The words
Stanza 1. Constrained by their LORD to embark,And venture, without him, to sea;The season tempestuous and dark,How grieved the disciples must be!But though he remained on the shore,He spent the night for them in prayer;They still were as safe as before,And equally under his care.
Stanza 2. They strove, though in vain, for a while,The force of the waves to withstand;But when they were wearied with toil,They saw their dear Savior at hand:They gladly received him on board,His presence their spirits revived;The sea became calm at his word,And soon at their port they arrived.
Stanza 3. We, like the disciples, are tossedBy storms, on a perilous deep;But cannot be possibly lost,For Jesus has charge of the ship:Though billows and winds are enraged,And threaten to make us their sport;This pilot his word has engagedTo bring us, in safety, to port.
Stanza 4. If sometimes we struggle alone,And he is withdrawn from our view;It makes us more willing to own,We nothing, without him, can do:Then Satan our hopes would assail,But JESUS is still within call;And when our poor efforts quite fail,He comes in good time and does all.
Stanza 5. Yet, Lord, we are ready to shrink.Unless we thy presence perceive;O save us (we cry) or we sink,We would, but we cannot believeThe night has been long and severe,The winds and the seas are still high;Dear Savior, this moment appear,And say to our souls, “It is I!”
Olney Hymns (1779), Book 1, Hymn 114. John Newton. Public domain. CCEL transcription with modernized spelling. www.praylock.com/olney-hymns/1-114
