Permit me, Lord, to seek Thy face

Verse 1

Permit me, Lord, to seek thy face, Obedient to thy call, To seek the presence of thy grace, My strength, my life, my all.

Verse 2

All I can wish is thine to give; My God, I ask thy love, That greatest bliss I can receive, That bliss of heav'n above.

Verse 3

In these dark scenes of pain and woe, What can my spirit find? No happiness can dwell below, To fill th' immortal mind.

Verse 4

To heav'n my restless heart aspires: O for a quick'ning ray, T' invigorate my faint desires, And cheer the tiresome way.

Verse 5

The path to thy divine abode, Through a wild desert lies; A thousand snares beset the road, A thousand terrors rise.

Verse 6

Satan and sin unite their art, To keep me from my Lord: Dear Saviour, guard my trembling heart, And guide me by thy word.

Verse 7

Whene'er the tempting foe alarms, Or spreads the fatal snare, I'll fly to my Redeemer's arms, For safety must be there.

Verse 8

My guardian, my almighty friend, On thee, my soul would rest; On thee alone, my hopes depend, Be near, and I am blest.