Strength of my
heart, I need not fail,
Not mine to fear
but to obey,
With such a leader
who could quail?
Thou art as Thou
wert yesterday.
Strength of my
heart, I rest in Thee,
Fulfill Thy
purposes through me.
Love of my heart,
my streams run dry.
O Fountain of the
heavenly hills,
Love, blessed
love, to Thee I cry,
Flood all my
secret hidden rills.
Waters of love,
oh, pour through me;
I must have love,
I must have Thee.
Lord, give me
love, then I have all,
For love casts out
tormenting fear,
And love sounds
forth a trumpet call
To valiant hope;
and sweet and dear
The birds of joy
sing in my tree,
Love of my heart,
when I have Thee.
– Amy Carmichael
I have been reading my way through Gold Cord, Amy’s account of the Dohnavur fellowship in India.
Throughout the book, she includes many of her beautiful poems, and I found this
one especially comforting. Such simple truths expressed so eloquently.
Strength of my
heart, I need not fail, not mine to fear but to obey. Verses from the
Psalms like “I will love thee, O LORD, my strength” (Psalm 18:1) and “the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1) come to mind. What
peace this speaks to my disquieted heart. He has promised me everlasting
strength – the strength that is made mighty in my weaknesses. I need not fail
because the Lord of the Universe is on my side. My role is to simply trust and obey Him.
Thou art as Thou
wert yesterday. “For I am the LORD, I change not” (Malachi 3:6). He is the
same yesterday, today, and forever. Everything in the world is dynamic and unreliable,
while He is the unchanging rock of my life. People will disappoint me, circumstances
will change, seasons will come and go, my emotions will fluctuate. When these
overwhelm me, I can run to the Eternal One. He will always be the
same. His mercy, grace, and love will never end. What an amazing God we serve!
Lord, give me love,
then I have all. If I do not have love, then I have nothing (I Corinthians
13:2). Without love, my service means nothing. Love is to be the great
motivator for all I do. It is to characterize my actions. Love suffers long,
puts others first, bears all things, endures all things, is not easily
provoked, and is kind. It is self-sacrificing and freely gives.
Waters of love, oh,
pour through me; I must have love, I must have Thee. Praise be to God that
He gives us the love we need. “The love of God is
shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us” (Romans
5:5). He has given us His love, and because He first loved us, we can turn
around and show that love to the world. People all around us are hungering for
the truth, for kindness, for love, for mercy, for friendship, and we can be
those to the world because Christ has given them to us. He has filled us up so
we can pour ourselves out.
The birds of joy
sing in my tree, Love of my heart, when I have Thee. When we are delighting
in our Saviour, we have joy. “In Thy presence is fullness of joy” (Psalm
16:11). When we are resting in Him, we have the peace that passes all
understanding. What treasures we have in Him! What cause we have to rejoice! “I
will sing unto the LORD, because He hath dealt bountifully
with me” (Psalm 13:6).
