Religion
Resigning the Heart to God
From The Works of Mrs. Anne Steele (Boston, 1808)
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.
Codex Note
Text: Psalm cxix. 94.
Cite this poem
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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