Come Thou Long Expected Jesus
History
This hymn was written in 1744 by the great hymnist, Charles Wesley.
As he meditated on Haggai 2:7, he noted the tragic orphan situation in Great Britain, as well as the great class divide of the time. In 18th century England, orphaned children were taken advantage of in terrible ways. Not only was there an epidemic of homeless children, but the so-called orphanages that housed the children were orphanages in name only. More accurately, they were “workhouses.”
Children were forced into doing the kinds of manual labor no one else wanted to do. They were often beaten, starved, and otherwise mistreated in unimaginable ways.
These so-called “Blackguard Children” or “Blackguard Youth” served as the backdrop for classic novels by Charles Dickens, and it was an unfortunate reality of life in England at the time. There were thousands of these workhouses littered around the country, putting children to work in terrible conditions. It was this heartbreaking world that Wesley saw around him. Everywhere he looked, it seemed, there was injustice.
He penned this hymn as a hymn of hope and expectation—the groanings of humanity have for so long expected our Savior to return and set all things right. This is a hymn of remembrance for us and an anthem of eager anticipation.
We remember that Jesus came in the humblest form, yet full of glory, and we eagerly long for His final return.
Devotion
Psalm 34 is a great anthem for God’s people as we long for deliverance from the injustices of the world. Verse 18 promises that “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”
Many of the same injustices that plagued those in Charles Wesley’s day still afflict those around the modern world. We are still longing for the final return of Christ, but as David boldly declares in Psalm 34:1, “I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
Regardless of our circumstance, we know that the Lord is good. He is our deliverer. He is the defender of the brokenhearted and Savior of the crushed in spirit. It’s easy to look around at the terrors that sin throws at our world every single day—five minutes watching the news is more than enough to see how much creation groans for redemption. The more we see, the easier it is to wonder where God is and when He will bring a final end to the trouble.
But we know His promises are true and faithful. How do we know? He promised to send a Savior to redeem people to Him, and 2,000 years ago He did exactly that. The long-expected Jesus came as a humble child, but saved the nations. That same Savior promised that He would return.
We long for the return of Jesus, but in the meantime, we have a job to do. He has left us here to do His work. Micah 6:8 illustrates this command for us in unambiguous terms: “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
This Christmas season, look for ways to bless the Lord by blessing people.
We’re put here to put others first, and there’s no greater time to do that than this time of year.
Related Scripture
Psalm 34:18, Haggai 2:7; Micah 6:8
Come Thou long Expected Jesus Lyrics
Come, thou long expected Jesus,
born to set thy people free;
from our fears and sins release us,
let us find our rest in thee.
Israel's strength and consolation,
hope of all the earth thou art;
dear desire of every nation,
joy of every longing heart.
Born thy people to deliver,
born a child and yet a King,
born to reign in us forever,
now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal spirit
rule in all our hearts alone;
by thine all sufficient merit,
raise us to thy glorious throne.