Exhaustion.  The lives that we admire tend to be people that have given everything they have for their mission.  They fight, they strive, they struggle… they’re tired and weary, hungry and hurt, but they don’t give up.  They go to the very end.  They persevere.

This is the story of one of those saints named Charles Wesley. Charles Wesley’s family loved Jesus.  His dad Samuel was a preacher.  And Charles, the third son of 18 kids, along with the other sons, was encouraged to be a pastor.  Charles was educated at Westminster school in Oxford and graduated in 1730.  While there he, his brother John Wesley, and their friend George Whitfield became known pejoratively, by others on campus, as methodists; referring to their methodical approach to bible study and Christian living.

Methodical these men were.  Though they were vigilant, passionate, and busy with their ministries it wouldn’t be until much later that Charles and John would fully surrender to Jesus.  After a failed missionary trip to Georgia, Charles found himself at a low point of his life.  His experiences in Georgia had challenged his faith and he didn’t know what to believe anymore.  He tried to talk to old friends and even delved into mysticism, but nothing helped.  To make matters worse, he contracted pleurisy, a disease which constricts the lungs.  He was very ill and found himself at the care of his friend John Bray who began reading the scriptures to him, listening to Charles’ deep doubts, and taking care of him at his bedside.

On Sunday May 21, 1738, Charles wrote in his journal:

I rose and looked into the scripture.  The words that first presented were: "And now Lord, what is my hope?  Truly my hope is even in Thee."  I now found myself at peace with God and rejoiced in the hope of loving Christ.  I saw that by faith I stood.  I went to bed confident of Christ’s protection.

Things changed immediately.  His strength returned and he became passionate to share the love of Christ with everyone he met.  Two days after his conversion, he penned his first hymn entitled: “Where Shall My Wandering Soul Begin.”  Around this time he also wrote: “And Can It Be,” expressing his awe and amazement at the saving grace of Jesus in his life.