Take My Heart, O Jesus, Work Its Stony Soil

1 Take my heart, O Jesus, work its stony soil,
Long I have been weary of this fruitless toil;
Ev'ry cherished method of my own device
And the hardest labor will no more suffice.

2 Once I spurned Thee, Savior, in my self-conceit,
Now behold my spirit, broken with defeat.
Lord, I can but offer Thee a barren heart;
Take it and salvation by Thy grace impart.

3 Let Thy Holy Spirit with the Word of God
Crush the stone to pieces, break the hardened sod;
Let Him work it deeply till the soil is sound,
Till it serves Thy purpose as a fertile ground.

4 Go then forth, O Sower, sow Thy precious seed,
Showers freely scatter, to its care give heed;
Smother thorns and thistles, guard it from the foe,
Lest he in the darkness come his tares to sow.

5 Thou hast shown me mercy with a love untold,
Grant that I may yield Thee fruit a hundredfold;
What a day of glory, what a day of gain,
When the reapers carry home the golden grain!

Source: American Lutheran Hymnal #627