Taking Refuge Under the Wings of Jesus in the Hymn ‘Jesus, Lover of My Soul’

Continuing to reflect on the book of Ruth, I tried to find some old hymns that were inspired by this text. I easily found a few modern songs, but so far the only older hymn that seems to be a good match is “Jesus, Lover of my Soul” by Charles Wesley. In this song he makes a reference to taking refuge under the wings of Jesus.

While we do see this concept in our memory verse from Ruth 2:12, it is unclear if Wesley was specifically referencing this verse in his song, or if it was inspired by another Bible verse with a similar theme. In any case, the idea that we can take refuge in Jesus is an intriguing thought that I wanted to explore.

The Hymn: “Jesus, Lover of my Soul”

The complete text of the hymn, “Jesus, Lover of my Soul,” is as follows:

Jesus, lover of my soul,
let me to thy bosom fly,
while the nearer waters roll,
while the tempest still is high;
hide me, O my Savior, hide,
till the storm of life is past;
safe into the haven guide,
O receive my soul at last!

Other refuge have I none;
hangs my helpless soul on thee;
leave, ah! leave me not alone,
still support and comfort me.
All my trust on thee is stayed,
all my help from thee I bring;
cover my defenseless head
with the shadow of thy wing.

Plenteous grace with thee is found,
grace to cover all my sin;
let the healing streams abound;
make and keep me pure within.
Thou of life the fountain art;
freely let me take of thee;
spring thou up within my heart,
rise to all eternity.
Lyrics to “Jesus, Lover of my Soul” by Charles Wesley

Verse 1

Troubling Wording

The first time I heard this song, I was quite disturbed by the first line, “Jesus, lover of my soul.” The modern use of the word “lover” doesn’t seem to mesh well with thoughts of personal interactions with Jesus. However, when we consider that the phrase “make love” didn’t have today’s meaning until the 1920’s, we should quickly realize that a song written in 1740 probably didn’t intend anything sexual by these words. When we use the 1700’s definition of lover, which more closely resembled the idea of cherisher, the song keeps its intimacy, but seems much less creepy and much more proper.

Choosing to Take Refuge in God

In the first verse of the hymn, Wesley uses the imagery of being in a boat during a terrible storm. Through the words, we see the idea that when things in our life get out of control, we can cling to Jesus and ask him to rescue us by hiding us from our troubles and guiding us into the still waters of heaven.

The parallels to the first chapter of Ruth are quite obvious. Ruth and Naomi have both lost their husbands while living in Moab. In bitterness, Naomi decides to return home to Bethlehem, and tries to convince both of her daughter-in-laws to stay in Moab and forget about the Jewish God. Orpah agrees quite quickly, but Ruth insists that she will follow her mother-in-law, claiming that “Your people will be my people, and your God my God.” Ruth 1:16 (WEB) In her bereavement and poverty, Ruth chose to take refuge in God and trusted that he would care for both herself and Naomi. Even though Naomi was going through a very dark period, Ruth chose God, and so should we!

Ruth 1:16-17 (WEB) - A Memory Verse — **Read:** Ruth 1:16-17 – A Memory Verse with Reflection Questions

Read: Ruth 1 – A Bible Study about Choosing God

Verse 2

Accepting Refuge

This brings us to the second verse of “Jesus, Lover of my Soul,” where Wesley brings Jesus in as a loving and protective companion where he asks Jesus to “cover my defenseless head with the shadow of thy wing.”

Going into the second chapter of Ruth, we see that Ruth ends up in the fields of Boaz, where Ruth begins to find the first tastes of the refuge that she sought. When Boaz recognizes Ruth’s hard work, care for her mother-in-law, and faith in the God of the Israelites, he prays a beautiful blessing over her.

Ruth 2:12 (WEB) - A Memory Verse — **Read:** Ruth 2:12 – A Memory Verse with Reflection Questions

In addition to simply praying for Ruth, Boaz also makes generous offers of protection and gives Ruth extra food and companionship when he invites her to join his workers for lunch, allows her to walk with his women employees as she gleans, and instructs his workers to leave her alone and put out extra sheaves of grain for her to collect.

One key thing to note is that Ruth has to accept these things. She could have decided to be prideful and do things on her own, but instead she takes what he offers and continues to return to his field day after day, gratefully accepting his help.

Asking for Refuge

Another thing to note as we look at the song is that there is a specific request for refuge: “cover my defenseless head with the shadow of thy wing.”

When we look at the third chapter of Ruth, Ruth makes a specific request for additional help, which Boaz grants by declaring that Ruth is a woman of noble character and then marrying her in the fourth chapter of the book, thus rescuing both Ruth and Naomi from the horrors of being widows in poverty. If Ruth wouldn’t have made the specific request of marriage, it is possible that Boaz would have simply continued to give Ruth extra food and maybe a few other comforts, but never made her his wife.

