One of My Fave Hymns . . .

I have many faves... but this one has been stuck in my head all day --so I thought I'd post it here...
The lyrics are powerful and poetic... I enjoy the illustrative language of this hymn --painting pictures in my head with descriptive, reflective images : )
I'm pretty sure that the third stanza is my favorite --at least, at this point in my life it is. If you happen to be reading, leave a comment saying which verse is your fave... just for fun and only if you want to : )

Oh Love That Will Not Let Me Go

O Love that will not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.

O light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.




If you're wondering about the melody that has tugged at my mind all day, here's a more contemporary version of this song... the melody that I originally heard was the same as this one --only slower, and it was sung accapella by the TMC Chorale (absolutely beautiful) ... but Chris Rice does a good job of putting a more upbeat spin on it, with a modernistic flavor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVT-cegVZwA&feature=fvw

Either way... lyrics... melody... truth... enjoy :-)