Author: William C. Dix Meter: 8.8.8.8 Appears in 7 hymnals First Line: O Lord, the wilderness to me Lyrics: 1 O Lord, the wilderness to me
A very paradise shall be,
Since Thou for forty days wast there,
In fasting, solitude and prayer.
2 Unworthy though these feet to rest
On ground Thy footsteps once have blest,
The way of sorrows shall be mine,
Made sweet because it first was Thine.
3 Lord, let me find some lowly place
Where I may seek Thy pitying face,
And plead with Thee by Olivet,
By agony, and bloody sweat.
4 Some quiet aisle or dim recess
Shall make for me a wilderness;
And surely angels shall be there
To wait on penitence and prayer.
5 Nor is this all: for I would know
The depth of shame, the crown of woe
Stand by the stricken Mother’s side,
While Thou art mocked and crucified.
6 And then in hours of saddest gloom
I still will watch around Thy tomb,
Till with the day new joy be born,
And Thou shalt rise on Easter morn.
7 O blessèd thought, that faith can see
In every altar—Calvary,
Find there the loving arms outspread,
And fall before the fallen Head.
8 Come King of kings, come Light of light:
The Bride awaits the day all bright,
When she shall lift, her mourning o’er,
The shout of Paschal joy once more.
Used With Tune: BERA Text Sources: Lyra Messianica by Orby Shipley (London: Longman, Green, Longman, roberts & Green, 1864)
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