If I Only Knew

If I only knew, if I knew for sure
That the Lord would return this year,
Which clamoring tasks would I do today?
What things would I put off?
How much would I pray?
As I mixed with my friends,
Just what would I say
If I knew the time was near?

If I only knew, if I knew for sure
That ere six months were sped,
The skies would part at the trumpet's peal,
What change in my plans
Would the days reveal?
Would the things I love hold the same appeal
If I knew what lay ahead?

If I only knew, if I knew for sure...
O God, can I be so blind?
So enthralled with time that I cannot see
That beckoning hand of eternity?
Body and soul I belong to Thee;
May my hours be wholly Thine.

Louise Jetter Walker

Ephesians 5:15 See then that ye walk
circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

graphics and background by Mayr Stephens
CA; updated 2019