Into My Heart

 Into My Heart is composed by Harry D. Clarke. he was  orphaned at an early age, Clarke ran away from the orphanage and worked at sea for almost 10 years. He eventually moved to London, then to America. He attended the Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, then went into composing, music publishing, and evangelism. He served as song leader for Harry vom Bruch and Billy Sunday, being so impressed by Sunday that he established the Billy Sunday Memorial Chapel in Sioux City, Iowa (where he served as pastor until 1945). Clarke also worked in the evangelism field in Garards Fort, Pennsylvania, and South Milford, Indiana. 

 This song which urges us to have the kind of commitment by which Christ may dwell in our hearts by faith is "Into My Heart" (#658 in Hymns for Worship Revised). The text was written and the tune was composed both by Harry Dudley Clarke, who was born on Jan. 28, 1888, at Cardiff, Wales, and had a very hard youth. Orphaned at an early age, he ran away from the orphanage and went to sea where he worked for almost ten years. Eventually, with the help of a brother he went to London, then Canada, and eventually to America where he attended the Moody Bible Institute at Chicago, IL, in the early 1920’s. After that he went into composing and music publishing, producing many songs and choruses with both words and music which appeared in his Gospel Truth in Song (three volumes), Fishers of Men, Choruses for Fishers of Men (two volumes), and Songs of Glory. Later he sold his copyrights to Hope Publishing Co. The chorus beginning "Into My Heart" was first published in the 1924 edition of Gospel Truth in Song. The stanzas were added in 1927. Other Clarke hymns in common use are "Awake, O Church of Christ," "Fishers of Men," "What Must I Do?" (or "Believe").

     In addition, Clarke was active in evangelism, serving as song director for revival preachers Harry vom Bruch and Billy Sunday. Impressed by Sunday’s work, Clarke established the Billy Sunday Memorial Chapel in Sioux City, IA, where he served as minister until 1945. In later life, he conducted his own evangelistic campaigns with headquarters first in Garard’s Fort, PA, and finally in South Milford, IN. When the copyrights for "Into My Heart" were renewed in 1952 and 1955, they were owned by Hope Publishing. A couple of years later, Clarke died on Oct. 14, 1957, at Lexington, KY. Among hymnbooks published by members of the Lord’s church during the twentieth century for use in churches of Christ, the chorus appeared in the 1937 Great Songs of the Church No. 2 edited by E. L. Jorgenson. Today it is found in the 1971 Songs of the Church edited by Alton H. Howard; and the 1992 Praise for the Lord edited by John P. Wiegand; as well as Hymns for Worship Revised. In both of the last two there is an additional "stanza" from an anonymous source identified as an "American Folk Hymn."
"Out of my heart, out of my heart, Shine out of my heart, Lord Jesus;
Shine out today, shine out alway, Shine out of my heart, Lord Jesus."
The entire original song is used in the 1977 Special Sacred Selections edited by Ellis J. Crum.

     "Into My Heart" emphasizes the importance of committing ourselves to let Jesus rule our lives.

To download the easy alphanotes and chords sheet music, look here. Enjoy!

1 Into my heart, into my heart, Come into my heart, Lord Jesus; Come in today, come in to stay; Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. 2 Rule in my heart, rule in my heart, Thou King of my heart, Lord Jesus; Make this Thy throne, rule there alone, Thou King of my heart, Lord Jesus.

3.Walking with Thee, walking with Thee, We're walking with Thee, Lord Jesus; In work, in play, we serve, we pray, We're walking with Thee, Lord Jesus.