She was 32
when she wrote the words, probably leaning on earlier versions from Charles
Wesley and Samuel Medley in the 18th Century, and H.A. Merrill’s
version just 14 years earlier than her own in 1879. Perhaps Jessie Brown
Pounds’ own version spurred another by Frederick Fillmore, the brother of her
musical collaborator James Fillmore, in 1917. So, with no less than five versions
of “I Know That My Redeemer Lives (or Liveth)”, one might understandably be
confused by which one is which. Or, maybe another way to look at this bit of
hymnody is that the original words by an ancient writer (Job 19:25) have proved
so meaningful as to spark these many iterations of his thoughts. Was it a cry
of anguish that also compelled Jessie in 1893 to take up her pen, to echo what Job was
experiencing? The angst-ridden experience of someone like Job rings true for so
many people, yet how often from the depths of despair do you and I call out
with an exclamation of faith the way Job did? Perhaps its rare quality is what
has captured the attention of writers across three centuries (18th,
19th, and 20th).
Jessie was
born, died, and is buried in Hiram, Ohio (see map here, showing its location in
Portage County, in the northeastern corner of the state), where she may have
spent much of her life, including potentially where she was when she wrote ‘I
Know That My Redeemer Lives’. Small-town America is what Hiram appears to be; additionally,
it is the home of a small liberal arts college and President James Garfield who
lived contemporaneously with Jessie Pounds. The size of Hiram (just 144 people
in 1880) and the president’s religious faith (he was a member of the Church of
Christ) are probably two reasons why Jessie’s parents and their family were apparently
friends of Garfield, prior to his unfortunate assassination in the summer of
1881. That event, when Jessie would have been 20, must have been as shocking to
her as it was to other Americans. Jessie’s poor health as a child undoubtedly
helped shape her early life also; she reportedly was educated at home from an
early age because of her health, perhaps helping to explain how she began to
write and submit poetry to Cleveland newspapers and other publications by age
15. While we know not what motivated Jessie to pen the words about her certainty
regarding the Savior’s risen state, we can imagine that this was a theme consistently
on the minds of Christian believers and something she and others would have
heard in countless sermons during a church’s worship life. Was it a sermon on
Job that actually spurred Jessie’s endeavor? The trials such as Job
experienced, and the eventual victorious outcome of mortal existence were no
less meaningful then as they are today. Perhaps Jessie and others of the church
had sung on occasions the three other versions of “I Know…” that existed at the
time, thus planting a seed of creativity that this young poetess was coaxed to
bring to new fruition. We’ll learn more someday, won’t we?
If Job was
part of the inspiration for Jessie Pounds’ verses, one wonders if she was
uttering something from a deep emotional hole like him. Take a moment, and read
Job 19. It’s not pretty. Job’s ‘woe is me’ self-pity is not something anyone
would expect to nourish a healthy faith. And yet, maybe his spleen-venting
episode is instructive for those of us who cross our arms and think we can
judge someone else’s burst of anger in the midst of turmoil. Even after Job’s
tirade, he’s still able to utter the song’s title words. Do you suppose that’s one
reason why God remained tuned in to Job’s frequency? It’s OK to be angry at the
stuff that torments me at times. Jessie and her contemporaries had their
moments, too. I can complain with a shout, as long as the life of Him within me
emerges, too. In fact, that’s just human nature and the God nature coexisting.
He was like that once too, wasn’t He?
Here's a
link to the Pounds’ version of the hymn: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/i/k/n/o/iknowtmr.htm
Some
biographic information on the poetess-author: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/p/o/u/pounds_jb.htm
The author’s
home is described here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiram,_Ohio
No comments:
Post a Comment