(Thanks to "Osbeck's 101 Hymn Stories" for the details in this story.)

Can you guess which great hymn of the faith this is about?

It can be argued that this hymn has touched more hearts and influenced more people for Christ than any other song ever written. The text was born within the soul of an invalid woman who wrote these words out of intense feelings of uselessness and despair.

Charlotte Elliott was born in Clapham, England, in 1789. As a young person she lived a carefree life, gaining popularity as a portrait artist and writer of humorous verse. By the time she was 30, however, her health began to fail rapidly, and soon she became a bedridden invalid for the remaining years of her life. With her failing health came great feelings of despondency, of course.

In 1822 a noted Swiss evangelist, Dr. Caesar Malan, visited the Elliott home in Brighton, England. His visit proved to be a turning point in Charlotte's life. In counseling Miss Elliott about her spiritual and emotional problems, Dr. Malan implored her, "Come to the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world."

Throughout the remainder of her life, Miss Elliott annually celebrated the day on which her Swiss friend had led her to a personal relationship with Christ, for she considered it to be her spiritual birthday. Although she did not write her text for this hymn until 1836, 14 years after her conversion experience, it is apparent that she never forgot the words of her friend, for they form the very essence of this hymn.

Though Charlotte Elliott lived to be 82 years of age, she never regained normal health, and she often endured seasons of great physical suffering. Of her own afflictions she once wrote, "He knows, and He alone, what it is, day after day, hour after hour, to fight against bodily feelings of almost overpowering weakness, languor and exhaustion, to resolve not to yield to slothfulness, depression and instability, such as the body causes me to long to indulge, but to rise every morning determined to take for my motto, 'If a man will come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.'"

Another time she wrote, "God sees, God guides, God guards me. His grace surrounds me, and His voice continually bids me to be happy and holy in His service just where I am."

In 1836 the text for this great hymn was published in the second edition of "The Invalid's Hymn Book," a collection which contained 115 of her original hymns. She wrote this hymn with the desire that it might aid financially in building a school for the children of poor clergymen. Charlotte's own pastor brother was trying to build the school in Brighton. She wanted to aid the parishioners in the project, but felt helpless.

Interestingly enough, this one hymn from the pen of the clergyman's invalid sister brought in more funds than all of his bazaars and projects combined. The brother himself has left these words: "In the course of a long ministry, I hope to have been permitted to see some fruit of my labors; but I feel more has been done by a single hymn of my sister's."

In all, Charlotte Elliott wrote approximately 150 hymns. She is generally regarded as one of the finest of all English hymnwriters. It is said that after Charlotte's death more than a thousand letters were found among her papers, testimonials from people around the world expressing what this one hymn had meant in their lives.

Only eternity will reveal the vast number of individuals whose lives have been dramatically changed through the use of this one hymn from the pen of an invalid woman. It is a hymn that can and should be used more frequently than merely as an invitational number at the close of a service, or only during Lent. Its message is one that we as believers need to be reminded of frequently that our own eternal standing and peace depend solely on Christ's merits and not our own!

The hymn is "Just As I Am."

Just as I am, without one plea,

But that Thy blood was shed for me,

And that Thou bidd'st me come to Thee,

O Lamb of God, I come! I come!

(Five more stanzas follow.)