O Lord of Hosts, How Lovely

O Lord of hosts

how love­ly

Thy ta­ber­na­cles are;

For them my heart is yearn­ing

In ban­ish­ment afar

My soul is long­ing

faint­ing

Thy sac­red courts to see;

My heart and flesh are cry­ing

O liv­ing God

for Thee.

Behold the spar­row finds place

For peace­ful rest

To keep her young in safe­ty

The swal­low finds a nest;

Then

Lord

my king al­migh­ty

Thy love will shel­ter me;

Beside Thy ho­ly al­tar

My dwell­ing-place shall be.

Blest they who dwell in Zi­on

Whose joy and strength Thou art;

Forever they will praise Thee

Thy ways are in their heart.

Though tried

their tears like show­ers

Shall fill the springs of peace

And all the way to Zi­on

Their strength shall still in­crease.

So they from strength un­wear­ied

Go forward un­to strength

Till they ap­pear in Zi­on

Before the Lord at length.

O hear

Lord God of Ja­cob

To me an an­swer yield;

The face of Thine an­oint­ed

Behold

O God

our shield.

One day ex­cels a thou­sand

If spent Thy courts with­in;

I’ll chose Thy thresh­old ra­ther

Than dwell in tents of sin.

Our sun and shield Je­ho­vah

Will grace and glo­ry give;

No good will He de­ny them

That up­right­ly do live.