Like a River Glorious Lyrics Frances R. Havergal, 1876
3 verses and a refrain, public domain, free to print and project.
The words
Verse 1. Like a river glorious is God’s perfect peace,
Over all victorious in its bright increase;
Perfect, yet it floweth fuller every day,—
Perfect, yet it groweth deeper all the way.
Refrain Stayed upon Jehovah hearts are fully blest;
Finding, as He promised, perfect peace and rest.
Verse 2. Hidden in the hollow of His blessèd hand,
Never foe can follow, never traitor stand;
Not a surge of worry, not a shade of care,
Not a blast of hurry moves the spirit there.
Verse 3. Every joy or trial falleth from above,
Traced upon our dial by the Sun of Love.
We may trust Him fully all for us to do:
They who trust Him wholly find Him wholly true.
Sing the refrain after every verse.
Words copied from Sacred Songs and Solos: Twelve Hundred Hymns (1921). They were published in 1876, so they are in the public domain in the United States, and your church may print them, show them and sing them without a license.
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The story behind Like a River Glorious
Frances Ridley Havergal dated this hymn 3 November 1874, according to her Poetical Works of 1884, and wrote it in Leamington, Warwickshire, where her family had a home. The Hymnology Archive links it to her bout of typhoid fever. It notes that her condition turned critical around mid-November, so the timeline is not clear. The words rest on three Isaiah passages, Isaiah 26:3, 48:18 and 66:12 to 13.
The Hymnology Archive says the hymn first appeared in Hymns of Consecration and Faith, published in London by Haughton in 1876 and edited by James Mountain. That printing had three stanzas and a refrain labeled Perfect Peace. Hymnary quotes Julian's Dictionary of Hymnology for a different first collection, Havergal's Loyal Responses of 1878. The two sources disagree, and the 1876 printing is earlier.
Mountain wrote the tune himself. Hymnary says he composed it for Havergal's text on one of his first preaching tours through Britain. He was a Leeds-born evangelist who later became a Baptist and founded St. John's Free Church in Tunbridge Wells. The name WYE VALLEY refers to the district around Wye, near Ashford in Kent. The Hymnology Archive says the name first appears in Redemption Songs in 1937. Baptist Hymnal 1991 prints the tune in F major.
Frances Ridley Havergal
1836-12-14 to 1879-06-03
Frances Ridley Havergal was born on December 14, 1836, at Astley, Worcestershire, and died on June 3, 1879, at Caswell Bay near Swansea. She was the daughter of the Rev. William Henry Havergal, who composed tunes himself. She entered Mrs. Teed's school in 1850 and studied several modern languages, plus Greek and Hebrew. She was confirmed in Worcester Cathedral in 1853. Her hymns include Take My Life and Let It Be and Like a River Glorious. Loyal Responses collected many of them in 1878.
James Mountain
1844 to 1933
James Mountain (1844 to 1933) was born in Leeds, England, and died in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. He was shaped by the Countess of Huntingdon's evangelical circle and by the English tour of Dwight L. Moody and Ira Sankey. He worked as an evangelist from 1874 to 1889, later became a Baptist and founded St. John's Free Church in Tunbridge Wells. He edited Hymns of Consecration and Faith in 1876, which printed Frances Havergal's Like a River Glorious. Hymnary dates his tune WYE VALLEY to 1876, composed on one of his first preaching tours.
- Hymnology Archive: Like a river glorious , read 2026-10-16
- Hymnary.org: WYE VALLEY (Mountain) , read 2026-10-16
- Hymnary.org: Frances Ridley Havergal , read 2026-10-16
Scripture in Like a River Glorious
The Bible passages behind the words.
- Isaiah 26:3
- Isaiah 48:18
- Isaiah 66:12
Like a River Glorious videos
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Like A River Glorious • Congregational Daniel Baptist, Congregation
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Like a River Glorious Martijn de Groot, Congregation
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Like A River Glorious by Oasis Chorale Oasis Chorale, Choir
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Like a River Glorious - piano instrumental hymn Kaleb Brasee, Piano
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Like a River Glorious // Sounds Like Reign Sounds Like Reign, Modern arrangement
Videos play from YouTube, and nothing loads from YouTube until you press play. A video may sing different verses from the ones printed on this page.
Print and project
Chords and keys
Hymnals print it in F or E♭.
Questions people ask
Who wrote Like a River Glorious?
Frances Ridley Havergal wrote it and dated it 3 November 1874. James Mountain wrote the tune.
What is the story behind Like a River Glorious?
The Hymnology Archive says Havergal wrote it in Leamington during a time of illness with typhoid fever. It notes that the dates do not line up exactly.
What Bible verses is Like a River Glorious based on?
The first stanza rests on Isaiah 26:3, Isaiah 48:18 and Isaiah 66:12 to 13. The Hymnology Archive suggests more Isaiah echoes in the second stanza.
Is Like a River Glorious in the public domain?
Yes. The words are public domain in the United States, first published in 1876. Mountain's tune dates to 1876 as well.
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