O Happy Day!
O Happy Day that fixed my choice; On Thee My Savior and My God. Well may this glowing heart rejoice; and tell its raptures all abroad!
O Happy Day!
I’d be willing to bet that you’ve never heard of Philip Doddridge before today and if I asked you who wrote the Gospel hymn, “O Happy Day”, you would never guess that it was written by a frail, orphaned young man almost 300 years ago.
Doddridge died at the early age of 48 but in less than half a century of life, he managed to become a popular author, the head of a “dissenting and nonconformist” seminary and composed over 400 hymns.
Incredibly, his life almost never got started. His mother had given birth to 19 other children when he was born in 1702 and only one of them had survived. When Philip was born, he too appeared lifeless and was “set aside”. When he suddenly made an unexpected sound, his mother recovered him and dedicated him to God.
His life was soon marred by the loss of his parents and he was relegated to a childhood of poverty as an orphan. He desired to become a minister but when he learned that he would not be able to afford such an education, he devoted an entire day in prayer for God’s will to prevail.
As he was kneeling in prayer, a postman arrived at the orphanage with a delivery for him. It was a letter from a wealthy patron pledging to pay for Philip’s schooling. The incredible timing of that happy day impressed Philip so much that he dedicated himself to pursuing a life of constant prayer.
As a minister, he became a prolific writer and was given charge of his own seminary at the age of 27. During that time he wrote hymns, including a wonderful composition that was to be used as a confession of faith at communions and baptisms. Leaning on his own story, he wrote the hymn we know today:
O Happy Day that fixed my choice;
On Thee My Savior and My God.
Well may this glowing heart rejoice;
and tell its raptures all abroad!
The hymn grew in popularity after his death in 1751. Music was added in 1854 and, in 1967, the Edwin Hawkins Singers gave it the gospel flair that we associate with it today.
Philip’s writings and hymns have influenced people like William Wilberforce and C.S. Lewis and his impact is still felt in our churches today. And to think, you didn’t even know who Philip Doddridge was until today.
