GHS 108 : Must I Go And Empty-Handed? Lyrics
GHS 108, “Must I Go And Empty-Handed?,” is one of the most searching and sobering evangelism hymns ever written. Its opening question is the kind that stops a person mid-step: when I stand before my Redeemer, will I have nothing to show for the life He gave me? No soul won, no trophy laid at His feet, no day of service rendered? The hymn is not focused on the fear of death itself but on the fear of arriving at the end of life with a wasted opportunity to bring others to Christ.
Its final stanza is a direct call to fellow believers: rouse up, be earnest, work while there is still time. This hymn appears as number 108 in the Gospel Hymns and Songs (GHS) collection, used in Deeper Life Bible Church and related assemblies across West Africa, and it carries a particular power when sung before an evangelism outreach or at the close of a missions service.
Hymn Lyrics – GHS 108: Must I Go And Empty-Handed?
- “Must I go, and empty-handed,” Thus my dear Redeemer meet? Not one day of service give Him, Lay no trophy at His feet?
“Must I go, and empty-handed?” Must I meet my Saviour so? Not one soul with which to greet Him: Must I empty-handed go?
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Not at death I shrink nor falter, For my Saviour saves me now; But to meet Him empty-handed, Thought of that now clouds my brow.
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O the years in sinning wasted, Could I but recall them now, I would give them to my Saviour, To His will I’d gladly bow.
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O ye saints, arouse, be earnest, Up and work while yet ’tis day; Ere the night of death o’ertake thee, Strive for souls while still you may.
