139. You, O Lord, have searched and known me

Author: David G Preston

You, O Lord, have searched and known me,
you know when I sit or rise;
every thought and deed lies open
to your all-perceiving eyes.
You have laid your hand upon me,
guarded me before, behind;
knowledge so sublime, so towering,
far transcends an earthly mind.

2. Where could I elude your Spirit,
ever present everywhere?
In the heavens, or deep in Hades?
You are with me even there!
Eastward, westward, still you guide me,
from your grip I cannot stray;
nor will darkness hide me from you:
night to you is clear as day.

3. For you made my inmost being,
wove me in my mother’s womb,
God all-wise, who ordered for me
all my days until the tomb.
How profound, how vast, how precious
all the workings of your will-
countless marvels, endless mercies!
When I wake, I’m with you still.

4. God all-holy, judge the wicked,
break their blasphemous design!
How can I not hate such evil?
Lord, your enemies are mine.
Search my heart, O God, and know me,
test my anxious thoughts, I pray;
take away my sins and lead me
into everlasting day.