Great God, regard thy servants’ prayer,
And grant us, still, thy gracious care;
Spare us, O Lord; our lives prolong,
And turn our sorrow into song.
Out of the depths we cry to thee;
O, let us thy salvation see!
Thy tender pity may we prove,—
Thy changeless, everlasting love.
Through gloom and tempest guide our way;
The sea is thine—it owns thy sway;
The winds and waves obey thy will,
Hushed when they hear thy “Peace, be still!”
On thee alone our hope is stayed;
O, be thou our unfailing aid,
Till, in the haven of thy breast,
We share thy saints’ eternal rest.
THE SANCTUARY.
How amiable thy courts!
Thy temple, Lord, how fair!
How pleasant, still, to lowly hearts,
Thy tabernacles are.
Thither the tribes go up,—
Thy chosen Israel,—
With voice of saintly jubilee
Thy faithfulness to tell.
How excellent they stand,
The gates of praise and prayer!
Would God my weary, fainting soul
Might dwell forever there.
Before the mercy seat
We find our faith’s reward:
A heart made holy to behold
The beauty of the Lord.