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FAITHFUL OVER FEW

“O Blessed Lord, how much I long
To do some noble work for thee!
To lift thee up before the world
Till every eye thy grace shall see;
But not to me didst thou intrust
The talents five or talents two,
Yet, in my round of daily tasks,
Lord, make me faithful over few.

“I may not stand and break the bread
To those who hunger for thy Word,
And ‘midst the throngs that sing thy praise
My feeble voice may ne’er be heard;
And, still, for me thou hast a place—
Some little corner I may fill,
Where I can pray, ‘Thy Kingdom Come!’
And seek to do thy blessed will.

“A cup of water, in thy name,
May prove a comfort to the faint:
For thou wilt own each effort made
To soothe a child or aid a saint;
And thou wilt not despise, dear Lord,
My day of small things, if I try
To do the little I can do,
Nor pass the least endeavor by.

“To teach the wise and mighty ones
The weak and foolish thou dost choose,
And even things despised and base
For thy great glory thou canst use;
So, Lord, tho’ humble be my sphere,
In faith I bring to thee my all;
For thine own glory bless and break
My barley loaves and fishes small.”
—F. G. Burroughs.

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— May 1, 1909 —