"Panting
Hart Music" Lyrics
for Symphonic Choral Work: "The
Conversion of Saint Paul" by
John Keith Davis c 2022 JKD/PHM all
rights reserved
"Be-hold, I see the Heav-ens o-pened up!
Be-hold, I see the Heav-ens o-pen. Be-hold, I see the Heav-ens o-pened up!
And the Son of Man stand-ing at God's right hand! Lord Je-sus, re-ceive my
spir-it. And hold not this sin a-gainst them."
And they stoned Steph-en
there. And the wit-nes-es a-gainst him laid their cloaks at the feet of a
young man named Saul.
"Why did-n't he beg and grov-el? How could
an-y man die so strong and free? Why did-n't he beg and grov-el? And why
are Steph-en's eyes still pierc-ing me?"
"Saul, Saul, why do you
per-se-cute me? Why, why? why do you per-se-cute me?"
"Who are you,
Lord?"
"I am Je-sus, Jesus Whom you per-se-cute. It's hard to kick
a-gainst the thorns!"
"What should I do?"
"Go in-to town. You
shall be told there what to do."
And Saul was blind so they took
his hand and led him in-to Dam-as-cus.
"Bro-ther Saul, a-rise and be
Bap-tized in the name of the Lord."
He was filled with the Ho-ly
Spir-it. And soon he be-gan to preach a-bout Christ in the syn-o-gogues.
"I did not go back to Jer-u-sa-lem for three years. But I went out in-to
A-ra-bi-a. I did not con-fer with flesh and blood for three years. And then
I went to see Pe-ter and the Lord's Bro-ther, James. Why did-n't he beg and
grov-el? How could an-y man die so strong and free? Why did-n't he beg and
grov-el? And why are Steph-en's eyes still pierc-ing me," Bro-ther Paul?
"O, fool-ish Ga-la-tions, who hath be-witched you? Did you re-ceive the
Spir-it by the works of the law, or was it by the hear-ing of faith? Can
what you have be-gun in the Spir-it now be made per-fect by the flesh? No
man is just-ti-fied by the law in the sight of God. For it is ev-i-dent the
just shall live by faith! Bre-thren, the grace of our Lord Je-sus Christ be
with your spir-it. A-men!"