I Will Sing Of My Redeemer
I will sing of my Redeemer and his wondrous love to me; on the cruel cross he suffered, from the curse to set me free. Sing, O sing of my Redeemer! With his blood he purchased me; on the cross he sealed my pardon, paid the debt, and made me free.
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I Will Sing Of My Redeemer
Young Phillip had a lot going for him. He had made it to the top of his chosen field as a songwriter. At the age of 38, he was one of the greatest writers of hymns that the world had ever known.
He and his wife Lucy needed a rest. After a long season of performing and traveling, he had earned it. He had just finished writing the music to perhaps the most beautiful hymn ever written, “It Is Well With My Soul”.
The couple had traveled to Pennsylvania to relax over the holidays with family when Philip received a telegram. It was from DL Moody requesting that he come and sing for a special end of the year event in Chicago. The couple agreed, left their two children behind and headed to Chicago by train. Unfortunately, an incredible blizzard had set in and the train labored greatly as it approached Ashtabula, Ohio. It was heavily over-burdened by snow as it crossed over the 154 foot long trestle bridge. The train never made it to the other side. Although the engine cleared the bridge, all of the passenger cars plummeted 76 feet into the ravine.
It is reported that Phillip survived the crash but as fire broke out, he climbed back into the car to be with his wife Lucy. Onlookers urged him to stay but he replied “If we perish, we will perish together“. Neither of them made it out alive.
Over time, their baggage eventually arrived in Chicago. Their mourning friends sorted through their belongings and found Phillip’s last manuscripts that he had been working on. Among them, they found the previously unknown lyrics for what would become one of his greatest hymns, “I Will Sing Of My Redeemer“.
The hymn was set to music by James McGranahan and became a timeless classic, known as one of the last hymns that the great Philip Bliss had ever written.
