“I Am Thine, O Lord” (Draw me nearer) #4, Sacred Selections

Background Author – Frances Jan Van Alstyne (pen name for Fanning J Crosby (1820-1915)) Published around 1875 Music composed by William H Doane A song about surrender I Am Thine, O Lord

Vs. 1 - Surrender I am Thine, O Lord – do we belong to Him? Romans 12:1-2 Galatians 3:27 – put on Christ Romans 13:14 Galatians 2:20 – I am crucified with Christ I Am Thine, O Lord

Vs. 1 - Surrender I have heard Thy voice – He speaks through His word Hebrews 1:1-2 – through His Son (John 6:63) Hebrews 4:12 – His word is living and powerful I Am Thine, O Lord

Vs. 1 - Surrender And it told Thy love to me – we learn of His love in His word John 3:16 Romans 5:8 – God demonstrates His love 1 John 4:9-11, 19 – He loved us, we ought to love I Am Thine, O Lord

Vs. 1 - Surrender But I long to rise in the arms of faith – may my faith increase Romans 10:17 – comes by hearing Romans 1:16-17 – from faith to faith James 1:21 – the “implanted word” is able to save your souls I Am Thine, O Lord

Vs. 1 - Surrender And be closer drawn to Thee – this will happen as our faith grows I Am Thine, O Lord

Vs. 2 - Consecration Consecrate me now to Thy service Lord Consecrate – to make something available, specifically for holy purposes We are set apart AND purified Joshua 6:19, Leviticus 20:7, Exodus 32:29 Hebrews 10:20-22 – Jesus “consecrated” a new and living way for us I Am Thine, O Lord

Vs. 2 - Consecration By the power of grace divine God has done what we cannot do When we respond, God saves us Ephesians 2:8-9 I Am Thine, O Lord

Vs. 2 - Consecration Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope Hope is our anchor Hebrews 6:19 Romans 8:24-25 – with steadfast hope we eagerly wait I Am Thine, O Lord

Vs. 2 - Consecration And my will be lost in Thine Again, it is not about my selfish ways - Galatians 2:20 1 Peter 4:1-2 – we no longer live the rest of our time in the flush fulfilling lusts I Am Thine, O Lord

Vs. 3 - Prayer The importance of prayer is continually emphasized. It is crucial if we are to draw near to God Hebrews 4:15-16 – we can boldly come before His throne I Am Thine, O Lord

Vs. 3 - Prayer O the pure delight of a single hour that before Thy throne I spend How important is prayer to me? How much do I pray? How often? When? 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18, 3:9-10 – night and day Even Jesus prayed I Am Thine, O Lord

Vs. 3 - Prayer When I kneel in prayer While the posture in prayer is not specified, it should be reverent! 1 Timothy 2:8 Matthew 6:6 – in your closet I Am Thine, O Lord

Vs. 3 - Prayer And with Thee my God, I commune as friend with friend God is personal John 15:13-16 – are we as friends with Him (while maintaining godliness)? John 14:23 Philippians 4:6-7 I Am Thine, O Lord

Vs. 4 - Hope There are depths of love that I cannot know, till I cross the narrow sea As our faith grows, so does our love – 1 John 4:19 But we will not fully grasp His love until we cross over (Jordan) – Ephesians 3:17-19 Romans 8:35-39 I Am Thine, O Lord

Vs. 4 - Hope There are heights of joy that I may not reach, till I rest in peace with Thee Yes we rejoice now – Philippians 4:4, Romans 12:15, even Matthew 5:10-12 But consider the joy in His presence – 1 Peter 4:12-13 I Am Thine, O Lord

Chorus – Draw me nearer Draw me nearer, nearer Is that our goal? Growth in Him James 4:8 I Am Thine, O Lord

Chorus – Draw me nearer Nearer, blessed Lord, to the cross where Thou hast died The cross is central to our faith Hebrews 10:22 Hebrews 7:19 – better hope through which we draw near I Am Thine, O Lord

Chorus – Draw me nearer Draw me nearer,… blessed Lord, to Thy precious bleeding side Again the cross, but here the emphasis is on what He endured on the cross John 19:34 – His side was pierced His blood cleanses us – 1 John 1:7 Revelation 1:5 I Am Thine, O Lord

Are you drawing nearer to Him?