There Is A Place Of Sweet Repose

There is a place of sweet repose,
A rest upon the way,
A shelter from a myriad foes:
In Thee my stay.

I hide secure beside this Tree,
A place of curse and shame,
Where Thou hast wrought a victory:
A glorious flame.

Now I shall dwell for ever here
Whatever may befall,
In life and death, in every sphere:
Thy grace my all.

In all my life Thou dost impart
The gifts of love and care;
Yet sweeter far is what Thou art,
Beyond compare.

But there are times I wander far,
And from Thy side depart;
I turn away, Thy work to mar
And grieve Thy heart.

What low desires within my breast
That pierce Thy wounds afresh,
And follow still what I detest –
Deceitful flesh!

O keep me, Lord, beneath Thy wing,
For ever sheltered there
From Satan and his evil sting,
My Saviour fair.

William Vernon Higham, 1926-

Tune: St. Cuthbert