The Cyber Hymnal ‎#6398

6398. Supported by the Word

1. Supported by the Word,
Though in himself a worm,
The servant of the Lord
Can wondrous acts perform:
Without dismay he boldly treads
Where’er the path of duty leads.

2. The haughty king in vain,
With fury on his brow,
Believers would constrain
To golden gods to bow:
The furnace could not make them fear,
Because they knew the Lord was near.

3. As vain was the decree
Which charged them not to pray;
Daniel still bowed his knee,
And worshiped thrice a day:
Trusting in God, he feared not men,
Though threatened with the lion’s den.

4. Secure they might refuse
Compliance with such laws,
For what had they to lose,
When God espoused their cause?
He made the hungry lions crouch,
Nor durst the fire His children touch.

5. The Lord is still the same,
A mighty shield and tow’r,
And they who trust His name
Are guarded by His pow’r:
He can the rage of lions tame,
And bear them harmless through the flame.

6. Yet we too often shrink
When trials are in view;
Expecting we must sink,
And never can get through.
But could we once believe indeed,
From all these fears we should be freed.

Text Information

• First Line: Supported by the Word
• Title: Supported by the Word
• Author: John Newton (1779)
• Meter: 66.66.68
• Language: English
• Source: Olney Hymns (London: W. Oliver, 1779)
• Copyright: Public Domain
• Notes: Alternate tunes: DARWALL'S 148TH, John Darwall, 1770; ST. JOHN (PARISH), in the Parish Choir, 1851; at­trib­ut­ed to Will­iam H. Havergal

Tune Information

• Name: BEVAN
• Composer: John Goss (1853)
• Meter: 66.66.68
• Incipit: 11234 55554 32234
• Key: E♭ Major
• Copyright: Public Domain