One By One He Took Them From Me
One by one He took them from me,
All the things I valued most.
Until I was empty-handed;
Every glittering toy was lost.
Then I walked earth's highway grieving,
In my rags and poverty;
'Til I heard His voice inviting:
Lift your empty hands to me.
So I held my hands toward Heaven,
And He filled them with a store
Of His own transcendent riches,
'Til they could contain no more.
Then at last I comprehended
With my stupid mind and dull,
That God could not pour out His riches
Into hands already full.
~By William Cowper~
(I am unsure of the actual title of this poem.)
All the things I valued most.
Until I was empty-handed;
Every glittering toy was lost.
Then I walked earth's highway grieving,
In my rags and poverty;
'Til I heard His voice inviting:
Lift your empty hands to me.
So I held my hands toward Heaven,
And He filled them with a store
Of His own transcendent riches,
'Til they could contain no more.
Then at last I comprehended
With my stupid mind and dull,
That God could not pour out His riches
Into hands already full.
~By William Cowper~
(I am unsure of the actual title of this poem.)
When I heard this song in high school, I was told the title was "Treasures."
ReplyDelete1:37 am i searched a lot tonight for this song as God is dealing with me and my treasures...my husband but esp a son and 2 daughters
ReplyDeletethank you keep in touch
Somehow I must have missed that first comment. Thank you for sending me the possible title.
ReplyDeleteTo the second poster, thank you as well for leaving a comment. I have learned the only way to deal with our treasures (regarding people) is to give them first to the Lord - then whatever happens with us or them, we know they are held securely in His loving hands. God bless.
Have you ever the music to that poem? I have searched for it without success. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI was in college in 68-70. We used to sing this song all the time. The title is indeed "Treasures". I am so glad I found the words to the song.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate these lyrics, but unfortunately don't think I have actually heard it sung. Sorry I am not sure where you can find the music for it (I am assuming you mean the sheetmusic so you can play it - you probably can find a midi online of the song though). God bless.
ReplyDeleteA minor correction (and over a year late) the song is entitled Treasures and it is based on a poem by Margaret Snell Nicholson. More info at http://www.mercydrops.com/Snell.htm
ReplyDeleteHi!
ReplyDeleteI think you may enjoy this YouTube video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bl0Bq1knf3Q It is part one of a two part series, the second of which contains the poem, "Treasures."
God bless!
We always sang it to the tune of "The Unveiled Christ" in our church hymnal. Try this link for a MIDI file for the tune: http://nethymnal.org/mid/u/n/unveiled.mid
ReplyDeleteIf you google www.mercydrops.com then click on
ReplyDeleteMartha Snell Nicholson - MercyDrops, "Treasures"
is the first poem. It also tells the history of
the writer.
I love this poem! The author is actually Martha Snell Nicholson.
ReplyDeleteLast night my dying mother started quoting this poem. All of us her children gathered around were shocked. We were unaware she even knew this poem. It will be treasured all the more because of this precious moment in time!
ReplyDeleteShe will be seeing Jesus very soon!
We sang this a lot in Dr. Delnay's class at Piedmont Bible College in Winston-Salem, NC. 1978-1982
ReplyDeleteI've only know this song by the title 'Empty Hands', this song really speaks to me.
ReplyDelete