Religion

Resigning the Heart to God

by Anne Steele 1717–1778

From The Works of Mrs. Anne Steele (Boston, 1808)

Religion

Thee, dearest Lord, my soul adores,
I would be thine, and only thine;
To thee, my heart and all its pow'rs,
With full consent, I would resign.

But, ah! this weak inconstant mind,
How frail, how apt from thee to stray!
Trifles, as empty as the wind,
Can tempt my roving thoughts away.

Sure I am thine — or why this load
When earthly vanities beguile?
Why do I mourn my absent God,
And languish for thy cheering smile?

If thou return, how sweet the joy,
Though mix'd with penitential smart!
Then I despise each tempting toy,
And long to give thee all my heart.

Come, Lord, thy saving pow'r display,
(Resistless pow'r of love divine!)
And drive thy hated foes away,
And make me thine, and only thine.

✦ ✦ ✦

Text: Psalm cxix. 94.

MLA

Steele, Anne. “Resigning the Heart to God.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/steele_anne/63/.

Chicago

Steele, Anne. “Resigning the Heart to God.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/steele_anne/63/.

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