Alone

"The hill was steep, but cheered along the way

by converse sweet,

I mounted on the thought that so it might be

till the height was reached;

But suddenly a narrow winding path appeared

And then the Master said,

'My child, Here thou wilt safest walk with Me alone.'

I trembled, yet my heart's deep trust replied,

'So be it, Lord.' He took my feeble hand in His,

Accepting thus my will to yield Him all,

and to find all in Him.

One long, dark moment, And no friend I saw,

save Jesus only.

But oh! so tenderly He led me on and up,

And spoke to me such words of cheer,

Such secret whisperings of His wondrous love,

That soon I told Him all my grief and fear,

And leaned on His strong arm confidingly.

And then I found my footsteps quickened,

And light ineffable, the rugged way illumined,

Such light as only can be seen

in close companionship with God.

A little while, and we shall meet again

the loved and lost;

But in the rapturous joy of greetings,

such as here we cannot know,

And happy song, and heavenly embraces,

And tender recollections rushing back of pilgrim life,

Methinks one memory more dear and sacred

than the rest, shall rise, and we who gather in the

golden streets, shall oft be stirred to speak

with grateful love of that dark day

when Jesus bade us climb some narrow steep,

leaning on Him alone."

-Dan Crawford

Deuteronomy 32:12