In peace and joy I now depart
At God’s disposing;
For full of comfort is my heart,
Soft reposing.
So the Lord hath promised me,
And death is but a slumber.

’Tis Christ that wrought this work for me,
My faithful Savior,
Whom Thou hast made mine eyes to see
By Thy favor.
Now I know He is my Life,
My Help in need and dying.

Him Thou hast unto all set forth
Their great Salvation
And to His kingdom called the earth,
Every nation,
By Thy dear and wholesome Word,
In every place resounding.

He is the Hope and saving Light
Of lands benighted;
By Him are they who dwelt in night
Fed and lighted.
He is Israel’s Praise and Bliss,
Their Joy, Reward, and Glory.

Light of the Gentile nations,
Thy people’s joy and love,
Dawn by Thy Spirit hither,
We gladly come to prove
Thy presence in Thy temple,
And wait with earnest mind,
As Simeon once had waited
His Savior God to find.

Yes, Lord, Thy servants meet Thee,
Ev’n now, in ev’ry place,
Where Thy true Word hath promised
That they should see Thy face.
Thou yet wilt gently grant us,
Who gather round Thee here,
In faith’s strong arms to bear Thee,
As once that aged seer.

Be Thou our joy, our brightness,
That shines ’mid pain and loss,
Our Sun in times of terror,
The glory round our cross;
A glow in sinking spirits,
A sunbeam in distress,
Physician, friend in sickness;
In death our happiness.

Let us, O Lord, be faithful
With Simeon to the end,
That so his dying song may
From all our hearts ascend;
“O Lord, now let Thy servant
Depart in peace for aye,
Since I have seen my Savior,
Have here beheld His day.”

My Savior, I behold Thee
Now with the eye of faith;
No foe of Thee can rob me,
Though bitter words he saith;
Within Thy heart abiding,
As Thou dost dwell in me,
No pain, no death has terrors
To part my soul from Thee!

Thou Light of Gentile nations, Thou Savior from above,
Drawn by Thy Spirit’s leading, we come with joy and love
Into Thy holy temple and wait with earnest mind
As Simeon once had waited His God and Lord to find.

Yea, Lord, Thy servants meet Thee in every holy place
Where Thy true Word has promised that we should see Thy face.
Today Thou still dost grant us who gather around Thee here
In arms of faith to bear Thee as did that agèd seer.

Be Thou our Joy and Brightness, our Cheer in pain and loss,
Our Sun in darkest terror, the Glory round our cross,
A Star for sinking spirits, a Beacon in distress,
Physician, Friend in sickness, in death our Happiness.

Let us, O Lord, be faithful like Simeon to the end,
So that his prayer exultant may from our hearts ascend:
“O Lord, now let Thy servant depart in peace, I pray,
Since I have seen my Savior and here beheld His day.”

My Savior, I behold Thee with faith’s enlightened eye;
Of Thee no foe can rob me, his threats I can defy.
Within Thy heart abiding, as Thou, O Lord, in me,
Death can no longer frighten nor part my soul from Thee.

Lord, here on earth Thou seemest at times to frown on me,
And through my tears I often can scarce distinguish Thee;
But in the heavenly mansions shall nothing dim my sight;
There shall I see Thy glory in never-changing light.