Flow Forth, My Tongue, in Song

Flow forth, my tongue, in song,
With gracious words and sweet;
A well of strife thou wast for long,
To bitterness wast fleet,
But now thy God thy streams amends
And healing to thy fountains sends.

Psalm 42

As the hart for water panteth,
So my soul for Thee, O God.
It to stand before Thee wanteth
And to see the living God.
Tears my meat are night and day;
"Where is God?" they ever say.
"If He love thee, why doth leave thee?
God doth certainly deceive thee."

Psalm 51

Suppose there's a Christian who struggles with sin,
And despite all his efforts, he can't seem to win,
But it's not that he lives with the guilt and the shame—
He knows that he's purposely throwing the game.

Maggie with the Roses in Her Hair

There's a hush of expectation
From the silent, standing throng,
Then a burst of jubilation
As the band begins a song,
Ends their breathless supplication—
We behold the maiden fair:
'Tis Maggie with the roses in her hair.

A Plea

Ye who fear Mount Sinai's thunder,
Ye who fear its sulfur smoke,
Ye who would be rent asunder
By the very law you broke:
Come and feel the Saviour's breezes;
From the depths of hell he seizes
And shall never let thee choke.

Psalm 99

The Lord is king:
Let all earth sing,
The nations bring
Their praises to his temple.
The Lord is high, and reigns above,
But rules with mercy and with love—
O praise his holy, great, and awful Name.

A Traveler’s Prayer

O Father, who didst Abram call
To leave his father's earthly hall
And led him, though he did not know
The land to which Thou bad'st him go,
Teach us to likewise follow Thee
In all, although we here don't see.

Fear

Perfect love casteth out fear. 1 John iv. 18.

If perfect love shall cast out fear,
How faint and cold my love must be!
How can I to my Saviour bear
So little as I feel and see?

I fear the thing unknown to me
Lest it should bring some hurtful ill,
Yet this affront must surely be
Mistrusting of thy perfect will.

I fear the pain of those I love
And losing things I dearest hold,
Yet can I hold them thee above,
To less esteem thee be so bold?

I fear the evil of my sin,
And what for me it must portend,
As if I had no love within
Or me toward thee thou ne'er didst bend.

I fear the hellish bonds of death;
What throes shall be my final pain?
Yet thou hast said my latest breath
Is but the first of greatest gain.

Beset by fears on every part,
No pow'r is mine to make them flee.
O God! Revive my fearful heart;
Restore my wayward love to thee!

—On 1 John 4:18

Unser Herrscher, unser König

Lord our maker, Lord our master,
All our good in thee begun,
Glorious is thy reputation
For the wonders thou hast done:
Unto thee be praises given,
Deepest depth to highest heaven.

Psalm 134

Ye servants of the holy God,
Come, his majestic name to laud,
And even in the lonely night
Bring your Redeemer's praise to light.

Lift up your hearts the LORD to bless
And worship him in humbleness;
In prayer and song your voices raise
To bring a sacrifice of praise.

The LORD that fashioned earth and sky
Bless thee from out his throne on high:
God bless and keep thee by his grace
And e'er upon thee shine his face.

—8/8/2012. To “Old Hundredth.”