Morning Thoughts

Again, O Lord, I ope my eyes,
Thy glorious light to see,

Again, O Lord, I ope my eyes,
Thy glorious light to see,
And share the gifts so largely lent
To thankless man by Thee.

And why has God o’er me this night
The watch so kindly kept?
And why have I so safely waked?
And why so sweetly slept?

And wherefore do I live and breathe?
And wherefore have I still
The mind to know, the sense to choose,
The strength to do Thy will?

Is it, to waste another day
In folly, sin, and shame?
To give to these my heart and hand,
And spurn my Maker’s claim?

Is it, for honour, wealth, or power
My heavenly hopes to sell?
Is it, to grasp at pleasure’s flower
Upon the brink of hell?

Is it, to grow unto the world,
As glides the world from me;
Be one day nearer to the grave,
And farther, Lord, from Thee?

No!  thus too many days I’ve spent!
To Thee, then, this be given:
Teach what I owe to man below,
And to Thyself in heaven.

O, bring me to my Saviour’s cross
For mercy for the past;
And make me live the coming day
As if it were my last!

Henry Francis Lyte