Lead Me to Calvary

By Jennie Evelyn Hussey

King of my life, I crown Thee now,
Thine shall the glory be;
Lest I forget Thy thorn crowned brow,
Lead me to Calvary.

Refrain:
Lest I forget Gethsemane,
Lest I forget Thine agony;
Lest I forget Thy love for me,
Lead me to Calvary.

Show me the tomb where Thou wast laid,
Tenderly mourned and wept;
Angels in robes of light arrayed
Guarded Thee whilst Thou slept.

Refrain

Let me like Mary, through the gloom,
Come with a gift to Thee;
Show to me now the empty tomb,
Lead me to Calvary.

Refrain

May I be willing, Lord, to bear
Daily my cross for Thee;
Even Thy cup of grief to share,
Thou hast borne all for me.

Refrain

Fill me, O Lord, with Thy desire
For all that know not Thee;
Then touch my lips with holy fire,
To speak of Calvary.

Refrain

Jennie Evelyn Hussey came from a Quaker background, living in New England where generations of her family had existed. For most of her adult life, Jennie devoted her time and energy to staying at home and caring for her invalid sister. Over the years this became more and more difficult because Jennie herself was plagued with deformative arthritis.

Amazingly, she never complained, but rather looked at this as her assignment from the Lord. At one point, when things seemed almost unbearable, Jennie prayed, “Please, Lord, make me willing to bear my cross daily without complaining because you bore yours for me.”

As often happened, her words took on poetic form, and over the next few days she wrote several other verses expressing her deep love and submission to Christ. Her heart was stirred and her song was complete. These became her well-known hymn, “Lead Me To Calvary”.

Jennie never forgot the deep sufferings of Christ as He lingered in the Garden of Gethsemane, nor His great sacrifice on the cross of Calvary. Constantly her heart returned to the cross where she saw Him wounded and dying for those He loved, and her greatest desire was to give her life in joyful service for Him.

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