Anne Steele (1717-1778) may be the greatest hymn writer in history, but unfortunately, not many know of her. She published in 1760, under the pen name Theodosia, a collection of one hundred forty-four hymns she had composed, the first of its kind in Baptist circles. Until Anne came along, the only songs sung in Baptist churches were slow, plodding metrical Psalms.
Her hymns address all manner of everyday concerns, including suffering, given how Anne was personally acquainted with suffering. Her mother died when she was three, and Anne struggled with chronic malaria, with its accompanying side effects of anemia, fatigue, and a weakened immune system. When she was twenty, a potential suitor drowned in a tragic accident.
I admire her candor in praying about suffering. She isn’t shy about bringing her wrestling to God in prayer.
One of her remarkable hymns, “Dear Refuge of my Weary Soul,” follows here. Right from the outset, she simultaneously acknowledges God as her refuge and her weary soul: “When sorrows rise” and “trouble rolls,” she clings to God in hope. She acknowledges in verse 3 that when “gloomy doubts prevail” and “springs of comfort seem to fail,” she struggles to call upon God. In verse 5, she is bold to pray, “Hast Thou not bidden me to seek Thy face?” She follows it with a second plaintiff question, “Can the ear of sovereign God be deaf when I complain?”
Her hymn closes with the assurance that God will somehow prevail over her afflictions. In the end, God will be enough. She can endure whatever providence brings so long as she is assured that God is with her and will save her in the end. Fortunately for us, this hymn is back in circulation.
I commend to you Keith and Kristyn Getty’s modern rendition of this remarkable hymn: