1 I open wide the portals of my heart
And bid Thee enter, precious Savior mine,
O enter in, Thy riches to impart,
Blest Son of God, Redeemer, Love divine.
2 Dwell Thou within and let me own Thee, Lord,
To have Thee near is joy beyond compare;
I feast upon the manna of Thy Word
And taste the sweetness of Thy love in prayer.
3 If I have Thee, Lord Jesus, I have all:
In trouble solace, courage when I fear;
Strength when I faint and pardon when I fall;
Rest when I'm weary, hope when death is near.
4 Thou art my sun when clouds encompass me,
My health in sickness and my peace in strife;
In Thee my fount of wealth and joy I see,
My righteousness and my eternal life.
5 Immanuel, do Thou with me abide
Till I am called to leave this house of clay;
Then let my soul for aye be at Thy side
And see the glory of an endless day.
Amen.
Source: American Lutheran Hymnal #203
Anna Hoppe was born on May 7, 1889 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She left school after the eighth grade and worked as a stenographer. She began writing patriotic verses when she was very young and by the age of 25 she was writing spiritual poetry. After some of her poems appeared in the Northwestern Lutheran, a periodical of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, they came to the attention of Dr. Adolf Hult of Augustana Seminary, Rock Island, Illinois. He influenced her to write her Songs for the Church Year (1928). Several hymnals include her work, which was usually set to traditional chorale melodies, although she also made a number of translations. She died on August 2, 1941 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
NN, from Cyber Hymnal
Go to person page >
My Starred Hymns
My FlexScores
My Hymnals
My Purchased Files