The Greatest Spiritual Song by an American

Song History “I See Your Cross” (Song of the Congregation No. 32)

I see thy cross, O Saviour ’my Saviour at Golgotha

T’accept my prayer, blot out my sin;

I am thine forever.

On a Sunday in the late 19th century, a young unbeliever in the Lord Jesus went to a large church in the United States. Before service time, he entered and sat in a pew. While waiting for the service to begin, he began idly flipping through the pages of the hymnals placed in each pew.

Suddenly a song caught his attention. The words of the song were short and simple, but quite impressive. The theme of the song was faith in Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who died on Calvary as a sin offering. Immediately, even before the service began, the young man repented. Touched, he surrendered his life to the Lord Jesus.

A few days later, the young man paid a visit to the home of the pastor of the church, to inform him of his spiritual decision. To his astonishment, he discovered that the pastor himself was the author of the hymn that had led him to become a follower of Christ!

A beautiful true story, God can use many different ways to call His children. It's not so surprising, though, because the song the young man saw is often considered one of the greatest American hymns. Who was the pastor who composed the song?

Poor Righteous Young Man

Ray Palmer was born in 1808. His father was a magistrate, and his family had an honourable position in society. But in reality they were very short of money. The judge could not send his son to school; he could only educate him at home. And at the age of thirteen Ray had to leave his parents' home and become a servant in a cloth shop in the city of Boston.

The teenage boy began attending services at a church not far from his workplace. The pastor accompanied the lonely teenager and guided him to become a godly and true Christian.

Then Ray Palmer felt called to become a missionary evangelist. But it seemed impossible for him, as he had no educational background. The kind local pastor arranged for Ray to be accepted into a good Christian high school. Ray made the most of the opportunity. After graduating from high school, Ray continued to be helped by his pastor, so that he could attend the famous Yale University.

After graduating from college, Ray Palmer wanted to continue his education at a theological school. It turned out that his dream of becoming an evangelist had never faded. But finances were still a hurdle. He was forced to move first to the big city of New York, in order to find funds. There she became a teacher at a girls' school. She saved her salary so that one day she could enter a clerical school. To save money, she lived in a boarding house, in the home of a Christian woman who was the head of the girls' school.

One day in his quiet flat, Ray Palmer began to reflect on the greatness of the Lord Jesus' sacrifice on Calvary. Ever since he was a child, he had used to formulate his thoughts in the form of poetic lyrics. Now he began to scribble poetry on a piece of paper. While writing, her mind and heart continued to contemplate the sacrifice of Christ. As she wrote the closing stanzas of the poem her tears welled up. After the poem was finished, he tidied it up several times, and then copied the poem back into a leather-bound notebook, which he used to keep in his pocket at all times.

For about two years, the lines of the poem remained in the notebook. Only Ray Palmer knew the lyrics & of course God knew them too. The author never intended for the lyrics to become famous except as personal devotional material. But God had other plans in mind.

After a few years of teaching and saving money, Ray Palmer was able to continue his education at a theological college. It was near Boston, the town where he had been a shop boy. One day he went for a walk in Boston. And there he met Dr Lowell Mason. He was a man who played a major role in the development of church and orchestral music in America. As an author, composer, music book editor, choir director, and pioneer of music education for young people, he did much for the Lord God and for his fellow human beings.

Dr Mason had previously known the theology student he met on the streets of Boston that day. As usual, Dr Mason was busy preparing a collection of hymns, which he intended to publish in 1832. Knowing that Ray Palmer loved to write verse, he asked if the young man could contribute a few pieces of spiritual poetry to his new collection of hymns.

Ray Palmer reached into his pocket, and pulled out the small notebook he always carried with him. He showed Dr Lowell Mason the devotional poem "The Sacrifice of Jesus" that he had composed two years earlier. Dr Mason asked that he be given a copy of the poem. The two men stopped by a shop, and it was there that Palmer copied his work for his friend. With a rather hasty thank you, Dr Mason pocketed the paper and left.

On reaching his residence, Lowell Mason examined Ray Palmer's poem carefully. The more he looked, the more he liked the lyrics. He quickly went to a small organ in his home and began composing the notes, which have always been matched to the hymn to this day.

Two or three days later, the two men happened to meet again on the streets of Boston. Lowell Mason could hardly wait to shake hands first. He excitedly launched out: “Brother Ray, you will probably live to a ripe old age and do a lot of good things. But I think you will be remembered for centuries to come as the author of the hymn whose lyrics you entrusted to me the other day.”

And it turns out Lowell Mason's prediction was right on the money!

The Song Became a Hit

Indeed Ray Palmer lived to a ripe old age, almost 80 years old. He pastored two large congregations, was a church Synod President, and even co-president of his churches. He authored two volumes of poetry and prose. However, what people remember him most today is based on one thing only: a hymn he composed when he was a poor and lonely young man.

At first, Ray Palmer's setting to music by Lowell Mason was not very popular in the United States. But a Scottish minister visiting friends in America brought home a magazine cutout of the song. In Scotland the hymn began to be sung frequently in worship, became popular and its fame was carried back to its home country.

Even during his lifetime, Pastor Ray Palmer was able to enjoy favourable reception from Christians around the world because of his song. For example, a missionary in Syria once wrote a letter to Dr Palmer which read as follows:”At this very moment I have just listened to 120 girls from a Christian school singing your hymn.”

On the night before one of the most devastating battles of the Civil War in the United States, some soldiers were gathering. They realised that it was likely that some of them would die tomorrow on the battlefield. So they wanted to leave something behind as a testimony of their faith.

They finally agreed on a plan. They would write Ray Palmer's words on a piece of paper, and then they would put their signatures on it. The next day, the war broke out. True, some of the soldiers died. The survivors later told Pastor Palmer about the extraordinary event.

Ray Palmer's own life ended in 1887. But his song apparently lived on through the ages. Not only is it the "Greatest Spiritual Song" by an American, but it is also a hymn loved by people all over the world. The hymn has been translated into dozens of languages around the world, including Indonesian, and is still played everywhere, as a testimony of faith for all Christians.

Slowly read and sing the song My Faith Looks Up To Thee(Look to Your Cross) to four emphasise how deeply Ray Palmer lives the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus and believes in the power of His presence. The lyrics of the first stanza have been shown at the beginning of this article. Here are the lyrics of the second to fourth stanzaLook at Your Crossas written in the congregational hymn No. 32.

Make Your power in my heart a holy fire.

The love of the cross is the source of grace;

The love of the cross is the source of grace.

My love is forever to Thee

The love of the cross is the source of grace;

In the shadow of death, Lord, still You are my hope!

In the shadow of death, Lord, still You are my hope.

In the dark valley of sorrow fades away,.

if ‘I stay on your path.

If ‘I stay on your path.

In the hour of my death, my doubts and fears are cast away.

If ‘I stay on your path.