Thee, dearest Lord, my soul adores

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Thee, dearest Lord, my soul adores

Author: Anne Steele
Published in 4 hymnals

Representative Text

I. Thee, dearest Lord, my soul adores,
I would be thine, and only thine;
To thee, my heart and all it pow'rs,
With full consent, I would resign.

II. But ah! this weak inconstant mind,
How frail, how apt from thee to stray!
Trifles, as empty as the wind,
Can tempt my roving thoughts away.

III. Sure I am thine—or why this load
When earthly vanities beguile?
Why do I mourn my absent God,
And languish for thy cheering smile?

IV. If thou return, how sweet the joy,
Though mix'd with penitential smart!
Then I despise each tempting toy,
And long to give thee all my heart.

V. Come, Lord, thy saving pow'r display,
(Resistless pow'r of love divine!)
And drive thy hated foes away,
And make me thine, and only thine.

Source: Poems on Subjects Chiefly Devotional, Vol. 1 #117

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Author: Anne Steele

Anne Steele was born at Broughton, Hampshire, in 1717. Her father was a timber merchant, and at the same time officiated as the lay pastor of the Baptist Society at Broughton. Her mother died when she was 3. At the age of 19 she became an invalid after injuring her hip. At the age of 21 she was engaged to be married but her fiance drowned the day of the wedding. On the occasion of his death she wrote the hymn "When I survey life's varied scenes." After the death of her fiance she assisted her father with his ministry and remained single. Despite her sufferings she maintained a cheerful attitude. She published a book of poetry Poems on subjects chiefly devotional in 1760 under the pseudonym "Theodosia." The remaining works were published a… Go to person page >

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