This is the gate of Heaven.
Genesis 28:17
Words: Ame Vennema, in Gospel Praises No. 2, by William J. Kirkpatrick & Henry L. Gilmour (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Hall-Mack, circa 1900), number 54. The song was dedicated to The Quiet Hour,
Y.P.S.C.E. [Young People’s Society of Christian Endeavour].
Music: B. Franklin Butts (🔊 pdf nwc).
If you know where to get a good photo of Butts (head & shoulders, at least 200×300 pixels),
Alone with God, my Father,
In the secret place of prayer,
Not a thought, or wish, or purpose I withhold;
I commune with Him most freely,
And my inmost soul lay bare,
And linger till I feel His love enfold.
Refrain
’Tis a Bethel sweet, wherever thus we meet,
’Tis the very gate of Heaven to my soul;
The face of Him who made my spirit whole.
Alone with Christ, my Savior,
In the desert-place apart,
There my weary soul finds rest from cumb’ring care,
And I feel a twilight stillness
Fall upon my troubled heart,
As Jesus gently whispers to me there.
Refrain
Alone with God, the Spirit,
Blessèd Paraclete divine,
Who in my behalf forever intercedes;
It is He who keeps me walking,
Making Jesus’ footsteps mine,
With all-sufficient grace to meet my needs.
Refrain