HymnInfo

Move Me: Meaning, History, and Theology

"Move me, move me; move me to do your will"

Written
1978
Category
Hymn
Status
Verified

Viewed 27 times

🔗 Explore Hymn Connections

Share this hymn

Help others discover the story, message, and study guide for this hymn.

X WhatsApp

Story

Move Me is a 1978 prayer song written and composed by Richard Alan Henderson. Published in Songs of Zion and later The United Methodist Hymnal, it is associated with commitment, prayer, hope, and sanctifying grace.

Overview

Move Me is a short late twentieth-century prayer song by Richard Alan Henderson. Its opening petition asks God to direct the worshiper toward God's will, placing the song naturally in services of commitment, prayer, and spiritual response.

The United Methodist Hymnal classifies the song under prayer, trust, hope, commitment, and sanctifying and perfecting grace. That placement is a useful guide to its worship function: the song is not primarily a narrative hymn but a concise sung response in which a congregation offers itself to God's transforming purpose.

Because the complete text remains copyrighted, this article does not reproduce or closely reconstruct its words. The theological discussion instead follows the song's verified first-line theme and the subjects assigned to it in published hymnals.

Historical Background

Richard Alan Henderson created both the text and tune of Move Me in 1978. Hymnary's text and tune authorities assign that date to the work and record separate 1978 copyrights for the words and music. The uploaded date of 1980 is therefore not supported by the strongest located hymnological evidence.

The earliest hymnal appearance located in this research is Songs of Zion, published by Abingdon Press in Nashville in 1981 and edited by J. Jefferson Cleveland and Verolga Nix for United Methodist use. Hymn number 185 credits the text to the initials R. A. H. and the tune to Richard Alan Henderson, born 1950, while carrying the 1978 copyright notice. That instance presents the song within the gospel-song portion of a collection explicitly concerned with the Black worship experience.

The song entered The United Methodist Hymnal in 1989 as hymn 471. There the first line is indexed as “Move me, move me; move me to do your will,” the tune is named MOVE ME, and Henderson is credited as both author and composer. The hymnal places it among choruses and refrains, commitment, hope, prayer responses, and sanctifying and perfecting grace. These categories help establish how the song was intended to function liturgically without requiring reproduction of its protected text.

A further documented transmission occurred in the 2001 Korean-English hymnal 찬송과 예배 (Come, Let Us Worship), where MOVE ME appears with English and Korean material; Hymnary identifies the Korean translation as the work of The United Methodist Korean Hymnal Committee. This shows that the song crossed a language boundary in later church use, although the small number of indexed instances does not justify claims of universal or unusually broad circulation.

Available hymnological authorities provide very little personal biography for Henderson beyond his 1950 birth year and his song credits. The historical record therefore supports a precise account of the work's date, publication, tune, and hymnal transmission, but not the uploaded claims about a Presbyterian pastorate or a wider ministerial career.

Biblical Foundations

The song's verified opening prayer to be moved toward God's will can be read directly alongside Psalm 143:10, where the psalmist asks God to teach him to do God's will and to lead him by the good Spirit. Philippians 2:13 supplies a closely related New Testament theme: God is at work within believers both in willing and in acting for God's good pleasure.

Romans 12:1-2 broadens that prayer into a life of consecration and renewed discernment. The call to present oneself to God and to be transformed by a renewed mind provides a strong biblical framework for a hymn categorized around commitment and sanctifying grace.

Ezekiel 36:26-27 and John 15:5 are additional editorial connections rather than documented sources named by Henderson. Ezekiel speaks of God giving a new heart and Spirit that enable obedience, while Jesus' vine imagery in John grounds fruitful action in dependence on him.

Verse Explanation

The protected text is not reproduced or reconstructed here. What can be stated securely from the published metadata is that the song centers on a repeated prayer for God to move the worshiper toward God's will.

Its placement in The United Methodist Hymnal among prayer responses, commitment, hope, and sanctifying and perfecting grace indicates a concise devotional form intended for responsive worship rather than an extended narrative argument. The earlier Songs of Zion instance likewise classifies it as a gospel song.

These documented uses support reading Move Me as a compact act of consecration: a congregation asks for divine action that results in faithful human response.

Theological Reflection

Move Me is most securely understood as a prayer of consecration. Its verified first-line theme places initiative with God: the worshiper asks to be directed into faithful willing and action rather than presenting obedience as mere self-discipline.

The United Methodist Hymnal's placement of the song under sanctifying and perfecting grace gives the piece a clear theological setting within Wesleyan worship. Sanctification concerns God's continuing work of shaping Christian life toward holiness, love, and obedience. The song's petition therefore fits a spirituality in which grace not only forgives but also forms the believer for faithful living.

The song also functions communally. When sung as a prayer response, a brief personal petition becomes the congregation's shared act of commitment. That liturgical use connects inward willingness with outward discipleship without requiring unsupported claims about specific verses of the copyrighted text.

Church Impact

Move Me has a documented but relatively limited hymnal footprint. Hymnary indexes the text in The United Methodist Hymnal (1989) and the Korean-English Come, Let Us Worship (2001), while the related tune authority also records the earlier Songs of Zion (1981) presentation.

