In Time of Tribulation

In time of tri­bu­la­tion

Hear

Lord

my fee­ble cries;

With hum­ble sup­pli­ca­tion

To Thee my spir­it flies;

My heart with grief is break­ing

Scarce can my voice com­plain;

Mine eyes with tears kept wak­ing

Still watch and weep in vain.

The days of old

in vi­sion

Bring van­ished bliss to view;

The years of lost fru­ition

Their joys in pangs re­new;

Remembered songs of glad­ness

Through nights lone si­lence brought

Strike notes of deep­er sad­ness

And stir de­spond­ing thought.

Hath God cast off for­ev­er?

Can time His truth im­pair?

His ten­der mer­cy nev­er

Shall I pre­sume to share?

Hath He His lov­ing kind­ness

Shut up in end­less wrath?

No—this is mine own blind­ness

That can­not see His path.

I call to re­col­lect­ion

The years of His right hand;

And

strong in His pro­tect­ion

Again through faith I stand;

Thy deeds

O Lord

are won­der;

Holy are all Thy ways;

The sec­ret place of thun­der

Shall ut­ter forth Thy praise.

Thee

with the tribes as­sem­bled

O God

the bil­lows saw;

They saw Thee

and they trem­bled

Turned

and stood still with awe;

The clouds shot hail and light­ened;

The earth reeled to and fro;

Thy fie­ry pil­lar bright­ened

The gulf of gloom be­low.

Thy way is in great wa­ters

Thy foot­steps are not known;

Let Ad­am’s sons and daugh­ters

Confide in Thee alone:

Through the wild sea Thou lead­est

Thy chos­en flock of yore;

Still on the waves Thou tread­est

And Thy re­deemed pass o’er.