Lyrics
Blessèd Spirit of the King,
Of grace and love the author,
Work repentance deep within,
And bend me at Your altar.
Melt my heart with majesty,
Then show my ruined self to me;
Teach me to more clearly see
Your might and will to save me.
Here I place without reserve
My soul in faith and meekness,
Trusting in Christ’s power and love
To flourish in my weakness.
Cause my days on earth to be
Through time and through eternity
A trophy of His victory,
A monument to mercy.
Teach me to behold my God,
And trust His power to save me,
Arms outstretched in constant love,
Whose strength will never fail me.
Help me to commune with Him,
Depend and follow after Him,
That through my life His peace will reign,
And joy be my companion.
A prayerful song allowing private contemplation and communion with the Spirit of God
This lyric came about after reading “The Valley of Vision”, a collection of prayers written in the Puritan tradition by Canon Arthur Bennett. I was immediately struck by their tone of emotional vulnerability, of passion to see Christ glorified in our lives, and of humble repentance and unreserved commitment. The lyric came quite quickly, with a couple of phrases borrowed from the text (“monument to mercy”, for example), and an idea for a melody quickly followed.
I think the song works best when space is given to meditate on the words, either with musical interludes or silence.
