I Once Was a Stranger

I once was a strang­er to grace and to God

I knew not my dan­ger

and felt not my load;

Though friends spoke in rap­ture of Christ on the tree

Jehovah Tsid­ke­nu was no­thing to me.

I oft read with plea­sure

to sooth or en­gage

Isaiah’s wild mea­sure and John’s sim­ple page;

But e’en when they pic­tured the blood sprink­led tree

Jehovah Tsid­ke­nu seemed no­thing to me.

Like tears from the daugh­ters of Zi­on that roll

I wept when the wa­ters went ov­er His soul;

Yet thought not that my sins had nailed to the tree

Jehovah Tsid­ke­nu—’twas no­thing to me.

When free grace awoke me

by light from on high

Then le­gal fears shook me

I trem­bled to die;

No re­fuge

no safe­ty in self could I see—

Jehovah Tsid­ke­nu my Sav­ior must be.

My ter­rors all van­ished be­fore the sweet name;

My guil­ty fears ban­ished

with bold­ness I came

To drink at the fount­ain

life giv­ing and free—

Jehovah Tsid­ke­nu is all things to me.

Jehovah Tsid­ke­nu! my trea­sure and boast

Jehovah Tsid­ke­nu! I ne’er can be lost;

In thee I shall con­quer by flood and by field

My ca­ble

my an­chor

my breast-plate and shield!

Even tread­ing the val­ley

the sha­dow of death

This watch­word shall ral­ly my fal­ter­ing breath;

For while from life’s fev­er my God sets me free

Jehovah Tsid­ke­nu

my death song shall be.