Lyrics
I stand amazed in the presence
Of Jesus the Nazarene,
And wonder how He could love me,
A sinner condemned, unclean.
How marvelous! How wonderful!
And my song shall ever be:
How marvelous! How wonderful!
Is my Savior’s love for me!
For me it was in the garden,
He prayed: “Not my will, but Thine.”
He had no tears for His own griefs,
But sweat-drops of blood for mine.
In pity angels beheld Him,
And came from the world of light
To strengthen Him in the sorrows
He bore for my soul that night.
He took my sins and my sorrows,
He made them His very own;
He bore the burden to Calv’ry,
And suffered, and died alone.
When with the ransomed in glory
His face I at last shall see,
’Twill be my joy through the ages
To sing of His love for me.
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Meaning & Inspiration
The song centers on a beholder’s wonder that Jesus the Nazarene would love someone described as condemned and unclean. That amazement shapes the repeated refrain, where marvel and wonder become the only fitting response. The garden scene is depicted not as heroic composure but as a place where Christ’s tears and bloody sweat are exchanged for the sinner’s grief. Angels come to strengthen Him, yet the weight of sins and sorrows is carried alone to Calvary. The final stanza looks toward seeing His face among the ransomed, so the song’s end is not a conclusion but an eternal continuation of the same astonished praise. The lyrics echo New Testament themes of substitution and atonement, though the hymn keeps the focus on personal gratitude rather than systematic explanation. The tone remains worshipful, measuring love not by feeling but by what Jesus endured.