Lyrics
1 THOU great mysterious God unknown,
Whose love hath gently led me on,
Even from my infant days,
Mine inmost soul expose to view,
And tell me if I ever knew
Thy justifying grace.
2 If I have only known thy fear,
And followed with a heart sincere
Thy drawings from above,
Now, now the further grace bestow,
And let my sprinkled conscience know
Thy sweet forgiving love.
3 Short of Thy love I would not stop,
A stranger to the gospel hope,
The sense of sin forgiven;
I would not, Lord, my soul deceive,
Without the inward witness live,
That antepast of heaven.
4 If now the witness were in me,
Would He not testify of thee
In Jesus reconciled?
And should I not with faith draw nigh,
And boldly Abba, Father, cry,
And know myself thy child?
5 Whate'er obstructs thy pardoning love,
Or sin or righteousness, remove,
Thy glory to display;
Mine heart of unbelief convince,
And now absolve me from my sins,
And take them all away.
6 Father, in me reveal thy Son,
And to my inmost soul make known
How merciful thou art:
The secret of thy love reveal,
And by thine hallowing Spirit dwell
For ever in my heart!
Meaning & Inspiration
“Thou Great Mysterious God Unknown” is a prayer for personal assurance of forgiveness and adoption. The hymn does not settle for outward sincerity or reverent fear alone; its speaker asks for an inward knowledge of justifying grace. Each stanza examines possible barriers, including sin, unbelief, and confidence in personal righteousness, before asking God to reveal Christ and establish holy love within the soul.
The fourth stanza closely reflects Romans 8:15-16, where the Spirit bears witness to adoption and believers cry, “Abba, Father.” The appeal for a cleansed conscience also recalls Hebrews 10:22, while the request for the Spirit’s indwelling agrees with Ephesians 3:16-17. These references support the hymn’s movement from uncertainty toward filial confidence. Its older language gives careful expression to a central Christian concern: not merely knowing doctrines about pardon, but receiving assurance that reconciliation with God is real. The closing prayer appropriately places that assurance in the revelation of the Son and the continuing work of the Holy Spirit.
Related Scripture
- Romans 8:15-16 The Spirit testifies to adoption as believers cry to God as Abba, Father.
- Hebrews 10:22 The passage connects drawing near in faith with a cleansed conscience.
- Ephesians 3:16-17 Paul prays for inward strength through the Spirit and for Christ to dwell in believers’ hearts.