Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee

One of the hymns we sang today, this was a lovely sentiment. I enjoy singing new-to-me hymns and this was definitely one of those. 

The words of this hymn:

Jesus, the very tho't of Thee
With sweetness fills my breast;
But sweeter far Thy face to see,
And in Thy presence rest.

Nor voice can sing, nor heart can frame,
Nor can the mem'ry find
A sweeter sound than Thy blest name,
O Savior of mankind.

O Hope of ev'ry contrite heart!
O Joy of all the meek!
To those who fall, how kind Thou art!
How good to those who seek!

Jesus, our only joy be Thou,
As Thou our prize wilt be;
Jesus, be Thou our glory now,
And thru eternity.

I have sung this a few times this afternoon and evening so that I can become more familiar with it. I found it lovely and really loved the sentiment of it. Because Jesus is the hope of repentent hearts. He is the joy of those who are meek. He is the prize, or the reward, that I seek. 

The words are attributed to Bernard of Clairvaux (1150) and the translation to Edward Caswall (1849). The music is attributed to John B. Dykes (1866). 

Older hymns are often those I favor because their music is so rich and their lyrics are deep and intentional. I hope you enjoy reading through these lyrics as much as I have enjoyed learning them today.

Blessings,
At Home.

Tagged: hymn