Scripture Verse

Come before His presence with singing. Psalm 100:2

Introduction

portrait
Catherine Winkworth
1827–1878

Words: Bar­tho­lo­mä­us Cras­se­li­us, in the Geist­reich­es Ge­sang­buch (Hal­le, Ger­ma­ny: 1697), page 587 (Dir, dir Je­ho­vah, will ich sing­en). Trans­lat­ed from Ger­man to Eng­lish by Ca­the­rine Wink­worth, 1863.

Music: Dir, Dir, Je­ho­vah, pub­lished ano­ny­mous­ly in the Mu­si­kal­isch­es Hand­buch, by Ge­org Witt­we (Ham­burg, Ger­ma­ny: 1690). Adap­ted in the Neu­es geist­reich­es Ge­sang­buch, by Johann A. Freylinghausen (Hal­le, Ger­ma­ny: 1704) (🔊 pdf nwc).

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Johann A. Freylinghausen
1670–1739

Lyrics

Jehovah, let me now adore Thee,
For where is there a God, such, Lord, as Thou?
With songs I fain would come be­fore Thee;
O let Thy Ho­ly Spi­rit teach me now
To praise Thee in His name through whom alone
Our songs can please Thee, through Thy bless­èd Son.

O Fa­ther, draw me to my Sav­ior
That Thy dear Son may draw me un­to Thee;
Thy Spi­rit guide my whole be­hav­ior
And rule both sense and rea­son thus in me,
That, Lord, Thy peace I taste may ne’er de­part,
But wake sweet me­lo­dies with­in my heart.

O joy! our hope and trust are found­ed
On His sure Word, and witn­ess in the heart;
I know Thy mer­cies are un­bound­ed,
And all good gifts Thou free­ly wilt im­part,
Nay, more is lav­ished by Thou boun­te­ous hand,
Than we can ask or seek or un­der­stand.

O joy! In His name we draw near Thee,
Who ev­er plead­eth for the sons of men;
I ask in faith and Thou wilt hear me,
In Him Thy pro­mis­es are all Amen.
O joy for me! and praise be ev­er Thine,
Whose won­drous love has made such bless­ings mine!