Lord Jesus, Think On Me
Lord Jesus, Think on Me
Lord Jesus, think on me,
And purge away my sin;
From earthborn passions set me free,
And make me pure within.
Lord Jesus, think on me,
With care and woe oppressed;
Let me Thy loving servant be,
And taste Thy promised rest.
Lord Jesus, think on me,
Amid the battle’s strife;
In all my pain and misery
Be Thou my health and life.
Lord Jesus, think on me,
Nor let me go astray;
Through darkness and perplexity
Point Thou the heavenly way.
Lord Jesus, think on me,
That when this life is past,
I may th’eternal brightness see,
And share Thy joy at last.
Lord Jesus, think on me,
That I may sing above
To Father, Spirit, and to Thee,
The strains of praise and love.
Translated by Allen W. Chatfield (1808–1896)
SYNESIUS was a native of Cyrene in northern Africa, the hometown of the Simon who had carried the cross for Jesus. He was more famous as a philosopher than as a Christian leader. Most of the writings of Synesius come from his pre-Christian days, including a humanist eulogy on baldness, a speech depicting the ideal Roman emperor, and a paper, De Insomniis, on the causes and meaning of dreams.
When he was thirty-three, Synesius married a Christian woman and later became a Christian himself. Yet he struggled with how to reconcile his philosophy with Christian doctrine. Eventually he was consecrated a bishop in the church, but his philosophical struggle continued.
This hymn was derived from an ode written by Synesius, and in it can be seen his sincere desire for God to shed light on his path.
We keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do.
2 Thessalonians 1:11
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