’ Upon this I clearly perceived that it was a device of the enemy to keep back glory from God. Least of all would he have us tell what things God has done for our souls, so tenderly does he guard us from pride.”
Below are more hymns’ stories and lyrics:
O Safe to the Rock That Is Higher Than I