Isaiah 4:5, 6 by Mrs. L. D. Avery-Stuttle

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D. C. · Oct 1, 1914

By Mrs. L. D. Avery-Stuttle

MRS. L. D. AVERY-STUTTLE

'Tis darkness all, save where his hand Hath brushed aside the shadows gray; Then by hope's rainbow brightly spanned, I see ahead the dawning day.

'Tis darkness all; I dare not seek To pierce the blackness of the night; But when I hear my Master speak, The dismal way seems fair and bright.

'Tis darkness all; one little step, One single hour, I cannot see; And yet with joy my bosom leaps, To know that Jesus leadeth me. My daily food his hands provide, My simple raiment, too, he brings. He sweetly lingers by my side, Until for joy my spirit sings.

I love to feel his gentle hand, And hear his thrilling voice, and yet, E'en though I know his boundless love, Like wayward child, I oft forget. And still, with tenderest Father's love, He gently leads my timorous feet, And oft his thoughtful care provides A cool pavilion from the heat.

Why am I, O, so slow to learn The lesson he so kindly gives? Why sing I not, with trustful heart, “I know that my Redeemer lives”? And so the selfsame lesson still In patient love he giveth me— To bow submissive to his will Who paid my debt on Calvary.

And this I know: When I have learned The wondrous lesson he hath given, Some blessed morn I'll hear him say, “Enough; swing wide the gates of heaven.”

*Lansing, Mich.