Hymn: Lord, it belongs not to my care

Lord, it belongs not to my care,
Whether I die or live;
To love and serve Thee is my share,
And this Thy grace must give.

If life be long, I will be glad,
That I may long obey;
If short, yet why should I be sad,
To soar to endless day?

Christ leads me through no darker rooms
Than He went through before;
He that unto God’s kingdom comes,
Must enter by His door.

Come, Lord, when grace has made me meet
Thy blessed face to see;
For if thy work on earth be sweet,
What will Thy glory be?

Then shall I end my sad complaints,
And weary sinful days,
And join with the triumphant saints,
That sing Jehovah’s praise.

My knowledge of that life is small,
The eye of faith is dim;
But ’tis enough that Christ knows all,
And I shall be with Him.

Richard Baxter

This hymn is from J. C. Ryle’s little book Spiritual Songs, published in 1849, when he was rector of Helmingham, Suffolk. The hymns Ryle selected were not found in the most common hymnbooks of the day.

Suggested tune: Columba (“The King of love my Shepherd is”).

Download a .pdf file of the hymnal.