Gospel Greats -- 'I'd Rather Have Jesus' Quiz

Answer: gold

The missing word is 'gold'.

'I'd Rather Have Jesus' was written by Rhea F. Miller in 1922. Miller was born in Brooktondale, New York, in 1894 and died in 1966 in Chilicothe, Ohio. She was the only child of her parents, Martin and Bertha Ross.

Answer: untold

The missing word is 'untold'.

Rhea Miller wrote the hymn 'I'd Rather Have Jesus' as a tribute to her father Martin Ross, who at one time was a chronic alcoholic. According to various Websites, her father was able to become free of alcohol after he surrendered his life to Jesus and confessed Him as his Savior and Lord.

Answer: lands

The missing word is 'lands'.

According to Wordwisehymns.com., Rhea Miller incorporated comments made by her father into the lyrics for the classic hymn 'I'd Rather Have Jesus.'

"At the age of twenty-eight, while walking in the fields near her home, Rhea Miller recalled her father's earlier battle with alcohol, and how the Lord set him free," Robert Cottrill states at Wordwisehymns.com. "He had made the comment that he would rather have Jesus than all the gold and silver in the world, and all the houses and lands that money could buy. It was her time of meditation on her father's words that inspired this fine gospel song."

Answer: led

The missing word is 'led'.

According to Wordwisehymns.com, Rhea Miller Miller not only wrote the words for 'I'd Rather Have Jesus', she also composed the music. However, Canadian born George Beverly Shea, a noted musician with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, came across the words to the hymn, not knowing it had already been set to music. According to Wordwisehymns.com, Shea provided his own tune for the hymn, with which it is now identified.

Answer: dread

The missing word is 'dread'.

Rhea Miller, the writer of 'I'd Rather Have Jesus', was an "excellent pianist", according to Wordwisehymns.com. She married Howard Vassar Miller, who became pastor at the Church of the Nazarene in Hartford, Connecticut in 1923, Hymnary.org reports. It was not unusual for her to play the piano at worship services led by her husband.

Answer: applause

The missing word is 'applause'.

Rhea Miller, writer of the old-time classic 'I'd Rather Have Jesus', taught piano to help sustain herself after her husband died, according to Hymnary.org. "She had one particular goal with her teaching, and that was to get into as many pastors' homes as possible and teach their children how to play the piano, at no fee to the pastor's family, so that when they reached maturity they would have something to contribute to the church," the Website states. "She was a fascinating, vibrant woman, so very positive and encouraging."

Answer: cause

The missing word is 'cause'.

In later life, Rhea Miller, writer of 'I'd Rather Have Jesus', developed Parkinson's disease and began to lose control of her left hand, according to Hymnary.org. People who saw her struggling to play the piano said it was a heart breaking sight. Later, she moved to Chilicothe, Ohio, where her daughter Betty lived, with her husband, Bob Quanstrom, who pastored the local Church of the Nazarene, Hymnary.org reports.

Answer: name

The missing word is 'name'.

Robert Cottrill of Wordwisehymns.com has an interesting story about the hymn 'I'd Rather Have Jesus' and the Royal Visit to Canada in 1939. At his Website, Cottrill writes: "In 1939, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth came to Canada, and visited the famous Calgary Stampede. During a special ceremony, Chief White Feather was asked to sing. Being a Christian, he sang 'I'd Rather Have Jesus' as his testimony. It contains the lines, 'I'd rather have Jesus than to be the king of a vast domain'. After his solo, the chief was praised by the King and Queen, at which time he boldly asked, 'And would you rather have Jesus?' And the Queen answered without hesitation, 'Yes, the King and I both would'."

Answer: sweeter

The missing word is 'sweeter'.

Over the years, 'I'd Rather Have Jesus' became a signature solo for Canadian born George Beverly Shea at Billy Graham Evangelistic Association crusades around the world. According to Wikipedia, "when RCA signed Shea to a recording contract, the song that the company chose to initially spotlight their new singer was 'I'd Rather Have Jesus'."

Answer: hungering

The missing word is 'hungering'.

According to Hymnary.org, 'I'd Rather Have Jesus' has been published in nineteen hymnbooks over the years.

Here are the words to the classic hymn:

"I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold;
I'd rather be His than have riches untold;
I'd rather have Jesus than houses or lands;
I'd rather be led by His nail-pierced hand

Refrain:
Than to be the king of a vast domain
Or be held in sin's dread sway;
I'd rather have Jesus than anything
This world affords today.

I'd rather have Jesus than men's applause;
I'd rather be faithful to His dear cause;
I'd rather have Jesus than worldwide fame;
I'd rather be true to His holy name

[Refrain]

He's fairer than lilies of rarest bloom;
He's sweeter than honey from out the comb;
He's all that my hungering spirit needs;
I'd rather have Jesus and let Him lead

[Refrain]"