New Song – “Deeper, Deeper”

Our church will be introducing a new song on September 4 called “Deeper, Deeper.”

The song as a whole is a prayer from a Christian to God, asking to grow in the awareness of the grace and gifts that are ours in Christ. It doesn’t shy away from the difficulties of life, as seen in the verse that says, “Deeper, deeper though it cost hard trials/Deeper let me go/Rooted in the holy love of Jesus/Let me fruitful grow.” Rather, it represents a heart posture that values fellowship with God more than anything this world has to offer. May that be the heart desire of our church.

Like some other songs we sing at our church such as “Grace Greater Than Our Sin” and “Leaning On The Everlasting Arms,” the refrain of this song originally has an echo. Unlike those songs, however, we’re trying to teach it beforehand so that people actually sing it!

There is a recording and sheet music at the bottom of this page. Please take some time to learn it beforehand so that we can sing with confidence on September 4, the echo representing the unity in diversity that is ours as the body of Christ.

You can find a bit of the history of the hymn below (Taken from https://www.hymnologyarchive.com/deeper-deeper).

This gospel hymn was written in 1900 by C.P. Jones (1865–1949) while he was pastor of Mt. Helm Baptist Church in Jackson, Mississippi. Much later in his life, he supplied this story behind it:

It grew out of my dissatisfaction with my limited ability to do good. The Savior had said, “He that believeth on me the works that I do shall he do also, and greater works than these shall he do because I go to my Father” [John 14:12]. Not understanding thoroughly the oneness of the Christ body as revealed in 1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4, I did not see how anyone could do greater works than the Savior had done. I felt that nevertheless I was coming short of my highest privileges of service in Christ. I wonder if I was not right. Nevertheless I prayed in that song for deeper grace, deeper wisdom, more perfect conformity to and willingness to do God’s will.

I think, too, that the simplicity and the happy lift of the melody had something to do with its popularity…But I do not say this in spiritual exaltedness or pride. The Spirit gave me a song with which to express the need of my soul. And oh, how many need to sing it with me!

The hymn was first printed in Jesus Only Songs and Hymns (Jackson, MS: Truth Publishing, 1901), under his own publishing banner but probably prepared and printed by the National Baptist press in Nashville. It has become a pillar hymn in many black churches in America.