As Hagar in the desert,
Thrust forth by blows and strife,
Sat lonely by the well side,
Aweary of her life,
There came the angel message,
Arise and homeward fare;
For, though the wild seemed empty,
The mighty God was there.

When secret sins beset me,
And temptings snare my feet,
Till hid from human vision
I think their fruits are sweet;
Thy presence hovers o’er me,
I cannot hide or flee—
O thought how dread and awful,
That Thou, God, seest me.

When turned from paths of evil,
I dare not seek Thy face,
But kneel in deep abasement
Before the throne of grace;
When only tears are telling
The prayers I bring to Thee,
O thought how sweet and tender,
That Thou, God, seest me.

When, lost in life’s great desert,
Worn out by sin and strife,
I sit beside the fountain
Where springs the stream of life,
Send Thou the angel message;
Let my one comfort be,
Still, still, where’er I wander,
That Thou, God, seest me.