Whispering Hope
This is one of those hymns which seems to have a little
confusion about the authorship. The Cokesbury Hymnal
(1938 edition) lists the songwriter as Mrs. J. I.
McClelland, with music arranged by Clyde Willard.
However, hymnary.org (the most recent source) lists the
composer as Septimus Winner. To further complicate
matters, other hymnals list the writer AND composer as
Alice Hawthorne BUT Alice Hawthorne was a pseudonym of
Winner himself. So, maybe Mrs. J. I. McClelland wr...(+)
Whispering Hope
This is one of those hymns which seems to have a little
confusion about the authorship. The Cokesbury Hymnal
(1938 edition) lists the songwriter as Mrs. J. I.
McClelland, with music arranged by Clyde Willard.
However, hymnary.org (the most recent source) lists the
composer as Septimus Winner. To further complicate
matters, other hymnals list the writer AND composer as
Alice Hawthorne BUT Alice Hawthorne was a pseudonym of
Winner himself. So, maybe Mrs. J. I. McClelland wrote
the words, or maybe Winner did and Mrs. McClelland
never even existed. Really, the authorship’s not
nearly as important as the words themselves, and I hope
you think about them as you play the piece. Enjoy!
1. Like the faint dawn of the morning,
Like the sweet freshness of dew,
Comes the dear whisper of Jesus,
Comforting, tender and true.
Darkness gives way to the sunlight,
While His voice falls on my ear;
Seasons of Heaven’s refreshing,
Call to new gladness and cheer.
2. Singing the song of forgiveness,
Softly I hear in my soul,
Jesus has conquered forever
Sin with its fearful control.
Whispering courage for warfare,
Bending Thine ear when I pray;
Glorious, risen Redeemer,
O how I praise Thee today!
3. Hope is an anchor to keep us,
Holding both steadfast and sure;
Hope brings a wonderful cleansing,
Thro’ His blood, making us pure.
Whispering hope of His coming,
How my heart thrills at His Word!
O to be watching and waiting,
Ready to welcome the Lord!
Chorus: Whispering hope, like the song of the
angels.
Jesus, Thy love, is sweet music to me.