O Lord, I pray that through this coming year
Our fellowship may deep and richer be;
That I may recognize Thy presence near,
And turn as to a friend, my Lord, to Thee.

Walk with me, then, and guide me with Thy eye –
I dare not trust myself to move one pace.
I know not what ahead of me may lie
Of joy or sorrow; yet whate’er the case,

One thing I know, that Thou art near my side,
And knowest well my weakness and my frame.
Thou needed strength wilt give, if I abide
In Thee, and in the strength of Thy dear Name.

I ask Thee not to give me joy, aside
From that which comes from doing Thine own will.
To know Thy thought and purpose, naught beside,
Except that Thou wilt them in me fulfill.

O, help me not to fail Thee, Lord, in this,
But with Thy grace and strength, O keep me true.
Forbid that in Thy thought for me I miss,
But help me trust in Thee to bring me through.

Afresh I offer up to Thee my life,
To use me as Thou wilt or set aside;
To manifest Thyself in open joy and light,
Or in some hidden corner there to hide –

It matters not to me, if only Thou
Wilt make my foolish heart what Thou dost choose,
And daily yielding to Thee, teach me how
To gain more of Thy life, and mine to lose.

Live out Thy life through me, and let there flow
Such streams from Thee, my Head, that naught can stem
The currents of Thy life – e’en here below.
These things I ask in Thy dear Name. Amen.

O Holy night, borne to us on the wings of time,
From out the dark recesses of eternity,
God’s hour, the promise of eternal life and light,
A gleaming jewel rests within thy dark embrace.
O holy hour, the miracle of God is thine,
He clothes Himself with human form and comes to us.
The bud of promise which Jehovah God once spoke
Breaks into bloom and sheds its fragrance o’er the earth.
Tonight the Rose of Sharon rests upon the breast
Of Mary as she holds the little Christ Child close.

God’s hour of promise has not passed but still is ours.
The night is dark, deep shadows clothe the hearts of men,
But still within the manger rude, the glory shines.
O hasten with me, then, and gather at His feet.
This is the hour for which our hungry hearts were made,
We need its light, its mystery and fragrance sweet.
This is God’s hour, a jewel gleaming in the dark,
God bless the Christmas night! God bless the Christmas hour!

 

To discover more hymns, visit our growing list of Powerful Poetry.

“…the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the Lord of hosts.

Malachi 3:1

He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

Revelation 22:20

Come, Thou long-expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel’s Strength and Consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear Desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.

Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

We wise men of Orient are;
Bearing gifts we traverse afar,
Field and fountain, moor and mountain,
Following yonder star. [continue reading…]

As with gladness men of old
Did the guiding star behold;
As with joy they hailed its light,
Leading onward, beaming bright,
So, most gracious Lord, may we
Evermore be led by Thee! [continue reading…]

“This shall be a sign unto you.”
But what was the sign?²

¹And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. ²(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) ³And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. ⁴And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because He was of the house and lineage of David:) ⁵to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. ⁶And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. ⁷And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

⁸And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. ¹⁰And the angel said unto them, “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. ¹¹For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. ¹²And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”

¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, ¹⁴“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

¹⁵And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, “Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.” ¹⁶And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. ¹⁷And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. ¹⁸And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

While by the sheep we watched at night,
Glad tidings brought an angel bright.

Chorus:
How great our joy! Great our joy!
Joy, joy, joy! Joy, joy, joy!
Praise we the Lord in heav’n on high!
Praise we the Lord in heav’n on high!

“There shall be [continue reading…]

For the beauty of the earth,
For the glory of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies:
Christ, our God, to Thee we raise
This our sacrifice of praise.

For the beauty of each [continue reading…]

God, as the Giver and the Given,
calls for us to give and be given.¹

…He giveth more grace…

James 4:6

He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength when the labors increase;
To added afflictions He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.

When we have exhausted our store of [continue reading…]

When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Chorus:
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
[continue reading…]

All any of us should want
is God's will for our life.¹