303: WHEN Israel, by divine command

303: WHEN Israel, by divine command

by John Newton (1725-1807)

1 WHEN Israel, by divine command,
The pathless desert trod,
They found, throughout the barren land,
A sure resource in God.

2 A cloudy pillar marked the road,
And screened them from the heat;
From the hard rock the water flowed,
And manna was their meat.

3 Like them, we have a rest in view,
Secure from hostile powers:
Like them, we pass a desert too,
But Israel's God is ours.

4 His word a light before us spreads,
By which our path we see;
His love, a banner o'er our heads,
From harm preserves us free.

5 Jesus, the Bread of life, is given
To be our daily food;
Within us dwells that spring from heaven,
The Spirit of our God.

6 Lord, 'tis enough, we ask no more;
Thy grace around us pours
Its rich and unexhausted store,
And all its joy is ours.