ALONE with Thee, my God! alone with Thee;
Thus would’st Thou have it still — thus let it be.
There is a secret chamber in each mind,
Which none can find
But He Who made it; none beside can know
Its joy or woe.
Oft may I enter it, oppressed by care,
And find Thee there;
Then all Thy righteous dealings shall I see,
Alone with Thee, my God! alone with Thee!
The joys of earth are like a summer’s day
Fading away:
But in the twilight we may better trace
Thy wondrous grace.
The homes of earth are emptied oft by death
With chilling breath;
The loved departed guest may ope no more
The well-known door.
Still in the chamber seal’d, Thou’lt dwell with me
And I with Thee, my God! alone with Thee.
The world’s false voice would bid me enter not
That hallow’d spot;
And earthly thoughts would follow on the track
To hold me back;
Or seek to break the sacred peace within,
With this world’s din.
But by Thy grace, I’ll cast them all aside,
Whate’er betide,
And never let that cell deserted be,
Where I may dwell alone, my God, with Thee!
The war may rage! Keep Thou the citadel
And all is well.
And when I learn the fullness of Thy love,
With Thee above, —
When every heart oppress’d by hidden grief
Shall gain relief, —
When ev’ry weary soul shall find its rest
Amid the blest —
Then all my heart from sin and sorrow free,
Shall be a temple meet, my God! for Thee!