“We have not known Thee as we ought” by Thomas Pollack

“We have not known Thee as we ought”
By Thomas Pollack, 1889

We have not known Thee as we ought,
Nor learned Thy wisdom, grace and power;
The things of earth have filled our thought,
And trifles of the passing hour.
Lord, give us light Thy truth to see,
And make us wise in knowing Thee.

We have not feared Thee as we ought,
Nor bowed beneath Thine awful eye,
Nor guarded deed and word and thought,
Remembering that God was nigh.
Lord, give us faith to know Thee near,
And grant the grace of holy fear.

We have not loved Thee as we ought,
Nor cared that we are loved by Thee;
Thy presence we have coldly sought,
And feebly longed Thy face to see.
Lord, give a pure and loving heart
To feel and know the love Thou art.

We have not served Thee as we ought,
Alas, the duties left undone,
The work with little fervor wrought,
The battles lost or scarcely won!
Lord, give the zeal, and give the might,
For Thee to toil, for Thee to fight.

When shall we know Thee as we ought,
And fear and love and serve aright?
When shall we, out of trial brought,
Be perfect in the land of light?
Lord, may we day by day prepare
To see Thy face and serve Thee there.

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6 Comments

Filed under Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs

6 responses to ““We have not known Thee as we ought” by Thomas Pollack

  1. Do you know of anywhere that I could find this song recorded, perhaps even in a more contemporary feel such as Indelible Grace?

  2. Emdoll,

    I’m not aware of one. If you find one, please let me know. I’d love to sing it.

    –Nick

  3. Mariah

    Go to Marshillchurch.org and click on Media Library, then music, then bands, then Team Strike Force, and you have to click on “more from Team Strike Force” a couple times to get to the 3rd page where this song is.
    Sounds complicated, but it’s an awesome recording! And you can download the mp3 for free.

  4. I just posted another contemporary arrangement of this wonderful hymn text: http://www.reformedpraise.org/?p=615
    Soli Deo Gloria!

  5. brian

    Best version by far:

    http://resound.org/raincityhymnal/

    Resound is also related to Mars Hill Church, Seattle, WA (Mark Driscoll). The whole album is free and are modern versions of old hymns.

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