From a collegiate
standpoint, I prepared myself for a career in Management having obtained a BBA
in Business Management from Freed-Hardeman University and the MBA from Kent
State University. While pursuing a
career in business, I still had a desire to preach so I pursued some
congregations which were looking for a preacher, but I never could find a
match. It can become discouraging when
you are looking to serve but cannot seem to find a place to serve. I have seen veteran gospel preachers weep
when they had reached the conclusion that there were no pulpits that were
willing to hear them preach. I hope by
writing this that congregations will be more attentive to those who have
sacrificed much in days past for the furtherance of the kingdom of Christ. When I was a bit discouraged about the
matter, I happened to had the opportunity of meeting Wilson Wallace in
Woodbridge, VA, and he was discussing the background of the hymn Let Him Have His Way With Thee by Cyrus
Nusbaum. I have never had a pressing
desire to do much research on hymns and their creators; however, the story of
Cyrus Nusbaum inspired me to research, preach and write this column called
“Hymns & Hymn Writers”. My good
friend Wilson Wallace passed away February 24, 2103 which is one year ago from
the date that I am typing these words. He
was a great encouragement to me.
Incidentally, Wilson Wallace was the son of Foy E. Wallace, Jr.
Cyrus Silvester Nusbaum (1861-1937), Lyricist & Composer
Cyrus Silvester Nusbaum
was born July 27, 1861 in Middlebury, Indiana.
He served as a U. S. Army Captain in the American Red Cross in France
during World War I.
He was a school teacher
and was ordained as a Methodist Evangelist in 1886. He began serving a group of seven
congregations in one of the poorest circuits and districts in Kansas. After working with circuit for a year, he and
his wife went to the Methodist Conference to see about being re-assigned hoping
to have a better work to help support the family. They had prayed fervently for a better
position; however, the Conference’s decision was for them to keep working the
same circuit of churches. At first
angered, then discouraged, then submissive, he poured some of his emotions into
“Let Him Have His Way With Thee” the night the decision was made. The song was published in 1898.
He wrote other hymns and
music, but this hymn is the one that has endured. Another one that a person might be familiar
with is “I Have A Friend, The Best of All To Me”. The Southwestern College conferred upon him
the Doctorate of Divinity degree where he had served as Educational Secretary
in Winfield, Kansas. He continued to
serve small churches in Kansas as opportunities arose. Cyrus Nusbaum died December 27, 1937 in Wichita,
Kansas and is buried in Walnut Hill Cemetery in Kingman, Kansas.
Let Him
Have His Way With Thee
We may face what appear
to be devastating disappointments. We
may be laid off from work. We may have
to relocate our family. We may have to
change careers. We may have family
problems. We may struggle
financially. We may struggle
spiritually. We might have health
battles to fight. Through any of these,
we may wonder, does God really care? He does.
Jesus has demonstrated
the level of commitment He has toward God and us. He spoke these words while on
the earth—“When
He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them,
“Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross,
and follow Me. For whoever desires to
save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the
gospel’s will save it. For what will it
profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his
soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and
My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also
will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy
angels” (Mark 10:34-38,
NKJV.) Where is the demonstration of
our commitment to Him? Do we only serve
Him when it is convenient to do so?
Remember the words of Job—“Shall we not accept good from God, and shall we not
accept adversity?” (Job
2:10b, NKJV).
--------------------------------------------
SOURCES:
http://cyberhymnal.org/bio/n/u/nusbaum_cs.htm
Kenneth W. Osbeck, 101
More Hymn Stories, Part 2, p. 123.
http://www.hymnary.org/person/Nusbaum_Cyrus?
John P. Wiegand, Editor, Praise for the Lord, Nashville, TN: Praise Press, 1997.
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