It is He who made the earth by His power, who established the world by His wisdom, and by His understanding He stretched out the heavens.   Jeremiah 51:15 (NASB)

Isaac Watts, the son of a schoolmaster and the eldest of nine children, was born in Southampton, England July 17, 1674. Watts had a classical education and learned Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. Following his education, in 1698, he became the assistant pastor of Mark Lane Chapel, a large independent chapel in London where he preached his first sermon. In 1702, he became the pastor. Watts is referred to as the father of English hymnody. His first hymn “Behold the glories of the Lamb” was written as an attempt to raise the standard of praise. Some of his hymns were written to be sung after his sermons, giving expression to the meaning of the text upon which he had preached. Watts’ ambition, according to his own words, was as follows: “My design was not to exalt myself to the rank and glory of poets, but I was ambitious to be a servant to the churches, and a helper to the joy of the meanest Christian.Though he never married, Isaac Watts always loved children and wrote much for them. In 1715 he wrote a book of songs especially for young people, Divine Songs for Children. This hymnal was the first hymnal ever written exclusively for children.

The text for “I Sing the Mighty Power of God” is from Watts’ hymnal of 1715. In the preface to this hymnal Watts wrote,”…I have endeavored to sink the language to the level of a child’s understanding, and yet to keep it, if possible, above contempt, so I have designed to profit all, if possible, and offend none.” The music for this text was first found in a collection published in 1784. The tune, “Ellacombe,” first appeared in England in 1868 in the Appendix to Hymns Ancient and Modern, a widely published hymnal of the nineteenth century. The tune was named for a village in Devonshire, England.

Watts was frail in health during much of his life and the last thirty years of his life he was more or less an invalid. He lived at the home of his friend, Sir Thomas Abney and in this comfortable and happy surrounding he wrote many of the hymns still used today that have been translated into numerous languages. He wrote more than 750 hymns including “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” (April 2014 KHCB Hymn), “O God, Our Help in Ages Past” (October 2017 KHCB Hymn), “Jesus Shall Reign” (May 2020 KHCB Hymn), and “Joy to the World!” (December 2020 KHCB Hymn).

After his death in 1748, a monument was erected to him in Westminster Abbey.

Taken from 101 Hymn Stories Copyright © 1982, 2012 by Kenneth W. Osbeck. Published by Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, MI. Used by permission. All rights reserved.