To God I cried with mournful voice,
I sought His gracious ear,
In the sad day when troubles rose,
And filled the night with fear.

Sad were my days, and dark my nights,
My soul refused relief;
I thought on God the just and wise,
But thoughts increased my grief.

Still I complained, and still oppressed,
My heart began to break;
My God, Thy wrath forbade my rest,
And kept my eyes awake.

My overwhelming sorrows grew,
Till I could speak no more;
Then I within myself withdrew,
And called Thy judgments o’er.

I called back years and ancient times
When I beheld Thy face;
My spirit searched for secret crimes
That might withhold Thy grace.

I called Thy mercies to my mind
Which I enjoyed before;
And will the Lord no more be kind?
His face appear no more?

Will He for ever cast me off?
His promise ever fail?
Has He forgot His tender love?
Shall anger still prevail?

But I forbid this hopeless thought;
This dark, despairing frame,
Rememb’ring what Thy hand hath wrought;
Thy hand is still the same.

I’ll think again of all Thy ways,
And talk Thy wonders o’er;
Thy wonders of recovering grace,
When flesh could hope no more.

Grace dwells with justice on the throne;
And men that love Thy Word
Have in Thy sanctuary known
The counsels of the Lord.

In time of tribulation, hear, Lord, my feeble cries;
With humble supplication to Thee my spirit flies;
My heart with grief is breaking, scarce can my voice complain;
Mine eyes with tears kept waking, still watch and weep in vain.

The days of old, in vision, bring banished bliss to view;
The years of lost fruition, their joys in pangs renew;
Remembered songs of gladness, through nights lone silence brought,
Strike notes of deeper sadness, and stir desponding thought.

Hath God cast off forever? Can time His truth impair?
His tender mercy never shall I presume to share?
Hath He His loving kindness shut up in endless wrath?
No; this is mine own blindness, that cannot see His path.

I call to recollection the years of His right hand;
And, strong in His protection, again through faith I stand;
Thy deeds, O Lord, are wondrous; holy are all Thy ways;
The secret place of thunder shall utter forth Thy praise.

Thee, with the tribes assembled, O God, the billows saw;
They saw Thee, and they trembled, turned, and stood still with awe;
The clouds shot hail and lightning; the earth reeled to and fro;
Thy fiery pillar brightened the gulf of gloom below.

Thy way is in great waters, Thy footsteps are not known;
Let Adam’s sons and daughters confide in Thee alone:
Through the wild sea Thou leadest Thy chosen flock of yore;
Still on the waves Thou treadest, and Thy redeemed pass o’er.

To God will I direct my prayer,
And He will make my needs His care;
I trust Him still, though in my grief
No answer yet has brought relief;
With hands outstretched through all the night,
Uncomforted I sought for light.

The thought of God brought me no peace,
But rather made my fears increase;
With sleepless eyes and speechless pain
My fainting spirit grieved in vain;
The blessedness of long ago
Made deeper still my present woe.

Recalling days when faith was bright,
When songs of gladness filled my night,
I pondered o’er my grievous woes
And searching questioning arose;
Will God cast off, and nevermore
His favor to my soul restore?

I asked in fear and bitterness:
Will God forsake me in distress?
Shall I His promise faithless find?
Has God forgotten to be kind?
Has He in anger hopelessly
Removed His love and grace from me?

These doubts and fears that troubled me
Were born of my infirmity;
Though I am weak, God is most high,
And on His goodness I rely;
Of all His wonders, I will tell,
And on His deeds my thoughts shall dwell.