A Hymn to share

I found this wonderful hymn in a blog by one of my favorite authors, Elisabeth Elliott. The hymn was written by Anna Waring in 1850. I love the words and only wish that I could hear the music in my head:

Father, I know that all my life

Is portioned out for me,

And the changes that are sure to come

I do not fear to see;

I ask Thee for a present mind,

Intent on pleasing Thee.

I would not have the restless will

That hurries to and fro,

Seeking for some great thing to do

Or secret thing to know;

I would be treated as a child

And guided where I go.

Wherever in the world I am,

In whatsoever estate,

I have a fellowship with hearts

To keep and cultivate;

And a work of lowly love to do For the Lord on whom I wait. So I ask Thee for the daily strength, To none that ask denied, And a mind to blend with outward life While keeping at Thy side; Content to fill a little space, If Thou be glorified.

And if some things I do not ask, In my cup of blessing be, I would have my spirit filled the more With grateful love to Thee — More careful — not to serve Thee much, But to please Thee perfectly. There are briers besetting every path, That call for patient care; There is a cross in every lot, And an earnest need for prayer; But a lowly heart that leans on Thee Is happy anywhere. In a service which Thy will appoints, There are no bonds for me; For my inmost heart is taught “the truth” That makes Thy children “free;” And a life of self–renouncing love, Is a life of liberty.