My soul hath found the steadfast ground,
There ever shall my anchor hold—
That ground is in my Saviour Christ,
Before the world was from of old—
And that sure ground shall be my stay,
When Heaven and Earth shall pass away.
That ground is Thine Eternal Love,
Thy Love that through all ages burns—
The open arms of mercy stretched
To meet the sinner who returns;
The Love that calleth everywhere,
If men will hear or will forbear.
God willeth not we should be lost,
He wills to save the sons of men;
For this His Son came down from Heaven,
For this returned to Heaven again;
For this He standeth at the door,
He knocketh, waiteth, evermore—
Unseen, unheard, He calleth yet;
Rejected, still He waits to bless—
The Shepherd never will forget
His lost sheep in the wilderness;
Though far as east from west they stray,
He seeketh them by night and day.
O deep, deep sea, where all our sins
By God are cast, and found no more!
There is no condemnation now,
The Lord hath healed our deadly sore;
Because the voice of Jesu’s Blood
Still cries for mercy unto God.
In that deep sea of love I sink
In perfect peace and endless rest,
And when my sins condemn my soul,
Cling closer to my Saviour’s breast—
For there I find, go when I will,
Unchanging love and mercy still.
Hymns of Ter Steegen and Others (Second Series), 1899
