How I love Thee, precious Jesus

How I love Thee

precious Jesus

That Thy love laid hold of me;

Thou hast drawn and wooed and kissed me

That a lover I may be!

Our Beloved

how we love Him

So attractive

our delight.

We are captivated wholly

And are comely in His sight.

As a company of horses

Thou

O Lord

has likened me

Strong and swift

with Pharaoh’s chariots

Full of natural energy.

Just a lover with the dove’s eyes

Fixed on Him and Him alone;

Changed are all my natural concepts

Oh

the Lord in me has grown!

Now a lily of the valley

Standing out among the thorns

In the Lord alone I’m trusting

Of my self-strength I’ve been shorn.

Make us doves that hide in Thee

Lord;

Bring us to the secret place.

There You find our voices sweet

Lord

And desire to see our face.

Make us then

Lord

smoking pillars

Coming from the wilderness.

By Thy death and resurrection

All our natural will suppress.

You desire a couch to rest on—

We become a rest to Thee;

Thou the Person in our being

Gone our personality.

Now a palanquin You’re making—

Nothing natural You’ll allow.

For Your move and Your expression

Start this work within us now!

You supply the wood and pillars

For the structure and support

Bottom gold and seat of purple

For our King of royal court.

Only this

O Lord

we offer

For Thy palanquin so fine:

Just our love

so pure and fitted

The interior design.

What a sight when our Beloved

Wears a crown upon His brow;

Christ

the Church

are now united—

Boast and glory to Him now!