Songs of Faith That You Should Know: “Dear Refuge of My Weary Soul” - Music Ministry, November 2025
- music9224
- Nov 1
- 3 min read
Anne Steele is a name that is not too familiar to many church going folks these days. From a historical perspective, this is rather surprising as she was once one of the most widely dispersed and enjoyed hymn writers in the English speaking world. Anne lived in the 18th century as the daughter of a Baptist preacher. She penned 144 hymns, and 48 Psalms in verse (commonly referred to as “metrical Psalms” or “Psalms in meter”). Her hymns and Psalm settings were exceedingly popular from shortly after her death in 1778 through the 19th century. In 1808, an Episcopal church in Boston published its own hymnal, and out of the 152 hymns in the volume, 59 were by Anne Steele! This is really something; that a Baptist writer would have composed more than one third of the lyrical content in an Episcopal hymn book. Many of her hymns have fallen out of fashion, and to our great loss. But do not worry, we have them still, and they are waiting to be heard and sung once more. Here we explore “Dear Refuge of My Weary Soul.”
Dear refuge of my weary soul, On Thee, when sorrows rise;
On Thee, when waves of trouble roll, My fainting hope relies.
To Thee I tell each rising grief, For Thou alone canst heal;
Thy Word can bring a sweet relief For every pain I feel.
But oh! When gloomy doubts prevail, I fear to call Thee mine;
The springs of comfort seem to fail, And all my hopes decline.
Yet gracious God, where shall I flee? Thou art my only trust,
And still my soul would cleave to Thee Though prostrate in the dust.
Hast Thou not bid me seek Thy face, And shall I seek in vain?
And can the ear of sovereign grace Be deaf when I complain?
No still the ear of sovereign grace Attends the mourner's prayer;
Oh may I ever find access To breathe my sorrows there.
Thy mercy seat is open still, Here let my soul retreat,
With humble hope attend Thy will, And wait beneath Thy feet.
Thy mercy seat is open still, Here let my soul retreat,
With humble hope attend Thy will, And wait beneath Thy feet.
Anne dealt with severe pain and various health issues, attributed to malaria, for virtually her entire life. She lost several loved ones far too soon. This text reflects a beautiful Christian response to such difficult circumstances. Though we are tired and our sorrows beat us down, even to the point of weariness, we have still a refuge. The Christian maintains an everlasting and indomitable hope that, by the grace of the Lord Jesus, we can look forward to an eternal rest with Him in glory. And even now, while we yet haunt this mortal coil, we can be assured that the almighty, all powerful God is still merciful. He hears the prayers of His faithful and will tend to them in His time. When we find ourselves prostrate in the dust – cleave to Christ, for “still the ear of sovereign grace attends the mourner’s prayer,” and you shall ever find access to breathe your sorrows there. Praise God for His faithfulness, for His mercy, and for His salvation offered freely unto us!
Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.
Isaiah 40:31
Listen for yourself! This hymn has been set to many tunes over the years. A couple of recent settings are really excellent. Below are links to listen to settings from Indelible Grace and Matt Merker. Happy listening.
Idelible Grace (featuring Sandra McCracken): https://youtu.be/UIwRiDym3Xc?si=hX4c9EO9solqal8P
Matt Merker (live from Sing! Conference 2023): https://youtu.be/A8dJU41xQ5o?si=tl33wFhen-y_bMLg
Blessings,
Dan Byerly
Director of Music Ministry