He paraphrased some basic words from an ancient follower, as
he crafted something to complement a fellow believer’s venture. That’s the
genesis of Philip Paul Bliss’ creation known as “Wonderful Words of Life” in
1874. Would Bliss have had as much of a challenge with his ‘words of life’ as
their first speaker? Did he consult a dictionary (like one shown here)? Did the
addition of ‘wonderful’ intentionally underscore their value, because His—the
Lord’s-- words in their original context had proven so complicated and
baffling? It is often tough to share words, especially God’s, that will elicit
a positive response from the hearer who’s a skeptic. Bliss had a way with
words, though, that allowed him to make music and draw hearers, a talent that
his collaborator drew upon.
Philip Bliss was doing in 1874 what he’d recently come to
believe was his life’s calling. He’d been engaged seriously in music for over
15 years, as a student, teacher, singer, and composer, but by his mid-30s he
decided that spreading the story of Christ was paramount. He’d been associated
with Dwight Moody’s efforts for a few years, and with some urging turned his life
completely toward evangelism. Moody’s brother-in-law Fleming Revell must have
also played a significant role in Bliss’ decision, too, so it wasn’t surprising
that he thought of Bliss as he pondered how to best make his own evangelistic
effort that year. He wanted a song to accompany a publication he was beginning,
and suggested to Bliss that something to go with his “Words of Life” journal
would work well. He also apparently suggested one episode in Jesus’ life of
teaching (John 6:60-68) that culminated with the apostle Peter’s assertion that
Jesus’ words are life. It’s interesting that this particular story occurred to
Revell, since Jesus’ words there are actually pretty tough for many of His
hearers to swallow. Their bizarre, even revolting, character make Peter’s
response to them intriguing. What really made the apostle Peter assert with
such apparent conviction that ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You
have the words of eternal life. We
have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.’ Could it be
that Revell wanted to inspire the same sort of faith that Peter expressed? No
doubt about it, right? Bliss, too, must have wanted his musical endeavor to
have the same potency. So, a song was born to coax God-seekers that
Jesus speaks words, however alien they may seem at first, that actually reach
and bless us like no others.
Taken out of context, Peter’s statement to Jesus sounds like
a warm compliment to the Son of Man, doesn’t it? But it really is audacious,
particularly since Jesus’ words just before that are what repel many of His
hearers. Wonderful words? Drinking
blood and eating flesh – that’s enough to make most anybody murmur that their
speaker must be a nut. But, what Fleming Revell and Philip Bliss, along with
Dwight Moody, must have told thousands of people was ‘Keep listening’. He said
many challenging things, but He did more than speak words. He lived them, and
died them too. And, rose because of them. No one else has ever done all of
that.
Information on the song was obtained
from the books “Amazing Grace – 366
Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions”, by Kenneth W. Osbeck, 1990, Kregel
Publications; and “The Complete Book of Hymns – Inspiring Stories About 600
Hymns and Praise Songs”, by William J. and Ardythe Petersen, 2006, Tyndale
House Publishers, Inc.
See following for memoirs of the composer:
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