“Thou Magnet of My Soul” by Margaret E. Barber

“Thou Magnet of My Soul” by Margaret E. Barber
#236 in Songs and Hymns of Life.

This week we will continue to look at the hymns of Margaret E. Barber. We invite you to take some time to read and sing through the hymn before reading the devotional post. You can use a recording here.

Verse 1
Thou Magnet of my soul! 
Let me come nearer, till 
The life of self pulsates no more, 
But is forever still. 

Verse 2
Thou Sunshine of my heart! 
Fill Thou each crevice there, 
And let Thy garden yield to Thee 
A fragrance sweet and rare. 

Verse 3
Thou Ransomer from death! 
Possess Thy ransomed one: 
Appropriate to Thine own use 
The spoil that Thou hast won. 

Verse 4
Thou Lord of Life and Light! 
I bow beneath Thy sway, 
And count it holy privilege 
Thy precepts to obey. 

Verse 5
Thou Gift unspeakable! 
Straight from God’s heart of love; 
I break my heart to give Thee room 
And thus Thy sweetness prove.

This is one of my favorite hymns. Additionally, it is one of those hymns that I find myself singing frequently in a variety of ways and situations. For example, this is a wonderful morning song. I can almost feel the dawning sun peeking over the horizon as I invite Jesus as the Light of the World into my heart and day yet again. Yet this can also be an incredibly helpful song when you are at a huge crossroads in your life. Many times, I have been helped to surrender myself to the Lord and to His good and perfect will again, to simply trust and follow Him. As I could become quite long-winded about the song, let us begin with a look at the author of this sweet and precious hymn.

M. E. Barber lived an outstanding life. From a human perspective, this may seem far from the truth, but she was utterly devoted to the Lord. Her faith, dedication, and longing to live a life for Christ and with Christ is hard to compare to. During her second period while living as a missionary in China without the regular support of a missionary society like her first period; she was content to dwell in a small, mostly unimpressive town because she felt called by the Lord to do so. She did not desire outward success, fame, money, or even a comfortable living; she just desired Christ and to follow Him fully. Her heart, characterized by intensity and fervency for God, is encapsulated well in this hymn.

Verse 1
Thou Magnet of my soul! 
Let me come nearer, till 
The life of self pulsates no more, 
But is forever still. 

Miss Barber was deeply affected by a host of Christian writers, many of whom had a focus on inner life. Among these was Madame Guyon, whose book “Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ” had a deep impact. Perhaps it was from this book that Miss Barber borrowed this idea that Christ is like a divine magnet, full of a divinely attractive force, drawing us ever closer to Himself, our soul’s true Center. Hence the thought of this verse (and as we will see in the rest of the hymn!) is based upon coming closer to the Lord, being drawn and attracted to Him. 

Interestingly, the product of this drawing and coming closer to Christ is the stilling of self. To illustrate, I am thinking of a magnet—a big, heavy one—and a small paperclip. That little paperclip can be shaken by the winds easily. But once it finds itself in the magnetic field of that strong magnet, it will automatically be drawn closer to the magnet, at which point the winds will no longer have any effect on it. Almost immediately, you will find that paperclip completely stuck to that magnet, immovable. To me, this is the imagery that comes to mind when thinking of this verse. I too, like that little paperclip, desire to come closer to Jesus, that all my “paperclip” shaking from the winds of self can be stilled.

Thou Magnet of my soul! 
Let me come nearer, till 
The life of self pulsates no more, 
But is forever still.

Verse 2
Thou Sunshine of my heart! 
Fill Thou each crevice there, 
And let Thy garden yield to Thee 
A fragrance sweet and rare. 

Verse 3
Thou Ransomer from death! 
Possess Thy ransomed one: 
Appropriate to Thine own use 
The spoil that Thou hast won. 

