The Orignial Trinity Hymnal # 21-30
#21
God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.
Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never-failing skill
He treasures up his bright designs,
And works his sovereign will.
Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy, and shall break
In blessings on your head.
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust him for his grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.
His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flow'r.
Blind unbelief is sure to err,
And scan his work in vain.
God is his own interpreter,
And he will make it plain.
#22
Great God, how infinite art thou!
How poor and weak are we!
Let the whole race of creatures bow,
And pay their praise to thee.
Thy throne eternal ages stood,
Ere seas or stars were made:
Thou art the ever living God,
Were all the nations dead.
Eternity, with all its years,
Stands present in thy view;
To thee there's nothing old appears;
To thee there's nothing new.
Our lives through various scenes are drawn,
And vexed with trifling cares;
While thine eternal thought moves on
Thine undisturbed affairs.
Great God, how infinite art thou!
How poor and weak are we!
Let the whole race of creatures bow,
And pay their praise to thee.
#23
O light that knew no dawn,
That shines to endless day,
All things in earth and heav'n
Are lustred by thy ray;
No eye can to thy throne ascend,
Nor mind thy brightness comprehend.
Thy grace, O Father, give,
That I may serve in fear;
Above all boons, I pray,
Grant me thy voice to hear;
From sin thy child in mercy free,
And let me dwell in light with thee:
That, cleansed from stain of sin,
I may meet homage give,
And, pure in heart, behold
Thy beauty while I live;
Clean hands in holy worship raise,
And thee, O Christ my Saviour, praise.
In supplication meek
To thee I bend the knee;
O Christ, when thou shalt come,
In love remember me,
And in thy kingdom, by thy grace,
Grant me a humble servant's place.
Thy grace, O Father, give,
I humbly thee implore;
And let thy mercy bless
Thy servant more and more.
All grace and glory be to thee,
From age to age eternally.
#24
O God, the Rock of Ages,
Who evermore hast been,
What time the tempest rages,
Our dwelling place serene:
Before thy first creations,
O Lord, the same as now,
To endless generations
The Everlasting Thou!
Our years are like the shadows
On sunny hills that lie,
Or grasses in the meadows
That blossom but to die;
A sleep, a dream, a story
By strangers quickly told,
And unremaining glory
Of things that soon are old.
O thou who canst not slumber,
Whose light grows never pale,
Teach us aright to number
Our years before they fail;
On us thy mercy lighten,
On us thy goodness rest,
And let thy Spirit brighten
The hearts thyself hast blessed.
Lord, crown our faith's endeavor
With beauty and with grace,
Till, clothed in light for ever,
We see thee face to face:
A joy no language measures;
A fountain brimming o'er;
An endless flow of pleasures;
An ocean without shore.
#25
Psalm 102:17-28
The Lord has heard and answered prayer
And saved his people in distress;
This to the coming age declare,
That they his holy name may bless.
The Lord, exalted on his throne,
Looked down from heaven with pitying eye
To still the lowly captive's moan
And save his people doomed to die.
All men in Zion shall declare
His gracious name with one accord,
When kings and nations gather there
To serve and worship God the Lord.
Before my journey is complete
My vigor fails, my years decline;
My God, O spare me, I entreat;
The days of life are wholly thine.
The earth and heavens shall pass away,
Like vesture worn and laid aside,
But changeless thou shalt live for aye,
Thy years for ever shall abide.
Thou, O Jehovah, shalt endure,
Thy throne for ever is the same;
And to all generations sure
Shall be thy great memorial name.
Thy servants' children shall remain
For evermore before thy face;
Enduring honor they shall gain,
Established ever in thy grace.
#26
Our God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.
Under the shadow of thy throne
Thy saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is thine arm alone,
And our defense is sure.
Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting thou art God,
To endless years the same.
A thousand ages in thy sight
Are like an evening gone;
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.
The busy tribes of flesh and blood,
With all their lives and cares,
Are carried downward by thy flood,
And lost in following years.
Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the opening day.
Our God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be thou our guard while troubles last,
And our eternal home.
#27
Great is thy faithfulness, O God my father,
There is no shadow of turning with thee:
Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not;
As thou hast been thou for ever wilt be.
"Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!"
Morning by morning new mercies I see:
All I have needed thy hand hath provided—
"Great is thy faithfulness," Lord unto me!
Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside.
—Thomas O. Chisholm
Copyright 1923, renewal 1951, Hope Publishing Company, Carol Stream, IL 60188. All rights reserved. Used by permission. If you wish to print, copy, cut/paste or duplicate these lyrics you must obtain permission from Hope Publishing Company, 380 South Main Place, Carol Stream, IL 60188 (800/323-1049).
#28
Hast thou not known, hast thou not heard
That firm remains on high
The everlasting throne of him
Who formed the earth and sky?
Art thou afraid his power shall fail
When comes thine evil day?
And can an all-creating arm
Grow weary or decay?
Supreme in wisdom as in power
The Rock of Ages stands,
Though him thou canst not see, nor trace
The working of his hands.
He gives the conquest to the weak,
Supports the fainting heart,
And courage in the evil hour
His heavenly aids impart.
Mere human pow'r shall fast decay,
And youthful vigor cease,
But they who wait upon the Lord
In strength shall still increase.
They with unwearied feet shall tread
The path of life divine,
With growing ardor onward move,
With growing brightness shine.
On eagles' wings they mount, they soar,
Their wings are faith and love,
Till, past the cloudy regions here,
They rise to heaven above.
#29
Psalm 117
Praise Jehovah, all ye nations,
All ye people, praise proclaim;
For his grace and lovingkindness,
O sing praises to his name.
Great to us hath been his mercy,
Ever faithful is his word;
Through all ages it endureth.
Hallelujah, praise the Lord.
#30
From Psalm 136
Let us with a gladsome mind,
Praise the Lord, for he is kind:
For his mercies aye endure,
Ever faithful, ever sure.
Let us blaze his name abroad,
For of gods he is the God:
He with all-commanding might
Filled the new-made world with light:
All things living he doth feed;
His full hand supplies their need:
He his chosen race did bless
In the wasteful wilderness:
He hath with a piteous eye
Looked upon our misery:
Let us therefore warble forth
His high majesty and worth: