Be Thou forever near me!

"O Jesus, I have promised

To serve Thee to the end;

Be Thou forever near me,

My Master and my Friend!

I shall not fear the battle,

If Thou art by my side;

Nor wander from the pathway,

If Thou wilt be my Guide.

O Jesus, 
Thou hast promised

To all who follow Thee,

That where Thou art in glory

There shall Thy servant be!

And, Jesus, I have promised

To serve Thee to the end,

Oh, give me grace to follow,

My Master and my Friend."

-John E. Bode--published in A Boy's War, by David Michell

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