Trinity Hymnal (Rev. ed.) ‎#28

28. O God, the Rock of Ages

1 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!

2 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.

3 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.

4 Lord, crown our faith's endeavor
with beauty and with grace,
till, clothed in light forever,
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.

Text Information

• First Line: O, God the Rock of Ages
• Title: O God, the Rock of Ages
• Author: Edward H. Bickersteth (1860)
• Meter: 7.6.7.6.D.
• Language: English
• Publication Date: 1990
• Scripture:
  Psalm 90
• Topic: Funerals; God: His Eternity; God: Dwelling Place; Heaven: Anticipated; Life: Brevity of; Preservation of Christians

Tune Information

• Name: WEDLOCK
• Arranger: Austin C. Lovelace (1964; alt. 1990)
• Meter: 7.6.7.6.D.
• Key: f minor
• Source: J. T. White's The Sacred Harp, 1844
• Copyright: Tune arr. © 1964, Abingdon Press. Reprinted from The Book of Hymns by permission.