"The Royal Telephone" joins such favorites as "Life's Railway to Heaven" in illustrating the Christian's journey using "modern" technology as a metaphor. The hymn was written by Frederick M. Lehman in 1919, nearly fifty years after Alexander Graham Bell received his patent for the telephone. Lehman was born in Germany in 1868; his family emigrated to America when Frederick was 4 years old. He pastored churches in the mid-west and helped found the Nazarene Publishing House in Kansas City in 1911. Although he wrote hundreds of songs, he is most remembered for "The Love of God" and this one.
Central’s never “busy,” always on the line;
You may hear from heaven almost any time;
’Tis a royal service, free for one and all;
When you get in trouble, give this royal line a call.
Refrain:
Telephone to glory, oh, what joy divine!
I can feel the current moving on the line,
Built by God the Father for His loved and own,
We may talk to Jesus through this royal telephone.
There will be no charges, telephone is free,
It was built for service, just for you and me;
There will be no waiting on this royal line,
Telephone to glory always answers just in time.
Fail to get the answer, Satan’s crossed your wire,
By some strong delusion, or some base desire;
Take away obstructions, God is on the throne,
And you’ll get your answer through this royal telephone.
If your line is “grounded,” and connection true
Has been lost with Jesus, tell you what to do:
Prayer and faith and promise mend the broken wire,
Till your soul is burning with the Pentecostal fire.
Carnal combinations cannot get control
Of this line to glory, anchored in the soul;
Storm and trial cannot disconnect the line,
Held in constant keeping by the Father’s hand divine.
The Royal Telephone