109. I Bow My Forehead to the Dust

1 I bow my forehead to the dust,
I veil mine eyes for shame,
And urge, in trembling self-distrust,
A prayer without a claim.
No offering of mine own I have,
No works my faith to prove;
I can but give the gifts He gave,
And plead His love for love.

2 I know not what the future hath
Of marvel or surprise,
Assured alone that life and death
His mercy underlies.
And so beside the silent sea
I wait the muffled oar:
No harm from Him can come to me
On ocean or on shore.

3 I know not where His islands lift
Their fronded palms in air;
I only know I cannot drift
Beyond His love and care.
And Thou, O Lord, by whom are seen
Thy creatures as they be,
Forgive me if too close I lean
My human heart on Thee.

Amen.

Text Information
First Line: I bow my forehead to the dust
Title: I Bow My Forehead to the Dust
Author: John Greenleaf Whittier (1867)
Meter: C. M. D.
Publication Date: 1955
Scripture: ; ;
Topic: Faith; God: Love and Fatherhood; Humility (3 more...)
Copyright: Words used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Company, authorized publishers.
Tune Information
Name: PENTATONE
Composer: Henry Walford Davies (1923)
Meter: C. M. D.
Key: E♭ Major
Copyright: Music from A Students' Hymnal. Used by permission of Oxford University Press.



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