Here, O My Lord, I See Thee

Here

O my Lord

I see Thee face to face;

Here would I touch and han­dle things un­seen;

Here grasp with firm­er hand eter­nal grace

And all my wea­ri­ness up­on Thee lean.

Here would I feed upon the bread of God

Here drink with Thee the roy­al wine of Heav’n;

Here would I lay aside each earth­ly load

Here taste afresh the calm of sin for­giv­en.

This is the hour of ban­quet and of song;

This is the heav­en­ly ta­ble spread for me;

Here let me feast

and feast­ing

still pro­long

The hal­lowed hour of fel­low­ship with Thee.

Too soon we rise; the sym­bols dis­ap­pear;

The feast

tho’ not the love

is past and gone.

The bread and wine re­move; but Thou art here

Nearer than ev­er

still my shield and sun.

I have no help but Thine; nor do I need

Another arm save Thine to lean up­on;

It is enough

my Lord

enough in­deed;

My strength is in Thy might

Thy might alone.

I have no wis­dom save in Him who is

My wis­dom and my teach­er both in One;

No wis­dom can I lack while Thou art wise;

No teach­ing do I crave save Thine alone.

Mine is the sin

but Thine the right­eous­ness:

Mine is the guilt

but Thine the cleans­ing blood;

Here is my robe

my re­fuge

and my peace;

Thy blood

Thy right­eous­ness

O Lord my God!

I know that dead­ly ev­ils com­pass me

Dark per­ils threat­en

yet I would not fear

Nor poor­ly shrink

nor feeb­ly turn to flee

Thou

O my Christ

art buck­ler

sword and spear.

But see

the pil­lar cloud is ris­ing now

And mov­ing on­ward thro’ the des­ert night;

It beck­ons

and I fol­low

for I know

It leads me to the her­it­age of light.

Feast af­ter feast thus comes and pass­es by;

Yet

pass­ing

points to the glad feast ab­ove

Giving sweet fore­taste of the fes­tal joy

The Lamb’s great brid­al feast of bliss and love.