1 To God for help will I repair,
To God will I direct my prayer,
And surely He will answer me,
His great salvation I shall see.
2 In long-continued grief I stand
And seek the Lord with outstretched hand;
I find no comfort for my soul
the clouds of darkness o'er me roll.
3 I think of God and call to mind
His goodness, yet no peace I find;
I still pour out my sad complaints,
My burdened spirit almost faints.
4 With sleepless eyes and speechless grief
I search the past to find relief,
The former years when days were bright
And songs of gladness cheered my night.
5 My constant meditations bring
My heart to anxious questioning:
Has God cast off, and will He be
No longer merciful to me?
6 Has God forgotten to be kind?
Shall I His promise faithless find?
For me shall wrath henceforth replace
His tender mercies and His grace?
7 In weakness I was pressed with fear,
But better hopes my spirit cheer;
Past mercies lead me to rely
Upon the help of God Most High.
8 Thy deeds, O Lord, will I relate
And on thy wonders meditate;
Thy way, O God, is just and right,
And none is like to Thee in might.
9 Among the nations Thou hast shown
Thy wondrous power and made it known;
Thou art the God that mightily
Redeemed and set Thy people free.
10 At sight of Thee the waters fled,
The quaking clouds their torrents shed,
The lightnings flashed, the thunder pealed,
The trembling earth her fear revealed.
11 Thy way, O God, was in the sea,
But, though Thy paths mysterious be,
Thy people Thou didst safely keep
As shepherds lead their helpless sheep.
The Psalter: with responsive readings, 1912