O That I Knew the Secret Place

O that I knew the secret place
Where I might find my God!
I’d spread my wants before His face,
And pour my woes abroad.

I’d tell Him how my sins arise;
What sorrows I sustain;
How grace decays, and comfort dies,
And leaves my heart in pain.

He knows what arguments I’d take
To wrestle with my God;
I’d plead for His own mercy’s sake
And for my Savior’s blood.

Arise, my soul, from deep distress,
And banish every fear;
He calls Thee to His throne of grace,
To spread Thy sorrows there.

Author: Isaac Watts

Year: 1707

This hymn is taken from Isaac Watts' Hymns and Spiritual Songs (1707), Book 1, Hymn 146. It is a versification of Job 23:3-6. No significant alternate attributions exist.