Complimentary Story
August 2026Many of us have heard this beautiful song without giving much thought as to the story behind the song. That is, under what circumstances did it come into existence, the impact it had on thousands of lives, and what about the man who wrote the lyrics? Well, this is his story, very tragic for the man Robert Robinson, as he deserted the faith shortly after he penned this great hymn.
The struggles of the man are revealed in the very lyrics that he wrote, in the third stanza, as you can see, when he wrote:
O to grace, how great a debtor
daily I’m constrained to be!
Let that grace now, like a fetter,
bind my wandering heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
prone to leave the God I love;
here’s my heart; O take and seal it;
seal it for thy courts above
In this third stanza he writes, “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love! This was a very serious battle Robert was facing; yes, and many of us, if we were truthful, would admit it as well.
Robert did find himself wandering away from the God he loved for most of his adult life, after writing such a powerful song, after being converted to the Christian faith, under the influence of none other than Pastor George Whitefield. He deserted the faith and went back into the world, leaving his first love. Jesus warned the church of Ephesus in Revelation 4: “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.”
Robert started out life as an unbeliever, trouble maker. At 14 years of age, he apprenticed as a barber/hairdresser. One day, Robert and his friends decided to crash a tent meeting held by Pastor George Whitefield, intending to cause a ruckus, instead after hearing Pastor Whitefield’s powerful preaching, but he fell under deep conviction and repented, became born again, then pursued after a life of servitude to the God of grace, and gave his wandering heart to Him. But a few years later, he abandoned his faith, left his first true love of Christ, and was “prone to wander.” For many, many years he deserted the faith that once set him free from sin, death and destruction, returning to his own vomit.
Until one day, many years later, still in rebellion, far from God and His mercy and grace he once wrote so eloquently about, he happened upon this lady while riding in a stagecoach travelling. Upon her lap, she was carrying a hymnal; she was bubbling over with excitement as she started sharing this wonderful hymn that had so influenced her life that she wanted to share it with the stranger sitting next to her. So she exclaimed “Have you heard of this lovely hymnal? It’s called Thou Fount of Many Blessings, isn’t it wonderful? The words are so powerful and spiritual, I just love it, I wonder what manner of man was compelled to write such an inspirational song such as this!”
Robert, knowing she was talking about the very song he wrote so many years ago, tried to change the subject, but she insisted on sharing this beautiful melody with him, until he broke down and admitted that it was he who wrote that song, but knew he was now a miserable wretch. He said, “I wandered far away from the man I was when I wrote those words, and said to her ‘Madam, I am the poor, unhappy man who wrote that hymn many years ago, and I would give a thousand worlds, if I had them, to enjoy the feelings I had then.’”
She responded quickly with the words from his own song, “God’s grace and mercy are still available to you right now, Mr. Robinson, as did the prodigal son return to his father, so you too can return to the Father you left behind; all you need to do is look at the pig stye you find yourself in, and realize that slaves/servants in your Father’s house are much better off. The Father is ready to receive you back into the fold, with gladness, you are one of the lost sheep, he left the 99 to go after, so if you hear His voice today, harden not your hearts, but return to the Father. He will welcome you back with open arms.”
I write this to those who have fallen away from the Faith, or never had it to begin with.
Robert Robinson became a Pastor himself, under the teaching and influence of both the Wesley brothers, John and Charles, as well as George Whitefield; he was full of the Holy Spirit, and wrote that lovely hymn, “Come thou fount of many blessings.” Yet, he was still prone to wander. Let that be a warning to us all: stay close to Jesus in your daily walk; don’t let that flame burn out and become just an ember about ready to go out; let the holy spirit blow in that flame every day to keep the fire going in your bosom. I myself was prone to wander from the God I love, and I did for many years, living a lukewarm life, which God detests, as it is written in Revelation 3:16: “So because you are lukewarm — neither hot nor cold — I am about to spit you out of My mouth.” (NIV).
In the end, Robert Robinson returned to the God he loved, but wasted many years in the wilderness. Are you walking in the wilderness? Far away from the God of LOVE?
In closing, this is the Scripture verse that drew me to the God I love: Revelation 3:16: “Behold, I stand at the door (of your heart) and knock; if any man open the door (of your heart) and let Me in, I will come in and have fellowship with him.”
If you feel you are prone to wander from the God of love, don’t; there is nothing out there that can satisfy your soul. Learn from the man who penned this song, then left it all behind as Esau did for a bowl of soup! Losing out on his inheritance into the kingdom. Warning: God will let you go, it is up to you to return to Him before it’s too late!
