William J. Kirkpatrick began his song writing ministry when he was a major with the Union army in the Civil War. One of his most famous hymns was written to express his desire to see souls saved & changed by the power of Christ.
In one of the meetings, a soloist had been hired to provide the special music. He had a magnificent voice & was able to put tremendous expression into the music he sang. However, William noticed that the young man always left after he finished singing & never stayed to hear the sermon.
Afraid that the soloist was not a Christian, William knelt in his tent & prayed long & earnestly for his soul. As he prayed, some words began to form in his mind. He wrote them down & set them to a tune.
That evening, William handed the newly-written words & tune to the soloist. Visibly moved after he had sung them, the man stayed for the sermon, went to the altar that night & gave his heart to Christ. The song became a popular invitation hymn in evangelical services, winning many others beside the man it was written for.
It was these words, written by William that the Holy Spirit used to bring salvation to a lost soul:
"I've wandered far away from God
Now, I'm coming home
The paths of sin too long I've trod
Lord, I'm coming home.
Coming home, coming home
Never more to roam
Open wide thine arms of love,
Lord, I'm coming home."
At the end of the day, there was a HOMECOMING all because of his coming home.
The story of the prodigal son is a perfect fit to this great hymn, “Lord, I’m Coming Home.” -Steve Wagers (sermoncity.com)
Luke 15:20-21 (GNB): “So he (prodigal son) got up and started back to his father. He was still a long way from home when his father saw him; his heart was filled with pity, and he ran, threw his arms around his son, and kissed him. 'Father,' the son said, 'I have sinned against God and against you. I am no longer fit to be called your son.'”
“The purpose of the Bible? Salvation. God's highest passion is to get His children home. His book, the Bible, describes His plan of salvation.” - Max Lucado.
Heb 2:3 (CEV) says: “So if we refuse this great way of being saved, how can we hope to escape?”
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