Weary of Wandering from My God

“The Chap­lain of Glas­gow pri­son once found a young wo­man eight­een or nine­teen stand­ing in her cell with her hymn-book in her hand. ‘She looked up, and, hold­ing it out, said to me, ‘This is a “hymn which I’m much ta’en up wi’.’

I read the first two lines, and found my eyes fill­ing with tears as I looked at her and said, ‘Are you weary of wan­der­ing from your God?’

“The an­swer was ‘Yes, in­deed I am.’ There­u­pon I had the great pri­vi­lege of deal­ing with an an­xious soul.

“Next Sun­day we not on­ly sang the hymn, but I preached spe­cial­ly to wea­ry wan­der­ers. The fol­low­ing day an old man grasped my hand as I en­tered his cell, and in an ear­nest and sol­emn voice said, ‘When the great day comes there will be found a soul among the re­deemed, brought there through that hymn we sang yes­ter­day, for,’  he con­tin­ued, ‘when you read out, ‘Wea­ry of wan­der­ing from my God,’ I said, ‘That’s me. I’m wea­ry, and I’m rea­dy to re­turn,’ and,” he add­ed, “come back to my God I have.”’

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/w/e/wearwfmg.htm Telford, pp. 225-6

Weary of wandering from my God

By

Charles Wesley (1749)

Weary of wandering from my God,
And now made willing to return
I hear and bow me to the rod
For thee, not without hope, I mourn:
I have an Advocate above
A Friend before the throne of love.

O Jesus, full of truth and grace

More full of grace than I of sin

Yet once again I seek Thy face:

Open Thine arms and take me in

And freely my backslidings heal

And love the faithless sinner still.

Thou know’st the way to bring me back

My fallen spirit to restore

O for Thy truth and mercy’s sake,

Forgive, and bid me sin no more:

The ruins of my soul repair

And make my heart a house of prayer.

The stone to flesh again convert,

The veil of sin again remove;

Sprinkle Thy blood upon my heart,

And melt it by Thy dying love;

This rebel heart by love subdue,

And make it soft, and make it new.

Give to mine eyes refreshing tears,

And kindle my relentings now;

Fill my whole soul with filial fears,

To Thy sweet yoke my spirit bow;

Bend by Thy grace, O bend or break,

The iron sinew in my neck!

Ah! give me, Lord, the tender heart

That trembles at the approach of sin;

A godly fear of sin impart,

Implant, and root it deep within,

That I may dread Thy gracious power,

And never dare to offend Thee more.

Jesu, Thy Boundless Love to Me

Jesu, Thy Boundless Love to Me

By Paul Gerhardt (1653), translated by John Wesley (1739)

Jesus, Thy boundless love to me

No thought can reach, no tongue declare;

Unite my thankful heart with Thee

And reign without a rival there.

To Thee alone, dear Lord, I live;

Myself to Thee, dear Lord, I give.

O, grant that nothing in my soul

May dwell but Thy pure love alone!

Oh, may Thy love possess me whole,

My joy, my treasure, and my crown!

All coldness from my heart remove;

My every act, word, thought, be love.

O love, how cheering is thy ray!

All pain before thy presence flies;

Care, anguish, sorrow, melt away

Wherever thy healing beams arise.

O Jesus, nothing may I see,

Nothing desire or seek, but Thee!

This love unwearied I pursue

And dauntlessly to Thee aspire.

Oh, may Thy love my hope renew

Burn in my soul like heavenly fire!

And day and night be all my care

To guard this sacred treasure there.

My Savior, Thou Thy love to me

In shame, in want, in pain, hast showed;

For me, on the accursed tree,

Thou pourest forth Thy guiltless blood;

Thy wounds upon my heart impress,

Nor aught shall the loved stamp efface.

More hard than marble is my heart,

And foul with sins of deepest stain;

But Thou the mighty Savior art,

Nor flowed thy cleansing blood in vain;

Ah soften, melt this rock, and may

Thy blood wash all these stains away!

O that I, as a little child,

May follow Thee, and never rest

Till sweetly Thou hast breathed Thy mild

And lowly mind into my breast!

Nor ever may we parted be,

Till I become as one with Thee.

Still let Thy love point out my way;

How wondrous things Thy love hath wrought!

Still lead me, lest I go astray;

Direct my word, inspire my thought;

And if I fall, soon may I hear

Thy voice, and know that love is near.

In suffering be Thy love my peace,

In weakness be Thy love my power;

And when the storms of life shall cease,

Jesus, in that important hour,

In death as life be Thou my guide,

And save me, who for me hast died.