Christ My Song - 1479
I hear my Shepherd calling - The Lord is my Shepherd
(Carl Johann Philipp Spitta/Richard Massie/
Johannes Thomas Rüegg)
The Lord is my Shepherd.
1. I hear my Shepherd calling,
and instantly obey,
and climb, though sometimes falling,
the steep and rugged way.
Though often at a distance,
I strive to follow still,
and offer no resistance
to his most blessed will. PDF - Midi
2. Thou show'st thyself the greatest,
when greatest my distress,
thy comforts are the sweetest
in days of bitterness.
Sometimes my courage fails me,
my strength seems well nigh gone,
but still thy grace avails me,
thy strength still helps me on.
3. Sometimes I sigh for morning
in sorrow's gloomy night,
when lo, already dawning,
the day brings joy and light.
Sometimes my griefs enclose me
in every form and shape,
but God in mercy shows me
a method of escape.
4. Sometimes dark thoughts steal o'er me
here in this vale of tears,
the future, spread before me,
so overcast appears.
The word of thy salvation
speaks comfort to my breast,
in midst of tribulation
I find in thee true rest.
5. Old sins oft leave behind them
deep fears, which wound me still;
thou knowest how to bind them,
and heal them with great skill.
I often sink down weary
and heart-sick on the road,
but thou art nigh to cheer me
and ease me of my load.
6. My gracious Guide and Master,
thy wandering sheep O seek,
fain would I follow faster,
but am, alas! too weak;
O come to help and guide me,
when I can not proceed,
if thou art, Lord, beside me,
I must perforce succeed.
7. Soon shall I cease to wander;
the day may be at hand,
when thou shalt take me yonder
to my dear Fatherland;
there shall my chief employment
consist in praising thee,
with ever new enjoyment,
throughout eternity.
Richard Massie, Lyra Domestica I, 1863, 44-46.
Translated from the German Ich höre deine Stimme - Der Herr ist mein Hirt
of Carl Johann Philipp Spitta.