My God, whene'er my longing heart

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My God, whene'er my longing heart

Author: Anne Steele
Published in 19 hymnals

Representative Text

I. My God, whene'er my longing heart
The praiseful tribute would impart,
In vain my tongue with feeble aim,
Attempts the glories of thy name.

II. In vain my boldest thoughts arise,
I sink to earth and lose the skies;
Yet I may still thy grace implore,
And low in dust thy name adore.

III. O let thy grace my heart inspire,
And raise each languid, weak desire;
Thy grace, which condescends to meet
The sinner prostrate at thy feet.

IV. With humble fear let love unite,
And mix devotion with delight;
Then shall thy name be all my joy,
Thy praise, my constant blest employ.

V. Thy name inspires the harps above
With harmony, and praise, and love;
That grace which tunes th'immortal strings,
Looks kindly down on mortal things.

VI. O let thy grace guide ev'ry song,
And fill my heart and tune my tongue;
Then shall the strain harmonious flow,
And heav'ns sweet work begin below.

Source: Poems on Subjects Chiefly Devotional, Vol. 1 #2

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Author: Anne Steele

Anne Steele was the daughter of Particular Baptist preacher and timber merchant William Steele. She spent her entire life in Broughton, Hampshire, near the southern coast of England, and devoted much of her time to writing. Some accounts of her life portray her as a lonely, melancholy invalid, but a revival of research in the last decade indicates that she had been more active and social than what was previously thought. She was theologically conversant with Dissenting ministers and "found herself at the centre of a literary circle that included family members from various generations, as well as local literati." She chose a life of singleness to focus on her craft. Before Christmas in 1742, she declined a marriage proposal from contemporar… Go to person page >

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