Here, O my Lord, I see Thee face to face; Here faith can touch and handle things unseen; Here would I grasp with firmer hand Thy grace, And all my weariness upon Thee lean.
D
Here, O my Lord, I
A
see Thee
A7
face to
D
face;
Here faith can
A
touch and
E
handle
E7
things un
A-A7
seen;
D
Here would I grasp with firmer hand Thy
A
grace,
D
And all my
G
weariness up
A
on
A7
Thee
D
lean.
2
Here would I feed upon the Bread of God; Here drink with Thee the royal wine of heav’n; Here would I lay aside each earthly load; Here taste afresh the calm of sin forgiv’n.
Here would I feed upon the Bread of God;
Here drink with Thee the royal wine of heav'n;
Here would I lay aside each earthly load;
Here taste afresh the calm of sin forgiv'n.
D
Here would I feed
A
upon the
A7
Bread of
D
God;
Here drink with
A
Thee the
E
royal
E7
wine of
A-A7
heav'n;
D
Here would I lay aside each earthly
A
load;
D
Here taste
G
afresh the calm of
A
sin
A7 D
forgiv'n.
3
I have no help but Thine; nor do I need Another arm save Thine to lean upon; It is enough, my Lord, enough indeed; My strength is in Thy might, Thy might alone.
I have no help but Thine; nor do I need
Another arm save Thine to lean upon;
It is enough, my Lord, enough indeed;
My strength is in Thy might, Thy might alone.
D
I have no help but
A
Thine; nor
A7
do I
D
need
Another
A
arm save
E
Thine to
E7
lean
A-A7
upon;
D
It is enough, my Lord, enough
A
indeed;
D
My strength is
G
in Thy might, Thy
A
might
A7 D
alone.
4
This is the hour of banquet and of song; This is the heav’nly table spread for me; Here let me feast, and, feasting, still prolong The brief bright hour of fellowship with Thee.
This is the hour of banquet and of song;
This is the heav'nly table spread for me;
Here let me feast, and, feasting, still prolong
The brief bright hour of fellowship with Thee.
D
This is the hour of
A
banquet
A7
and of
D
song;
This is the
A
heav'nly
E
table
E7
spread for
A-A7
me;
D
Here let me feast, and, feasting, still
A
prolong
D
The brief bright
G
hour of
A
fellowship
A7
with
D
Thee.
5
Too soon we rise; the symbols disappear; The feast, though not the love, is past and gone; The bread and wine remove, but Thou art here, Nearer than ever still our Shield and Sun.
Too soon we rise; the symbols disappear;
The feast, though not the love, is past and gone;
The bread and wine remove, but Thou art here,
Nearer than ever still our Shield and Sun.
D
Too soon we rise; the
A
symbols
A7 D
disappear;
The feast, though
A
not the
E
love, is
E7
past and
A-A7
gone;
D
The bread and wine remove, but Thou art
A
here,
D
Nearer than
G
ever still our
A
Shield
A7
and
D
Sun.
6
Feast after feast thus comes and passes by, Yet passing, points to the glad feast above, Giving sweet foretastes of the festal joy, The Lamb’s great bridal-feast of bliss and love.
Written in October, 1855, by Dr. Horacio Bonar. James Bonar, brother of the poet-preacher, asked his brother to furnish a hymn for the Lord’s table. It was the custom of the church at that time to print a memorandum of each service at the Lord’s table, with an appropriate hymn attached. Horatio in two days sent this hymn:
Here, O my Lord, I see Thee face-to-face,
Here would I touch and handle things unseen
Here grasp with firmer hand, th’eternal grace,
And all my weariness upon Thee lean.
The Tune
“Morecambe” is an anonymous composition printed with the words by the’Plymouth Hymnal’ editors. The meter of Bonar’s hymn is unusual, and melodies to fit it are not numerous, but this tune is found to be a meditative one so it is a proper tune for this hymn.
We do not regard the things which are seen but the things which are not seen, for the things which are seen are temporary, but the things that are not seen are eternal (2 Cor. 4:18). Hallelujah!
The Lord's Supper has always been a special time for Christians. It is a time of soul-searching, but also joy. We remember Christ's death, but also His resurrection. Christ is the host of this meal; we have fellowship with Him as we eat and drink.
Different denominations have adopted different practices concerning the Lord's Supper. And in every tradition, it is possible for the sacrament to lose its meaning. For Horatius Bonar, a maverick Scottish Presbyterian, the important thing was that it would be a personal encounter with Christ. You can sense the rich interaction in these lines, the flux of emotions, and the warm devotion to the Lord, his "shield and sun." - Great Songs of Faith by Brown and Norton
I believe Horatius Bonar has seen something in his age concerning that which is clearer now more than ever; that the Lord's table is the second stage of the three-stage feast of God and His people. The first stage began with the Passover, the second with the institution of the Lord's supper, and the third and final stage of the eternal feast beginning in the Millenium and continuing through all eternity in the new heaven and new earth. What a glorious feast we are in today that never will end!
"The feast of the Passover was not completely fulfilled in the Old Testament. The Lord’s table, which also is a feast, replaces and continues the feast of the Passover. But not even this New Testament feast has been completely fulfilled; it will be fulfilled completely in the coming kingdom." Taken from The Life study of Luke Msg. 49. Witness Lee.