Do you remember the song I did last week? It was also written by Horatius Bonar! Wow! So I guess I don’t have to write a whole about him eh? Anyways, Not What My Hands Have Done reminds us that it’s God’s action not ours which is our salvation.
Horatius Bonar was called Horace by his friends. A Scottish pastor who wrote many songs. He passed away in 1889. He preached with fervor, starting his ministry in Kelso and finishing his pastorate at the Chalmers Memorial Free Church.
Lyrics
Not what my hands have done
Can save my guilty soul;
Not what my toiling flesh has borne
Can make my spirit whole.
Not what I feel or do
Can give me peace with God;
Not all my prayers and sighs and tears
Can bear my awful load.
Thy work alone, O Christ,
Can ease this weight of sin;
Thy blood alone, O Lamb of God,
Can give me peace within.
Thy love to me, O God,
Not mine, O Lord, to Thee,
Can rid me of this dark unrest,
And set my spirit free.
Thy grace alone, O God,
To me can pardon speak;
Thy power alone, O Son of God,
Can this sore bondage break.
No other work, save Thine,
No meaner blood will do;
No strength, save that which is divine,
Can bear me safely through.
I bless the Christ of God;
I rest on love divine;
And with unfaltering lip and heart
I call this Savior mine.
His cross dispels each doubt;
I bury in His tomb
Each thought of unbelief and fear,
Each lingering shade of gloom.
I praise the God of grace;
I trust His truth and might;
He calls me His, I call Him mine,
My God, my joy and light.
In Him is only good,
In me is only ill;
My ill but draws His goodness forth,
And me He loveth still.
’Tis He who saveth me,
And freely pardon gives;
I love because He loveth me,
I live because He lives.
My life with Him is hid,
My death has passed away,
My clouds have melted into light,
My midnight into day.
These are some beautiful, reflective thoughts. Not quite what I expected from the melody but it is lovely.
it is a nice song isn’t it? What did you expect from the melody?