It is so precious to know that Jesus Christ is the One that died on the Cross, that we may be saved from sin and death. He is truly the One that has set us free. Yet the question implicit in this verse is: What comes after being ransomed from death? Are we to wander off and continue in our selfish ways and to seek our own things? I hope we can agree that the answer is a firm, “No.” Then what? Have we ever stopped to consider that maybe Jesus had a thought and direction that He would want us to go, to be drawn towards? Perhaps a large step in Jesus’ salvation is inviting Him to take full possession of our hearts. Miss Barber was someone who was willing to be used by the Lord, even if that meant taking a lonely path or living in a smaller town. Can we, too, ask the Lord to draw us more, to take us and make us fit for His purposes, whatever that purpose with us may be? Praise the Lord that He is our Savior and Ransomer! But can we allow Him to move and work within us as He pleases, for His own uses?

Verse 4
Thou Lord of Life and Light! 
I bow beneath Thy sway, 
And count it holy privilege 
Thy precepts to obey. 

Depending on our perception of ourselves, this kind of prayer may not be easy. To “bow beneath [His] sway” seems to be asking for full obedience, a total surrender to His “holy precepts”; to both acknowledge that the Lord has a will and direction in which He would like me to go AND for me to comply. Jesus Christ—the wonderful, glorious, divine Magnet—is drawing us this way. But I may think that I have a lot to lose. What about my career, my family, my livelihood? What about my personal preferences, wants, and desires? Shouldn’t I stand up for my rights? I could, but deep inside, in the depths of my heart, I know there is a gentle sway. Have you sensed it too? There is a way that the Lord is directing me to go. There is a little word that the Lord is speaking to me. Can I just obey it? Can I just go with it? Can I realize that it is actually a great privilege that the Lord wants to go deeper in me and change who I am—if I can give in to His attractive force, to yield, follow, and cooperate with Him? Miss Barber endeavored to live under the Lord’s sway and direction, and because of this, we can enjoy a little of the fruit that came out of such a life. May we all, together with the author, acknowledge our Lord’s right over our lives, humble ourselves, and bow beneath His gracious and mighty sway.

Verse 5
Thou Gift unspeakable! 
Straight from God’s heart of love; 
I break my heart to give Thee room 
And thus Thy sweetness prove.

How much do we realize that God loves us? Our Father’s great heart of love, and all that He has given and provided because of His love, is truly beyond words, unspeakable. I think of the grace and mercy of God: I didn’t love Him, I wasn’t seeking Him, I was not thinking about how I could please Him with my life; and yet He loved me and sent His Son to be the propitiation for my sins, that I might live through Him! (1 John 4:9-10) He knew what I needed and met the need—even before I knew it or asked for it!

The second half of verse 5 is perhaps the most shocking part of the hymn. What does she mean? Why does she use such strong language? Should I break my own heart? Who would choose to do such a thing? But such was Miss Barber’s heart and life. It is recorded in one of the few biographical sketches we have of her that:

She had a heart to love the Lord and to live unto Him. Once she was facing a situation that was difficult because the price it demanded involved everything she had. In this situation she lifted up her eyes with tears and said, “Lord! In order to satisfy Your heart, I am willing to have my heart broken.¹

Miss Barber loved the Lord so dearly. Though her heart had its wants and desires, she was not content to let those overrule the Lord having His full way in her. She knew that the Magnet was drawing her differently. So she was willing to have her heart broken, to break her heart, so that the Lord could have room to work as He willed. Maybe this is a reason why we can sense such a sweet fragrance of Christ in her and her poems.

We can consider any price we may have to pay in a similar way. Often our preferences and wants do not match what the Lord wants. Instead of attempting to make the Lord’s desires fit our desires, we can allow our hearts to break. We can concede our own preference, and let the Lord have His way. We can continue to let the Magnet draw us even closer to Him. The outflow is twofold: 1) We follow Christ and are living in accordance with His will; and 2) There is a special sweetness that we will be able to find, to taste, to prove. Surely we will have His sweet presence, and we will also have something so divine and intimate worked out within us too.

May the Lord gain such a pure and fervent desire within us all. May we seek to follow Him at any cost. May we desire Christ more than our own preferences and wants. May we all be drawn ever closer to the true Magnet of our souls.

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¹http://mebarber.ccws.org/story/8.html