SHEPHERD HYMNS
THE GOOD SHEPHERD
By Bernard Plockhorst (1825- )
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. When he hath put forth all his own, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers."
--The Words of Jesus
| SAVIOUR, LIKE A SHEPHERD LEAD US |
Saviour, like a shepherd lead us, Much we need Thy tenderest care; In Thy pleasant pastures feed us, For our use Thy folds prepare; Blessed Jesus, Thou hast bought us, Thine we are. We are Thine, do Thou befriend us, Be the guardian of our way; Keep Thy flock, from sin defend us, Seek us when we go astray; Blessed Jesus, Hear the children when they pray. Early let us seek Thy favor, Early let us do Thy will; Holy Lord, our only Saviour, With Thy grace our bosoms fill; Blessed Jesus, Thou hast loved us, love us still. |
| --Dorothy Ann Thrupp. |
| WAS THERE EVER KINDEST SHEPHERD? |
Was there ever kindest shepherd Half so gentle, half so sweet As the Saviour, who would have us Come and gather round His feet? There's a wideness in God's mercy, Like the wideness of the sea; There's a kindness in His justice, Which is more than liberty. For the love of God is broader Than the measure of man's mind; And the heart of the Eternal Is most wonderfully kind. If our love were but more simple, We should take Him at His word; And our lives would be all sunshine In the sweetness of our Lord. |
| --Frederick William Faber |
THE LOST LAMB FOUND
By P. Giradet
Sometimes in winter the sheep suffer greatly from the cold and heavy snowstorms. This is a description of sheep covered by the snow in winter:--
"The flock was buried Beneath a great white billow as high as a barn and as broad as a house. This great drift was rolling and curling beneath the violent blast, tufting and combing with rustling swirls, and carved as if patterns of cornice where the grooving-chisel of the wind swept round. Ever and again the tempest snatched little whiffs from the channeled edges, twirled them round and made them dance over the chine of the monster pile, then let them lie like herringbones or the seams of the sand where the tide has been. And all the while, from the smothery sky, more and more fiercely at every blast, came the pelting pitiless arrows winged with murky white and pointed with the barbs of the frost."--Blackmore
| GRACIOUS SAVIOUR, HOLY SHEPHERD |
Gracious Saviour, holy Shepherd, Little ones are dear to Thee; Gathered with Thine arms, and carried In Thy bosom, may they be Sweetly, fondly, safely tended, From all want and danger free. Let Thy holy words instruct them; Fill their minds with heavenly light; Let Thy love and grace constrain them To approve whate'er is right; Let them feel Thy yoke is easy, Let them prove Thy burden light. Taught to lisp Thy holy praises Which on earth Thy children sing, With both lips and hearts, unfeigned, Glad thank-offering may they bring; Then with all Thy saints in glory Join to praise their Lord and King. |
| --Jane E. Leeson and J. Whittemore. |
| IN HEAVENLY LOVE ABIDING |
In heavenly love abiding, No change my heart shall fear, And safe is such confiding, For nothing changes here. The storm may roar without me, My heart may low be laid; But God is round about me, And can I be dismayed? Wherever He may guide me, No want shall turn me back; My Shepherd is beside me, And nothing can I lack. His wisdom ever waketh, His sight is never dim, He knows the way He taketh, And I will walk with Him. Green pastures are before me, Which yet I have not seen; Bright skies will soon be o'er me, Where darkest clouds have been. My hope I cannot measure, My path to life is free; My Saviour has my treasure, And He will walk with me. |
| --Anna L. Waring. |
| THE KING OF LOVE |
The King of love my Shepherd is, Whose goodness faileth never; I nothing lack if I am His, And He is mine forever. Where streams of living water flow My ransomed soul He leadeth, And where the verdant pastures grow, With food celestial feedeth. Perverse and foolish oft I strayed, But yet in love He sought me, And on His shoulder gently laid, And home, rejoicing, brought me. In death's dark vale I fear no ill With Thee, dear Lord, beside me; Thy rod and staff my comfort still, Thy cross before to guide me. And so, through all the length of days Thy goodness faileth never; Good Shepherd, may I sing Thy praise Within Thy house forever. |
| --Sir H. W. Baker. |