Its inclusion in Songs of Zion places it within a United Methodist collection centered on the Black worship experience, and its later inclusion in the denomination's 1989 hymnal identifies it specifically as a prayer response associated with commitment, hope, and sanctifying grace. The 2001 Korean-English appearance provides evidence of later cross-cultural transmission.

These sources demonstrate real denominational and bilingual circulation, but they do not support claims that the song became broadly popular across Protestant worship as a whole.

Musical Notes

MOVE ME is Richard Alan Henderson's own tune for his text, dated and copyrighted in 1978. Hymnary classifies the meter as irregular and indexes the tune in E-flat major, with an incipit of 35563 32343 12355. The same tune is attached to the song in Songs of Zion (1981), The United Methodist Hymnal (1989), and the 2001 Korean-English Come, Let Us Worship.

The surviving indexed sources establish authorship, date, meter, key in the cited hymnal settings, and the continuity of the text-tune pairing. They do not support the uploaded claims about guitar or piano suitability, a specific meditative style, or performance practice, so those assertions have been removed.

Both the text and tune are copyrighted works. No musical notation, arrangement, or chord transcription is reproduced here.

Application

  • Use the song as a brief response after preaching or Scripture focused on discerning and doing God's will.
  • Pair it with Psalm 143:10 or Philippians 2:13 when teaching that obedience depends on God's active grace.
  • Use its prayer-response character in services of commitment, covenant renewal, or personal dedication.
  • Invite worshipers to name one concrete area in which willingness needs to become faithful action.
  • Connect the song with teaching on sanctifying grace while distinguishing God's transforming work from mere self-improvement.

Discussion Questions

  1. How does a prayer to do God's will differ from relying on willpower alone?
  2. Why does Philippians 2:13 provide a strong biblical companion to this song?
  3. How does the United Methodist category of sanctifying grace illuminate the song's purpose?
  4. What makes a short prayer response useful after preaching, confession, or a call to commitment?
  5. How can a congregation turn a sung petition into a concrete act of obedience?

Teaching Tips

  • Introduce the song with Psalm 143:10 or Philippians 2:13 rather than attempting to paraphrase its protected text.
  • Explain that Henderson is documented as both author and composer and that the work dates to 1978.
  • Note its 1981 appearance in Songs of Zion and its later inclusion as hymn 471 in The United Methodist Hymnal.
  • Use the hymnal classification of sanctifying and perfecting grace to connect the song with Wesleyan teaching on transformation.
  • Present the song as a concise prayer response and avoid unsupported biographical claims about Henderson where the sources are silent.

Sources

  1. Hymnary.org — Text authority for Move Me by Richard Alan Henderson, 1978 copyright and hymnal instances

    View source ↗

  2. Hymnary.org — Tune authority for MOVE ME by Richard Alan Henderson, 1978 copyright, irregular meter, and hymnal instances

    View source ↗

  3. Hymnary.org — Songs of Zion #185, 1981, Richard Alan Henderson born 1950 and 1978 text/tune copyright

    View source ↗

  4. Hymnary.org — Songs of Zion hymnal record, J. Jefferson Cleveland and Verolga Nix editors, Abingdon Press, 1981

    View source ↗

  5. Hymnary.org — The United Methodist Hymnal #471, 1989, author/composer and worship-topic data

    View source ↗

  6. Hymnary.org — Richard Alan Henderson authority page, documented texts and absence of further biographical data

    View source ↗

  7. eBible.org — World English Bible Classic, Philippians 2

    View source ↗

  8. eBible.org — World English Bible Classic, Psalm 143

    View source ↗

  9. eBible.org — World English Bible Classic, Romans 12

    View source ↗

  10. eBible.org — World English Bible Classic, Ezekiel 36

    View source ↗

  11. eBible.org — World English Bible Classic, John 15

    View source ↗

  12. Lawphil — Republic Act No. 8293, Section 213 copyright term in the Philippines

    View source ↗

  13. U.S. Copyright Office — Title 17, Chapter 3, Section 302 duration for works created on or after 1978

    View source ↗

Lyrics

Lyrics Not Displayed

This hymn is not currently marked as public domain in the HymnInfo database. To respect copyright, the full lyrics are not displayed here. HymnInfo still provides historical, biblical, and theological study notes where available.

Sheet Music

Music Sheet Not Displayed

This hymn is not currently marked as public domain in the HymnInfo database. To respect copyright, the full music sheet is not displayed here. Please use a licensed hymnal, authorized publisher, or approved sheet-music provider.

Download Resources

Teaching and small-group resources available for this hymn.

Full lyrics and sheet music are not displayed because this hymn is not currently marked as public domain in the HymnInfo database. Teaching resources prepared for study and discussion may still be available below.

Help Create More Free Teaching Resources

These teaching resources are free to use. Contributions help us research more hymns and create additional teaching materials.

Learn How to Support HymnInfo

Scripture Foundations

Related Hymns

Suggested Worship Uses

Discipleship Faith Holiness Hope Obedience Prayer