Scripture Verse

Serve the Lord with gladness. Psalm 100:2

Introduction

Words: Anne Steele, Po­ems on Sub­jects Chief­ly De­vo­tion­al 1760, vol­ume 1, page 161. The words come from the long­er po­em Ah, Wretch­ed Souls Who Strive in Vain.

Music: Rock­ing­ham (Ma­son) Lo­well Ma­son, 1832 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tunes:

If you know where to get a good pic­ture of Steele (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

portrait
Lowell Mason (1792–1872)

Lyrics

Now I re­solve with all my heart,
With all my pow­ers, to serve the Lord:
Nor from His pre­cepts e’er de­part,
Whose ser­vice is a rich re­ward.

O be His ser­vice all my joy;
Around let my ex­am­ple shine
Till oth­ers love the best em­ploy
And join in la­bors so di­vine.

Be this the pur­pose of my soul,
My solemn, my de­ter­mined choice,
To yield to His su­preme con­trol,
And in His kind com­mands re­joice.

O may I ne­ver faint nor tire,
Nor wan­der­ing leave His sac­red ways;
Great God, ac­cept my soul’s de­sire,
And give me strength to live Thy praise.