My Soul’s Best Friend, What Joy and Blessing

My soul’s best friend

what joy and bless­ing

My spir­it ev­er finds in Thee!

From gloomy depths of doubt dis­tress­ing

Into Thine arms for rest I flee.

There will the night of sor­row van­ish

When from my heart Thy love doth ban­ish.

All ang­uish and all pain and fear.

Yea

here on earth be­gins my heav­en;

Who would not joy­ful be when giv­en

A lov­ing Sav­ior al­ways near!

For though the ev­il world re­vile me

And prove her­self my bit­ter foe

Or by her smile seek to be­guile me

I trust her not; her wiles I know.

In Thee alone my soul re­joic­es

Thy praise alone it glad­ly voic­es

For Thou art true when friend­ships flee.

The world may hate but can­not fell me;

Would migh­ty waves of tri­al quell me

I an­chor in Thy loy­al­ty.

Thro’ de­serts of the cross Thou lead­est;

I fol­low

lean­ing on Thy hand.

From out the cloud Thy child Thou feed­est

And giv­est water from the sand.

I trust Thy ways

howe’er dis­tress­ing;

For I know my path will end in bless­ing;

Enough that Thou wilt be my stay.

For whom to hon­or Thou in­tend­est

Oft in­to sor­row’s vale Thou send­est;

The night must e’er pre­cede the day.

My soul’s best friend

how well con­tent­ed

Am I

re­pos­ing on Thy breast;

By sin no more am I tor­ment­ed

Since Thou dost grant me peace and rest.

Oh

may the grace that Thou has giv­en

For me a fore­taste be of Heav­en

Where I shall bask in joys di­vine!

Away

vain world

with fleet­ing plea­sures;

In Christ I have ab­id­ing trea­sures.

O

com­fort sweet

my friend is mine!