Louisa immigrated to the United States as a young adult, living in Cincinnati, Ohio. There she married Mr. Stead, and the two were blessed with a daughter named Lily. When the daughter was but four years old, while vacationing at New York's Long Island Sound, Mr. Stead responded to the peril of a drowning young lad. As beloved wife and daughter watched, both Mr. Stead and the boy drowned. This crisis of faith birthed the lines of "'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus." Shortly thereafter the widow traveled with her daughter to South Africa, serving as a missionary for a decade and a half. In this time, she remarried to a Mr. Wodehouse. The family returned to America due to Louisa's health in 1895 but soon reentered the mission field. In 1900, arriving at the mission in Southern Rhodesia, she penned: "With simple confidence and trust, we may and do say, 'Our sufficiency is of God.'" Upon her passing, a friend noted: "We miss her very much, but her influence goes on as our five thousand native Christians continually sing this hymn in their native tongue.
'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus
Just to know, "Thus saith the Lord."
Jesus, Jesus, how I trust him;
How I've proved him o'er and o'er.
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
O for grace to trust him more.
Just to trust his cleansing blood;
Just from sin and self to cease;
Life, and rest, and joy, and peace.
Wilt be with me to the end.
This historical account is taken from the Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs hymnal, copyright 2018, all rights reserved.
Melody Publications’ focus is to reawaken the melody of truth in believers' hearts and minds at home and abroad. Our prayer is that our work would aid churches and families as they sing "Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs" in praise and worship to our God.
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2 comments
Beautiful hymn and story. I love this hymn. The words mean a lot to me. God is a good God. All glory and praise to him
Love the old hymns and especially the stories behind them.