Lyrics
Jesus, Thy boundless love to me
No thought can reach, no tongue declare;
Unite my thankful heart to Thee,
And reign without a rival there.
To Thee alone, dear Lord, I live;
Myself to Thee, dear Lord, I give.
O grant that nothing in my soul
May dwell, but Thy pure love alone;
O may Thy love possess me whole,
My joy, my treasure, and my crown;
All coldness from my heart remove;
My every act, word, thought be love.
O Love, how cheering is Thy ray!
All pain before Thy presence flies;
Care, anguish, sorrow, melt away
Where'er Thy healing beams arise.
O Jesus, nothing may I see,
Nothing desire or seek, but Thee!
This love unwearied I pursue
And dauntlessly to Thee aspire.
Oh, may Thy love my hope renew,
Burn in my soul like heavenly fire!
And day and night be all my care
To guard this sacred treasure there.
Oh, draw me, Savior, e'er to Thee;
So shall I run and never tire.
With gracious words still comfort me;
Be Thou my Hope, my sole Desire.
Free me from every guilt and fear;
No sin can harm if Thou art near.
Still let Thy love point out my way;
What wondrous things Thy love hath wrought!
Still lead me lest I go astray;
Direct my work, inspire my thought;
And if I fall, soon may I hear
Thy voice and know that love is near!
In suffering be Thy love my peace,
In weakness be Thy love my power;
And when the storms of life shall cease,
O Jesus, in that final hour,
Be Thou my Rod and Staff and Guide
And draw me safely to Thy side!
Public domain hymn text (1653; English translation 1739). Words by Paul Gerhardt, translated by John Wesley.
The Story Behind the Hymn
Paul Gerhardt wrote the German original underlying 'Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me' in 1653, and John Wesley translated it into English in 1739, part of his broader effort to bring German Pietist hymnody into English Methodist worship.
The hymn's central request, that Christ 'reign without a rival,' asks for an exclusive, undivided claim on the entire self, and its seven verses trace that request across escalating images, from a quiet inward wish to an active, lifelong pursuit.
Its third verse compares Christ's love directly to healing light, under which 'care, anguish, sorrow, melt away,' before the fourth verse turns that comfort into ongoing effort, asking to pursue this love 'unwearied' and 'dauntlessly.'
Gerhardt served as a Lutheran pastor for much of his career, eventually losing his position during a doctrinal dispute, a professional hardship that came after he had already endured the deaths of four of his five children.
The hymn's closing verses turn from personal devotion to genuine dependence, asking directly for rescue 'if I fall' and for Christ to be 'Rod and Staff and Guide' through both present suffering and the final hour of death.
That combination of total devotion and honest need for ongoing rescue reflects Gerhardt's own hymn writing more broadly, forged directly through, rather than despite, considerable personal hardship.
