"He guards the steps of His faithful ones, but the wicked perish in darkness;
for by his own strength shall no man prevail."
(1 Samuel 2:9)
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My great preserver, to Thy gracious hand
My life, my safety, and my all I owe;
New gratitude Thy favors still demand,
And still my numerous obligations grow.
Oft hast Thou listened to my humble prayer,
Oft, at my cry, unwearied mercy came:
O be Thy goodness, Thy indulgent care,
My constant refuge, my delightful theme!
When warmed with grateful love to Thee, my Lord,
My thoughts begin to count Thy favors o'er,
The boundless sum, what numbers can record?
How vain the attempt! Astonished I adore!
Yet I may love Thee, this is Thy command,
The kind command, O make me all Thy own!
My powers, my passions, Lord, are in Thy hand,
And Thou canst mold them for Thy use alone.
This worthless heart, to Thee I would resign,
Poor as it is, Thy sovereign hand can raise
A monument to Thee, enrich, refine,
And there inscribe Thy mercies and Thy praise.
Thy wondrous praise, not all creation's tongues
In one harmonious concert, can display;
Not the celestial choir's enraptured songs,
Through vast eternity's unbounded day.
And shall a reptile of the dust aspire
To join with angels in their high employ?
Lord, at Thy feet, I lay my trembling lyre
In silent awe, yet mixed with humble joy.
Yet, if Thou bid me try the heavenly theme,
And bless me with Thy smile, my lyre again
On every string shall sound Thy glorious name,
Thy smile shall animate the feeble strain!
If Thou accept, and aid my wish to praise,
Then shall my heart with glad devotion bring
(But ah, how mean Thy gift!) her sweetest lays
To Thee, my gracious God, my glorious King.
All I enjoy, and all hope is Thine,
Unworthiness, alone, belongs to me;
Inspire me, O my God, with divine love,
And make my life a hymn of praise to Thee.
"Desiring A Thankful Devotion To God"
(1760)
Anne Steele
(1716-1778)
English Christian poetess & hymnwriter
From her book, "Poems on Subjects Chiefly Devotion"
written under the name, "Theodosia"
During her lifetime, Anne Steele wrote 144 hymns and versified Psalms, which were
enormously popular in churches in both England and America. When Trinity Church
in Boston, Massachusetts published its hymnals in 1808, 59 of the 144 selected hymns
were from the pen of Anne Steele. She preferred to remain anonymous, however,
writing under a pen name. After suffering a severe hip injury at the age of 19,
which left her an invalid for the rest of her life, her tombstone carried these words:
"Silent the lyre and dumb the tuneful tongue,
That sung on earth her great Redeemer's praise;
But now in Heaven, she joins the angelic song,
In more harmonious, more exalted lays."
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