Wonderful grace of Jesus,
Greater than all my sin;
How shall my tongue describe it,
Where shall its praise begin?
Taking away my burden,
Setting my spirit free;
For the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.
Refrain Wonderful the matchless grace of Jesus,
Deeper than the mighty rolling sea;
Wonderful grace, all sufficient for me, for even me.
Broader than the scope of my transgressions,
Greater far than all my sin and shame,
O magnify the precious Name of Jesus.
Praise His Name!
2. Wonderful grace of Jesus,
Reaching to all the lost,
By it I have been pardoned,
Saved to the uttermost,
Chains have been torn asunder,
Giving me liberty;
For the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.
3. Wonderful grace of Jesus,
Reaching the most defiled,
By its transforming power,
Making him God’s dear child,
Purchasing peace and heaven,
For all eternity;
And the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.
Haldor Lillenas was born this date,11/19/1885, at Island of Stord, Norway. His Lutheran family moved to the US and after a stay in South Dakota (Colton, a few miles NW of Sioux Falls) settled in Oregon.
Haldor was converted to personal faith in Jesus Christ at age 21 under the influence of the Penial Mission in Portland. He almost immediately felt a call to minister God’s Holy Word becoming a Nazarene as was his wife, Bertha Mae Wilson, also a song writer.
God gave Lillenas some 4,000 Gospel texts plus hundreds of hymn tunes, including the above. In 1924 he founded Lillenas Music Company (bought by the Nazarenes in 1930) and worked there until he retired in 1950. He passed away at Aspen, CO, 8/18/1959.
Separate-Holy 