The Cyber Hymnal ‎#4892

4892. Our God, Our Help in Ages Past

1. Our God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.

2. Under the shadow of Thy throne
Thy saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone,
And our defense is sure.

3. Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting Thou art God,
To endless years the same.

4. Thy Word commands our flesh to dust,
Return, ye sons of men:
All nations rose from earth at first,
And turn to earth again.

5. A thousand ages in Thy sight
Are like an evening gone;
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.

6. The busy tribes of flesh and blood,
With all their lives and cares,
Are carried downwards by the flood,
And lost in following years.

7. Time, like an ever rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly, forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the opening day.

8. Like flowery fields the nations stand
Pleased with the morning light;
The flowers beneath the mower’s hand
Lie withering ere ‘tis night.

9. Our God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guard while troubles last,
And our eternal home.

Text Information

• First Line: Our God, our help in ages past
• Title: Our God, Our Help in Ages Past
• Author: Isaac Watts (1719)
• Language: English
• Source: The Psalms of David, 1719
• Copyright: Public Domain
• Notes: This hymn was sung at the funeral of former British prime minister Winston Churchill in St. Paul's Cathedral, London, 1965. Alternate tune: LAFAYETTE, John B. Herbert, 1890

Tune Information

• Name: ST. ANNE
• Composer: William Croft (1708)
• Incipit: 53651 17151 56457
• Key: C Major
• Copyright: Public Domain