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Great Hymns of the Faith: I Must Tell Jesus

Photo by César Abner Martínez Aguilar on Unsplash

Great Hymns of the Faith: I Must Tell Jesus

By John Michael Luther, Christian and composer

I Must Tell Jesus: by Elisha A Hoffman (1839-1929)

Elisha A. Hoffman was born on May 7, 1839, in Orwigsburg, Pennsylvania. As a young man, he followed Christ, as did his minister father who had taught him the scriptures. Hoffman’s love of sacred music developed from times of worship in his father’s church and in the family home where the singing of hymns was also an important part of that act of worship. During the Civil War, at the age 24 he enlisted in the Union Army as a private. After being discharged, he then graduated from High School and later entered Union Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He and Susan M. Orwigwere were married in 1866.

Following in father’s footsteps, Elisha became a Presbyterian minister while also working at a publishing house in Cleveland, Ohio. After ten years of marriage and the birth of their three children, his beloved wife Susan suddenly died. He now became a single parent with three young children and felt led to return to Pennsylvania, where he pastored the Benton Harbor Presbyterian Church for 33 years. In 1879, he remarried a woman named Emma, and they had two additional children. Their daughter Florence eventually married Barrat O’ Hara, who became the Lieutenant Governor of Illinois and served two terms as a U.S. Senator.

During Hoffman’s 42 years of ministry, he wrote over 2,000 hymns. They were mostly written for the congregations in which he served. These include: “What a Wonderful Savior,” “Are You Washed In The Blood,” “No Other Friend Like Jesus,” “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms,” “No Other Friend Like Jesus,” “Down at the Cross,” and “Is Your All on the Altar?”

He had a ministerial heart and was drawn to the poor and suffering. While he was a minister in a church in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, he met a woman whose depression was so deep that it seemed she was beyond help. She began to pour out her heart sobbing, “What shall I do?” Hoffman had been down this road himself and knew what she should do, for he had himself learned the deeper lessons of God’s comfort. “You cannot do better than to take all your sorrows to Jesus. You must tell Jesus.” Lost in mediation, suddenly her eyes opened wide and she cried, “Yes, that’s it! I must tell Jesus.”

As soon as he arrived home that day, with her words echoing in his ears, he wrote down these words: “I must tell Jesus! I must tell Jesus. I cannot bear my burdens alone. I must tell Jesus! I must tell Jesus! Jesus can help me, Jesus alone.”

The hymn reminds us that no matter what the struggle, Jesus is there with us in our journey, and on our path to bear our burdens.

I began singing at a very young age. When I was about 2 to 3 years old, someone made a recording of me singing this hymn. I remember listening, amused and fascinated at how I sounded—a small voice trying to pronounce the words and reach the high notes. As I grew older, I began to be comforted by the fact that as a young child I received the knowledge of God and that some of the earliest words from my mouth were singing praise to God. Fifty years later, while sitting in the congregation at Hollywood Presbyterian Church, just before prayer, Music Director Fred Bock, led the choir in an a cappella call to prayer, “I Must Tell Jesus.” I was filled with emotion as I sat there preparing to pray. I was reminded that life sometimes becomes complex and a lifetime of telling Jesus all my burdens is simply the meaning of life. “I must tell Jesus.”

I must tell Jesus all of my trials
I cannot bear these burdens alone
In my distress He kindly will help me, He ever cares and loves His own

I must tell Jesus all of my troubles.
He’s a kind and compassionate friend.
If I but ask Him He will deliver, make of my troubles quickly an end

I must tell Jesus
I must tell Jesus
I cannot bear these burdens alone
I must tell Jesus, I must tell Jesus
Jesus can help me, Jesus alone
 

Tempted and tried, I need a great savior
One who can help my burdens to bear
I must tell Jesus, I must tell Jesus
He all my cares and sorrows will share

Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

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Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.