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Rise, my soul, thy God directs thee; Stranger hands no more impede; Pass thou on, His strength protects thee, Strength that has the captive freed. |
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Is the wilderness before thee, Desert lands where drought abides? Heavenly springs shall there restore thee, Fresh from God’s exhaustless tides. |
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Light divine surrounds thy going, God Himself shall mark thy way; Secret blessings, richly flowing, Lead to everlasting day. |
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God, thine everlasting portion, Feeds thee with the Mighty’s meat; Saved from Egypt’s hard extortion, Egypt’s food no more to eat. |
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Art thou weaned from Egypt’s pleasures? God in secret shall thee keep; There unfold His hidden treasures, There His love’s exhaustless deep. |
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In the desert God will teach thee What the God that thou hast found— Patient, gracious, powerful, holy; All His grace shall there abound. |
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On to Canaan’s rest still wending, E’en thy wants and woes shall bring Suited grace from high descending; Thou shalt taste of mercy’s spring. |
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Though thy way be long and dreary, Eagle strength He’ll still renew; Garments fresh, and feet unweary, Tell how God hath brought thee through. |
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When to Canaan’s long-loved dwelling Love divine thy feet shall bring, Thou, with shouts of triumph swelling, Zion’s songs in rest shall sing. |
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Brampton, ON, Canada
This is such a nice hymn. The lyrics take us throught every aspect of our progress with it's attendant joys and challenges. Desert lands, Egypts hard extortion, wants and woes, long and dreary way become heavenly springs, God thine everlasting portion, hidden treasures, loves exhaustlless deep, grace from high descending, eagle strength, garments fresh, and feet unweary.
The tune is slow but inspired and buoyant leaving time to savour every aspect. and pull our mood from the depths of difficulties to the heavenly heights of needs well met.
Rowlands Castle, Hampshire, United Kingdom
My husband tells me the last verse to this is missing here...
There no stranger-God shall meet thee,
Stranger thou in courts above.
He who to His rest shall greet thee,
Greets thee with a well-known love.
Dallas, TX, United States
I remember and love this hymn and its tune. I grew up in the Plymouth Brethren (Tumbridge Wells) in Texas. I am now Anglo-Catholic and will introduce this to our Priest. Beautiful.
Australia
This hymn is very distinctive and crucial to our understanding of the Christian race. When we pray for sustenance, support and strength, do we do so as God directs our soul unto the glory and rest of Zion in Canaan? Often our entreaties before the Lord relates to the meeting of our needs as we dwell in this world, not as sojourners. When God directs our soul, we by implication deny our soul life in this age, in the hope that we would partake of Zion, the New Jerusalem in the next, and the provision described in this hymn, of all that He is as grace, is a sweet, abounding foretaste of that full portion that is to come. This hymn instructs us in this manner to reveal to us, our true position in this age, our portion in the next, and how presently the Lord wonderfully ushers us into the full enjoyment of Him in the next, in the midst of all affliction and frustration of that goal. Hallelujah!
Cam Ranh, Khanh Hoa, Vietnam
We're translating this hymn into Vietnamese! We love this hymn. His strength protects us, heavenly springs shall there restore us, He feeds us with the Mighty's meat every day; Egypt's food no more to eat. May the Lord lead us to everlasting day. Amen!
Reading, United Kingdom
Oh, I enjoy this song so much! The Lord is directing our paths according to what is best for us, and according to His good pleasure. He does not merely just know our situation, He is directing it! This song touches every aspect of our human experience along this journey.
"Light divine surrounds thy going, God Himself shall mark thy way;"
May I be saved from ever doing anything that would interfere with His perfect will and arrangement! May I be saved from an individual view of my life - just for me and my intentions! Lord, have YOUR way!