John Ryland, the author of “O Lord! I Would Delight in Thee,” is unknown to most Christians, and he would have wanted it that way. He was born in 1753, the son of notable British Baptist pastor and scholar John Collett Ryland. He was well-taught by his father and could read Hebrew when he was four years old; he translated the entire Greek New Testament by eight and was proficient in Latin and French by the age of eleven. When Ryland was fourteen, he accepted Christ under the preaching of George Whitefield and was baptized by his father. He began to preach in surrounding rural communities when he was seventeen, and he also assisted his father in the ministry at Northampton. So, he had accomplished much while he was still young.
Ryland’s father had wanted his gifted son to attain the fame and status that he himself had never achieved. Many influential pastors and theologians were guests in their family home in hopes that his son’s talents would be noticed. His father was able to get some of his teenage son’s work into print in a collection of poems. The poetry was very ordinary, but John Jr.’s intellect and understanding of the Scriptures were evident.
“The Gospel Magazine” published some of his essays along with highly complimentary comments from the magazine’s editors when Ryland was only eighteen years old. Being recognized for his talents when he was only a teenager made him proud and arrogant. Ryland had developed a friendship with pastor and hymn writer John Newton. Newton, who was almost thirty years Ryland’s senior, was concerned that the editors were feeding his pride. Newton wrote to Ryland:
I hope you are less and less in your own eyes and that your heart is more and more impressed with a sense of the glory and grace of our Lord. . . Your comfort and success eminently depend upon your being humble, and if the Lord loves you and has sent you, he will find ways and means to humble you.
Newton’s loving rebuke was a turning point in Ryland’s life. His need to be known was replaced by a life and ministry of godly humility and benevolence. When John’s father retired from the church in Northhampton, he assumed the pastorate in 1786 and was beloved there. Because he wished to be distinguished from his stern and forceful father’s approach, he called himself “J. Ryland, junior.” He encouraged his friend William Carey, who was called the “Father of Modern Missions,” to establish the Baptist Missionary Society, where Ryland served as secretary for several years. In 1794 he became president of Bristol Baptist College and the pastor of Broadmead Chapel in Bristol, one of England’s most prominent Baptist churches. It was said that he preached almost 9,000 sermons during his lifetime, and he was given the Doctor of Divinity degree from Brown University in Rhode Island. Robert Hall, who replaced Ryland at Broadmead Chapel, wrote that Ryland’s “disposition to conceal his attainments was nearly as strong as that of some men to display them. His mental opulence was much greater than his modesty would permit him to reveal.” Hall continued, “humility was the most remarkable feature of his character.”
In Ryland’s “O Lord! I Would Delight in Thee,” his simple and heartfelt words read like a prayer that asks for stronger faith. In addition to several hymns that Ryland had written and published, Ryland wrote several books, essays, and magazine articles. This hymn was written in 1777 and was published ten years later in John Rippon’s “A Selection of Hymns from the Best Authors.” In his “Dictionary of Hymnology”, John Julian reported that Ryland wrote in a note attached to the manuscript: “I recollect deeper feelings of mind in composing this hymn than perhaps I ever felt in making any other.” Certainly, he’d learned humility and had gained a sense of the glory and grace of God.
Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass (Psalm 37:4-5).
O Lord! I would delight in thee,
And on thy care depend;
To thee in ev’ry trouble flee,-
My best, my only friend!
When all created streams are dried,
Thy fulness is the same;
May I with this be satisfied,
And glory in thy name!
Why should the soul a drop bemoan,
Who has a fountain near, —
A fountain which will ever run
With waters sweet and clear?
No good in creatures can be found,
But may be found in thee;
I must have all things, and abound,
While God is God to me.
Oh, that I had a stronger faith,
To look within the veil,-
To credit what my Saviour saith,
Whose word can never fail!
He, that has made my heav’n secure,
Will here all good provide:
While Christ is rich, can I be poor?
What can I want beside?
O Lord! I cast my care on thee;
I triumph and adore:
Henceforth my great concern shall be
To love and praise thee more.
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