Not What I Am, O Lord

Not what I am

O Lord

but what Thou art!

That

that alone can be my soul’s true rest:

Thy love

not mine

bids fear and doubt de­part

And stills the tem­pest of my throb­bing breast.

It is Thy per­fect love the casts out fear;

I know the voice that speaks the It is I;

And in these well known words of heav’n­ly cheer

I hear the joy that bids each sor­row fly.

Thy name is Love! I hear it from yon cross;

Thy name is Love! I read it in yon tomb:

All mean­er love is per­ish­able dross

But this shall light me thro’ time’s thick­est gloom.

It bless­es now

and shall for ev­er bless

It saves me now

and shall for ev­er save;

It holds me up in days of help­less­ness

It bears me safe­ly o’er each swell­ing wave.

Girt with the love of God on ev­ery side

Breathing that love as Heav’ns own heal­ing air

I work or wait

still fol­low­ing my guide

Braving each foe

es­cap­ing ev­ery snare.

’Tis what I know of Thee

my Lord and God

That fills my soul with peace

my lips with song:

Thou art my health

my joy

my staff and rod;

Leaning on Thee

in weak­ness I am strong.

I am all want and hun­ger; this faint heart

Pines for a full­ness which it finds not here;

Dear ones are leav­ing

and

as they de­part

Make room with­in for some­thing yet more dear.

More of Thy­self

O show me hour by hour;

More of Thy glo­ry

O my God and Lord:

More of Thy­self in all Thy grace and power

More of Thy love and truth

in­car­nate Word!