Ruth 3:11 (WEB) - A Memory Verse — **Read:** Ruth 3:11 – A Memory Verse with Reflection Questions

As we consider our own troubles, we should consider what we are asking of God. Are we keeping our requests to ourselves, or are we putting the problem into words and asking for what we need. God always has the freedom to say no, but when we don’t ask, it often turns out that we don’t get.

Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened.
Matthew 7:7-8 (WEB)

Note that it is easy to think that this verse turns God into a magic genie that is forced to give us everything we want, but when we study the verses that come after this, we find that the verse is really referring to true needs. When we ask, God will always answer our true needs with a yes. Of course, what we consider our true needs may not be what God considers our true needs, so we shouldn’t necessarily be disappointed by a no answer.

Plenty of other verses in the Bible also make reference to taking refuge in God. Psalm 17 mentions a specific request about taking refuge under God’s wings when being pursued by enemies.

Show your marvelous loving kindness,
    you who save those who take refuge by your right hand from their enemies.
Keep me as the apple of your eye.
    Hide me under the shadow of your wings,
from the wicked who oppress me,
    my deadly enemies, who surround me.
Psalm 17:7-9 (WEB)

Psalm 91 also deals with themes of calling on God in times of trouble and receiving refuge under God’s wings, although in this case it is more advice to someone else, rather than a personal request.

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of Yahweh, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
    my God, in whom I trust.”
For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler,
    and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his feathers.
    Under his wings you will take refuge.
    His faithfulness is your shield and rampart.
Psalm 91:1-4 (WEB)

Deuteronomy 32 makes a reference to Jacob being rescued by God’s wings:

He found him in a desert land,
    in the waste howling wilderness.
He surrounded him.
    He cared for him.
    He kept him as the apple of his eye.
As an eagle that stirs up her nest,
    that flutters over her young,
he spread abroad his wings,
    he took them,
    he bore them on his feathers.
Deuteronomy 32:10-11 (WEB)

And there are plenty more references to taking shelter or refuge in God!

This concept seems to be one that continues to have relevance. As long as we live on Earth, we are bound to have troubles. In the Old Testament, the Bible continually reminds us that we should turn to God.

The New Testament further refines this and tells us to turn to Jesus. Specifically, in Mathew 28, Jesus tells us to come to him with our burdens.

“Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest.Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30 (WEB)

It is interesting to observe that the words “come” and “take” are action words. In both cases, Jesus asks us to do something about our problem. First, we need to ask him, and second, we need to accept his help.

Another important thing to note is that Jesus does not promise an easy life of creature comforts, but he does promise “rest for our souls.” This is the rescue that we truly need! When we consider our “ask and you shall receive” verse, we should remember that we don’t necessarily need to be free from problems and have rest for our bodies, but we do need rest in our souls. As we look at all the people in the New Testament who were persecuted for their faith, the common theme seems to be that they have joy and rejoice in knowing Christ. We can have this too!

Read: Finding Our Joy in Christ

Verse 3

While many people do suffer from the sins of others while proclaiming their faith in Jesus, there is also a different kind of suffering and pain that is caused by our own personal sins. The third verse of “Jesus, Lover of my Soul” seems to deal with the latter concept: “Plenteous grace with thee is found, grace to cover all my sin.”

The good news is that Jesus covers all our sins, and offers us grace and forgiveness, rather than the judgement that we deserve. What joy we can have, regardless of whether our problems are caused through righteous suffering or sinful suffering. If we turn to Jesus, we can bear all things and find joy in our souls!

When looking at the final chapter of the book of Ruth, we see that Naomi appears to have let go of her bitterness, is restored into her community, and is praised for her association with Ruth.

Ruth 4:14-15 (WEB) - A Memory Verse — **Read:** Ruth 4:14-15 – A Memory Verse with Reflection Questions

This song reminds us that “healing streams abound” and that Jesus can “make and keep me pure within.” Again, what glorious news! Our sins can be wiped away and we can have the joy of having pure souls, even while we are currently experiencing suffering from our sins. Naomi may or may not have been suffering from her sins, but she was definitely suffering from holding onto bitterness. Just like Ruth helped turn Naomi’s bitterness into joy, Jesus can cleanse us from our impurities.

The song ends with us rising with Jesus into eternity. Revelation 21 reminds us that eventually every tear will be wiped from our eyes and that suffering will be ended. What joy!

I heard a loud voice out of heaven saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with people, and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more. The first things have passed away.”
Revelation 21:3-4 (WEB)

This beautiful hymn has so much hope and inspiration. Whenever you go through troubles, consider singing it and try to remember that even while having external suffering, you can still find internal joy! Even if you don’t find this joy immediately, you can rest assured that one day, Jesus will make it happen.