WARREN SHIVER
THERE'S WITHIN MY HEART
A MELODY
(He Keeps Me Singing)
AUTHOR: LUTHER B. BRIDGES
(1884-1948)
COMPOSER: L. B. BRIDGES
(1884-1948)

When we sing the lovely words of Luther Bridger's hymn, "There's Within My Heart a Melody", we would never dream of the sorrow and tragedy that came to the author just before he wrote this beautiful hymn.

Luther Bridges was born near Margretville, NC, Feb. 14, 1884. Luther's parents moved to Georgia, and at the age of sixteen, Luther attended Asbury College in Wilmore, Kentucky. He began preaching at the age of seventeen and was ordained as a Methodist Minister. There he met the lovely Sarah Vetch, and they fell in love at first sight. Neither of them was twenty years old when they married. They had three children, all boys. Luther was successful as an evangelist at the early age of eighteen, and continued in what he called, "The soul saving work", until shortly before his death.

It was in 1910 about seven years after his marriage that he accepted an invitation to hold a twoweek revival in a church near his wife's parents home in Kentucky. He left his wife and three small boys at her parent's home and went to the nearby town to hold services. He was in a great revival and many people were professing Christ as their Savior. Near the end of the revival services, Luther received a late night long-distance phone call. Who could be calling at this hour, and what could be wrong? It was hard for the twenty-six year old Luther to take in the full impact of this call. His wife's parents home had burned to the ground. His wife, Sarah, and their three sons had all died in the fire. He was bereaved for his wife and children, and asked himself, "How could this happen while I was doing God's will?"

For some time, he was stunned and inactive. Again the Lord began

speaking to him about evangelism. He began to prepare himself in prayer, and study, and stopped asking God, "Why?" The Lord spoke to him through His word, "The Lord is my portion saith my soul. They that dwell in the secret place of the most high shall abide in the shadow of the Almighty." Luther thought to himself, "The secret place, the shadow , and the presence of the Almighty", he could trust Him. The God of all earth would not fail or forsake him.

Stories Behind The Hymns is written by Warren Shiver of Biscoe,NC. Shiver has been fascinated with the true stories behind the hymns since he was a 12-year old attending East Gaffney Baptist Church in Gaffney, S.C. He began studying the stories behind the hymns in 1957. If you have questions or comments, he can be reached by email at wshiver99@ embarqmail.com or by mail at PO BOX 775,Biscoe,NC 27209.

"104 Of My Favorite Hymn Stories" book ,300 pages, $14.95, shipping is free to Ledger readers. Warren Shiver, PO BOX 775, Biscoe N.C. 27209.

THERE'S WITHIN MY HEART A MELODY (He Keeps Me Singing)

Verse 1
There's within my heart a melody,
Jesus whispers sweet and low,
Fear not, I am with thee, peace be still.
In all of life's ebb and flow
Chorus:
Jesus,Jesus, Jesus,
Sweetest name I know,
Fills my every longing,
Keeps me singing as I go.
Who could have blamed Luther if he had given up after losing his
entire family in such a horrible way? With the assurance of Christ who
loved us and gave Himself for us, Luther again felt confident. He
penned the second verse:
Verse 2
All my life was wrecked by sin and strife
Discord filled my heart with pain
Jesus swept across the broken strings
Stirred the slumbering chords again
Yes, friends, our paths may be rough, was the message Luther
gave us, but look what Jesus suffered for us. He was wounded for our
transgressions; he was bruised for our iniquities, and the chastisement
of our peace was upon Him; with His stripes we are healed. They
placed a crown of thorns on His brow, yet he bowed His head and said,
"Father forgive them for they know not what they do." Luther added, "I
am convinced that Jesus will go with me through the fire and the
floods." With this promise from the scripture Luther finished the song
added verses three, four and five.
Verse 3
Feasting on the riches of His grace,
Resting' neath His Sheltering wing,
Always looking on His smiling face,
That is why I shout and sing.
Chorus:
Verse 4
Tho' sometimes He leads thro' waters deep
Trials fall across the way,
Tho' sometimes the path seems rough and steep,
See His footprints all the way.
Chorus:
Verse 5
Soon He's coming back to welcome me
Far beyond the starry sky
I shall wing my flight to worlds unknown
I shall reign with Him on high.
Chorus: