The Loving-Kindness of God
Awake, my soul, in joyful lays,
And sing thy great Redeemer’s praise;
He justly claims a song from me;
His loving-kindness, O how free!
He saw me ruined in the fall,
Yet loved me notwithstanding all;
He saved me from my lost estate;
His loving-kindness, O how great!
[Though numerous hosts of mighty foes,
Though earth and hell my way oppose,
He safely leads my soul along;
His loving-kindness, O how strong!]
[When trouble, like a gloomy cloud,
Has gathered thick and thundered loud,
He near my soul has always stood;
His loving-kindness, O how good!]
Often I feel my sinful heart
Prone from my Saviour to depart;
But though I have him oft forgot,
His loving-kindness changes not!
Soon shall I pass the gloomy vale;
Soon all my mortal powers must fail;
O may my last expiring breath
His loving-kindness sing in death!
Then let me mount and soar away
To the bright world of endless day,
And sing with rapture and surprise,
His loving-kindness in the skies
“How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.” (Psalm 36:7, ESV)
Samuel Medley, a former sailor turned preacher of the gospel, left behind hymns that continue to stir the hearts of believers. Among them is his hymn The Loving-Kindness of God, rooted in Psalm 36:7. In every stanza, Medley calls us to lift our eyes to Christ, to consider His unchanging mercy, and to sing with gratitude for grace so free.
1. A Call to Praise
The hymn begins with an exhortation:
“Awake, my soul, in joyful lays,
And sing thy great Redeemer’s praise.”
The Christian life is not meant to be one of muted gratitude but of joyful proclamation. Our Redeemer has laid claim to our hearts by His blood. His loving-kindness is not reluctant but free and lavished on ruined sinners. When Medley tells his soul to awaken, he echoes David in Psalm 103: “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!”
2. Grace in Our Ruin
“He saw me ruined in the fall,
Yet loved me notwithstanding all.”
Here Medley captures the heart of the gospel: while we were dead in sin, Christ loved us (Ephesians 2:1–5). God’s love is not earned by our righteousness, nor lost by our failures. Instead, it flows from His very nature, “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). To sing of His loving-kindness is to remember that grace met us at our lowest and lifted us to life.
3. Strength in the Battle and Comfort in the Storm
Two stanzas (often left out of modern hymnals) remind us of God’s care when “mighty foes” surround and when “trouble, like a gloomy cloud” hangs overhead. Here, Medley points us to God’s preserving grace. Earth and hell may oppose, yet His loving-kindness proves stronger. Trouble may thunder loudly, yet His nearness remains our refuge.
Christ Himself promised: “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). For the believer, opposition and trials are real, but so is the unfailing kindness of God that keeps us.
4. The Unchanging Love of Christ
“Often I feel my sinful heart
Prone from my Saviour to depart;
But though I have him oft forgot,
His loving-kindness changes not!”
These lines speak to the daily struggle of every Christian. We are prone to wander, quick to forget the Lord who bought us. Yet here is our hope: Christ does not change. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Our faith may falter, but His covenant love holds firm.
5. Loving-Kindness in Death and Eternity
The hymn closes by looking beyond this life:
“O may my last expiring breath
His loving-kindness sing in death!”
Medley knew the comfort of the gospel stretches even into the valley of the shadow of death. For the believer, death is not defeat but entrance into glory. One day, freed from sin and suffering, we will join the chorus of heaven to sing with “rapture and surprise, His loving-kindness in the skies.”
Conclusion: Singing the Same Song Forever
Medley’s hymn gives voice to the believer’s journey: redeemed from ruin, sustained in trial, kept despite weakness, comforted in death, and destined for eternal joy. Every step is marked by the same refrain: “His loving-kindness—oh how free, how great, how strong, how good, how unchanging!”
At Radiant Hope, this is the confidence we seek to help others hold fast to: the unshakable, covenant love of God in Christ Jesus. Whether in seasons of trial, in struggles with sin, or even in the face of death, believers can say with the psalmist:
“The steadfast love of the LORD is better than life” (Psalm 63:3).
