The Lord, who truly knows

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The Lord, who truly knows

Author: John Newton
Published in 38 hymnals

Representative Text

1 The Lord, who truly knows
The heart of every saint,
Invites us by His holy word
To pray and never faint.

2 He bows His gracious ear;
We never plead in vain;
Yet we must wait till He appear,
And pray, and pray again.

3 Though unbelief suggest,
Why should we longer wait?
He bids us never give Him rest,
But be importunate.

4 Then let us earnest be,
And never faint in prayer;
He loves our importunity,
And makes our cause His care.

Amen.

Source: Book of Worship with Hymns and Tunes #411

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Author: John Newton

John Newton (b. London, England, 1725; d. London, 1807) was born into a Christian home, but his godly mother died when he was seven, and he joined his father at sea when he was eleven. His licentious and tumultuous sailing life included a flogging for attempted desertion from the Royal Navy and captivity by a slave trader in West Africa. After his escape he himself became the captain of a slave ship. Several factors contributed to Newton's conversion: a near-drowning in 1748, the piety of his friend Mary Catlett, (whom he married in 1750), and his reading of Thomas à Kempis' Imitation of Christ. In 1754 he gave up the slave trade and, in association with William Wilberforce, eventually became an ardent abolitionist. After becoming a tide… Go to person page >

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