We Love Thee, Lord, and We Adore

We love Thee

Lord

and we ad­ore;

Now is Thine arm re­vealed:

Thou art our strength

our heav’n­ly tow­er

Our bul­wark and our shield.

We fly to our eter­nal rock

And find a sure de­fense;

His ho­ly name our lips in­voke

And draw sal­va­tion thence.

When God

our lead­er

shines in arms

What mor­tal heart can bear

The thun­der of His loud alarms

The light­ning of His spear?

He rides up­on the wing­èd wind

And an­gels in ar­ray

In mill­ions wait to know His mind

And swift as flames ob­ey.

He speaks

and at His fierce re­buke

Whole ar­mies are dis­mayed;

His voice

His frown

His ang­ry look

Strikes all their cour­age dead.

He forms our ge­ner­als for the field

With all their dread­ful skill;

Gives them His aw­ful sword to wield

And makes their hearts of steel.

He arms our cap­tains to the fight

Though there His name’s forgot;

He gird­ed Cy­rus with His might

But Cy­rus knew Him not.

Oft has the Lord whole na­tions blest

For His own Church’s sake;

The pow­ers that give His peo­ple rest

Shall of His care par­take.