Jesus, Thou Art Everything to Me

Heather Allington

Heather writes for Sunday Song Book on behalf of the The Salvation Army Oshawa. As a lifelong member of the Army, she has loved these familiar - and some less familiar - songs for many years, and enjoys researching and writing about their origins. She is a wife, mother, grandmother and retired elementary school teacher who likes trying her hand at watercolour painting and poetry writing.

Jesus, tender lover of my soul,
Pardoner of my sins, and friend indeed,
Keeper of the garden of my heart,
Jesus, Thou art everything to me.

Jesus, Thou art everything to me;
Jesus, Thou art everything to me;
All my lasting joys are found in Thee;
Jesus, Thou art everything to me.

What to me are all the joys of earth?
What to me is every sight I see,
Save the sight of Thee, O Friend of mine?
Jesus, Thou art everything to me.

Here I lay me at Thy bleeding feet;
Deepest homage now I give to Thee;
Hear Thy whispered love within my soul;
Jesus, Thou art everything to me.

This lovely song of consecration was written by Edward Henry Joy – an early-day Salvationist born in Canterbury, England in 1871. Later, he was a bandsman at Folkestone Corps before becoming an officer in 1894. He had only one corps appointment – at Tunstall, where he was also responsible for Golden Hill outpost. After this, Joy served in local administrative appointments until 1917, when he was transferred to International Headquarters, as Under Secretary in the Foreign Office. After some international travels, he was appointed to Western Canada as Immigration Secretary, and then Editor-in-Chief. In 1932 he became editor of The War Cry in South Africa. Colonel Joy retired in 1938 and in the following year returned to England, where he died in 1949.

The musical, Glory! , which was written by John Gowans and John Larsson, was based on Edward Joy’s book, The Old Corps. It described early corps activities at Folkestone. Other songs and choruses by Colonel Joy in our song book show his tenderhearted sensitivity towards the Lord Jesus Christ as well as his glad, strong faith in God’s providence and answers to prayer.

WORDS: EDWARD HENRY JOY(VERSES), ARTHUR ARNOTT(CHORUS)
MUSIC: ARTHUR ARNOTT
S.A. SONG BOOK, 1987 EDITION, # 600, 2015 EDITION, # 502
REFERENCE: USAWEST.ORG