Hymns for Today's Church (2nd ed.) ‎#531

531. O Jesus, I have promised

1 O Jesus, I have promised
to serve you to the end —
be now and ever near me,
my Master and my Friend:
I shall not fear the battle
if you are by my side,
nor wander from the pathway
if you will be my guide.

2 O let me feel you near me,
the world is ever near;
I see the sights that dazzle,
the tempting sounds I hear;
my foes are ever near me,
around me and within;
but Jesus, draw still nearer
and shield my soul from sin!

3 O let me hear you speaking
in accents clear and still;
above the storms of passion,
the murmurs of self-will:
O speak to reassure me,
to hasten or control;
and speak to make me listen,
O Guardian of my soul.

4 O let me see your footmarks
and in them place my own;
my hope to follow truly
is in your strength alone:
O guide me, call me, draw me,
uphold me to the end;
and then in heaven receive me,
my Saviour and my Friend.

Text Information

• First Line: O Jesus, I have promised
• Author: J. E. Bode (1816-1874)
• Meter: 7 6 7 6 D
• Language: English
• Publication Date: 1987
• Topic: God's Church: Conflict and Endurance; Lent 1, The King and the Kingdom: Temptation; Lent 2, The King and the Kingdom: Conflict; Lent 3, The King and the Kingdom: Suffering; Easter 3: The Lakeside; Pentecost 3: The Life of the Baptized; Pentecost 9: The Whole Armour of God; Pentecost 13: The Suffering Community; Pentecost 20: Endurance

Tune Information

• Name: WOLVERCOTE
• Composer: W. H. Ferguson (1874-1950)
• Meter: 7 6 7 6 D
• Key: A Major
• Copyright: © Oxford University Press
• Notes: Alternative tune: THORNBURY (536); Now Pubic Domain