Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee

Jesus, the very thought of Thee
With sweetness fills my breast;
But sweeter far Thy face to see,
And in Thy presence rest.

No voice can sing, no heart can frame,
Nor can the memory find
A sweeter sound that Jesus' name,
The Saviour of mankind.

O hope of every contrite heart,
O joy of all the meek,
To those who ask how kind Thou art,
How good to those who seek!

But what to those who find? Ah, This
No tongue nor pen can show;
The love of Jesus, what it is
None but His loved ones know.

Jesus, our only joy be Thou,
As Thou our prize wilt be;
In Thee be all our glory now,
And through eternity.

From the Latin 12th century, translated by Edward Caswall (1814-1878)

Jesus, Lover of my Soul

Jesus, lover of my soul,
Let me to Thy bosom fly,
While the nearer water rolls,
While the tempest still is high.
Hide me, O my Saviours, hide,
Till the storm of life is past;
Safe into the haven guide,
O receive my soul at last.

Other refuge have I none;
Hangs my helpless soul on Thee.
Leave, ah! Leave me not alone;
Still support and comfort me.
All my trust on Thee is stayed,
All my help from Thee I bring;
Cover my defenceless head
With the shadow of Thy wing.

Thou, O Christ, art all I want;
More than all in Thee I find!
Raise the fallen, cheer the faint,
Heal the sick, and lead the blind.
Just and holy is Thy name,
I am all unrighteousness:
False and full of sin I am,
Thou are full of truth and grace.

Plenteous grace with Thee is found,
Grace to cover all my sin;
Let the healing streams abound;
Make and keep me pure within.
Thou of life the fountain art,
Freely let me take of Thee;
Spring Thou up within my heart;
Rise to all eternity.


~Charles Wesley (1707-1788)

Prayer

Another old Hymn/poem from The Hymn Book, No. 98:


Lord, be thy word my guide,
In it may I rejoice:
Thy glory be my aim,
Thy holy will my choice,

Thy promises My hope,
Thy providence my guard,
Thine arm my strong support,
Thyself my great reward.

~ Christopher Wordsworth (1807-1885)

Go to Dark Gethsemane

Go to dark Gethsemane,
Ye that fell the tempter's power;
Your Redeemer's conflict see;
Watch with him one bitter hour;
Turn not from his griefs away:
Learn from him to watch and pray.

See him at the judgement hall,
Beaten, bound, reviled, arraigned;
See him meekly bearing all;
Love to man his soul sustained.
Shun not suffering, shame, or loss:
Learn of Christ to bear the cross.

Calvary's mournful mountain view;
There the Lord of glory see,
Made a sacrifice for you,
Dying on the accursed tree.
"It is finished," hear his cry:
Trust in Christ and learn to die.

~James Montgomery (1771-1854)

To be a pilgrim

Who would true valour see,
Let him come hither:
Here's one will constant be,
Come wind, come weather.
There's no discouragement
Shall make him once relent
His first avowed intent
To be a pilgrim.

Whoso beset him round
With dismal stories
Do but themselves confound:
His strength the more is.
No lion can him fright,
He'll with a giant fight,
But he will have the right
To be a pilgrim.

Since, Lord, thou dost defend
Him with thy Spirit,
He knows he at the end
Shall life inherit.
Then fancies fly away!
I'll fear not what men say,
But labour night and day
To be a pilgrim.

~John Bunyan (1628-1688) and others

Dear Lord and Father...

Dear Lord and Father of mankind,
Forgive our foolish ways;
Reclothe us in our rightful mind;
In purer lives thy service find,
In deeper reverence, praise.

In simple trust like theirs who heard,
Beside the Syrian sea,
The gracious calling of the Lord,
Let us, like them, without a word
Rise up, and follow thee.

O sabbath rest by Galilee!
O calm of hills above,
Where Jesus knelt to share with thee
The silence of eternity,
Interpreted by love!

Drop thy still dews of quietness,
Till all our strivings cease;
Take from our souls the strain and stress,
And let our ordered lives confess
The beauty of thy peace.

Breath though the heats of our desire
Thy coolness and thy balm;
Let sense be dumb, let flesh retire:
Speak through the earthquake, wind and fire,
O still small voice of calm!

~John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892)

Fire of God

Fire of God, thou sacred flame,
Spirit who in splendour came,
Let thy heat my soul refine,
Till it glows with love divine.

Breath of God, that swept in power
In the pentecostal hour,
Holy breath, be thou in me
Source of vital energy.

Strength of God, thy might within
Conquers sorrow, pain, and sin:
Fortify from evil's art
All the gateways of my heart.

Truth of God, thy piercing rays
Penetrate my secret ways.
May the light that shames my sin
Guide me holier paths to win.

Love of God, thy grace profound
Knoweth neither age not bound:
Come, my heart's own guest to be,
Dwell for evermore in me.

~Albert Frederick Bayly