Lyrics
Before You I kneel, my Master and Maker
To offer the work of my hands,
For this is the day You’ve given Your servant;
I will rejoice and be glad:
For the strength I have to live and breathe,
For each skill Your grace has given me,
For the needs and opportunities
That will glorify Your great name.
Before You I kneel and ask for Your goodness
To cover the work of my hands,
For patience and peace to shape all my labour,
Your grace for thorns in my path.
Flow within me like a living stream,
Wear away the stones of pride and greed,
‘Til Your ways are dwelling deep in me
And a harvest of life is grown.
Before You we kneel, our Master and Maker;
Establish the work of our hands,
And order our steps to seek first Your kingdom
In every small and great task.
May we live the gospel of Your grace,
Serve Your purpose in our fleeting days,
Then our lives will bring eternal praise
And all glory to Your great name,
And all glory to Your great name.
God is interested in us and the work we do
We are probably all aware that our attitude and practice of worship should not be restricted to an hour in church on a Sunday, but should overflow into our daily activities; and for many of us, the single activity (apart from sleep) that takes up most of our time week to week is WORK.
So this hymn seeks to do two things: to remind us that God is just as present and interested in us at the office, building site or school as He is at church; and to help us to foster a godly, God-honouring attitude to the paid work He has called us to do.
Musically this song is very flexible, and will work just as well on organ or classical instruments as it will with a band. (Note also on Keith & Kristyn’s version a cheeky inclusion of JS Bach’s famous “Sleepers wake” melody in the middle section!)
