But God is never so far off
As even to be near.
He is within; our spirit is
The home he holds most dear.
To think of him as by our side
Is almost as untrue
As to remove his throne beyond
Those skies of starry blue.
So all the while I thought myself
Homeless, forlorn, and weary,
Missing my joy, I walked the earth,
Myself God's sanctuary.
I come to thee once more, my God!
No longer will I roam;
For I have sought the wide world through
And never found a home.
Though bright and many are the spots
Where I have built a nest--
Yet in the brightest still I pined
For more abiding rest.
For thou hast made this wondrous soul
All for thyself alone;
Ah! send thy sweet transforming grace
To make it more thine own.
--Frederick William Faber.