Make Us Thy Labourers

I've been a reading machine this last few weeks.

I finished up the Amy Carmichael biography, A Chance to Die, then moved onto The Triumph of John and Betty Stam. This is mostly because a little bug has found me (Don't worry, Mom! I'm fine!), so the last few days have been full of rest and full of reading.

But what this has done is awaken a love for these amazing peoples' poetry!

So I thought I'd share some bits of work from their lives that I've enjoyed in the past week.

From Amy Carmichael:

Make us Thy labourers,

Let us not dream of ever looking back,

Let not our knees be feeble, hands be slack,

O make us strong to labour, strong to bear,

From the rising of the morning till the stars appear.

Make us Thy warriors,

On whom Thou canst depend to stand the brunt

Of any perilous charge on any front,

Give to us skill to handle sword and spear

From the rising of the morning till the stars appear.

Not far from us, those stars,

Unseen as angels and yet looking through

The quiet air, the day's transparent blue.

What shall we know, and feel, and see, and hear

When the sunset colours kindle and the stars appear.

From Elisabeth Stam:

Open my eyes, that I may see

This one and that one needing Thee,

Hearts that are dumb, unsatisfied,

Lives that are dead, for whom Christ died.

Open my eyes in sympathy,

Clear into man's deep soul to see;

Wise with Thy wisdom to discern,

And with Thy heart of love to yearn.

Open my eyes in faith, I pray;

Give me the strength to speak today,

Someone to bring, dear Lord, to Thee,

Use me, O Lord, use even me.

-----

And shall I fear 

That there is anything that men hold hear

Thou wouldst deprive me of,

And nothing give in place?

That is not so-

For I can see Thy face

And hear Thee now:

"My child, I died for thee.

And if the give of love and life 

You took from Me,

Shall I one precious thing withhold?

One beautiful and bright,

One pure and precious thing withhold?

My child, it cannot be".