| Edmund Clarence Stedman, ed. (1833–1908). An American Anthology, 1787–1900. 1900. |
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| 894. Not Knowing |
| | | By Mary Gardiner Brainard |
| | | | | Not knowing the things that shall befall me there.—ACTS XX. 22. |
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| I KNOW not what will befall me: God hangs a mist o’er my eyes; | |
| And thus, each step of my onward path, He makes new scenes arise, | |
| And every joy He sends to me comes like a sweet surprise. | |
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| I see not a step before me as I tread on another year; | |
| But I ’ve left the past in God’s keeping,—the future His mercy shall clear, | 5 |
| And what looks dark in the distance may brighten as I draw near. | |
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| For perhaps the dreaded future is less bitter than I think; | |
| The Lord may sweeten the waters before I stoop to drink; | |
| Or, if Marah must be Marah, He will stand beside its brink. | |
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| It may be He keeps waiting, for the coming of my feet, | 10 |
| Some gift of such rare blessedness, some joy so strangely sweet, | |
| That my lips shall only tremble with the thanks they cannot speak. | |
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| O restful, blissful ignorance! ’t is blessëd not to know; | |
| It keeps me still in those mighty arms which will not let me go, | |
| And lulls my weariness to rest on the bosom that loves me so. | 15 |
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| So I go on not knowing,—I would not if I might; | |
| I would rather walk in the dark with God than go alone in the light; | |
| I would rather walk with Him by faith than walk alone by sight. | |
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| My heart shrinks back from trials which the future may disclose, | |
| Yet I never had sorrow but what the dear Lord chose; | 20 |
| So I send the coming tears back with the whispered word, “He knows.” | |
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