Go not far from me, O my strength,
Whom all my times obey:
Take from me any thing Thou wilt,
But go not thou away--
And let the storm that does thy work
Deal with me as it may.
On thy compassion I repose,
In weakness and distress;
I will not ask for greater ease,
Lest I should love Thee less.
Oh 'tis a blessed thing for me
To need thy tenderness.
While many sympathizing hearts
For my deliverance care,
Thou, in thy wiser, stronger love,
Art teaching me to bear--
By the sweet voice of thankful song,
And calm, confiding prayer.
Thy love has many a lighted path,
No outward eye can trace,
And my heart sees thee in the deep,
With darkness on its face.
And communes with thee, 'mid the storm,
As in a secret place.
O Comforter of God's redeemed,
Whom the world does not see,
What hand should pluck me from the flood
That casts my soul on thee?
Who would not suffer pain like mine
To be consoled like me?
When I am feeble as a child,
And flesh and heart give way,
Then on thy everlasting strength
With passive trust I stay.
And the rough wind becomes a song,
The darkness shines like day.
O blessed are the eyes that see--
Though silent anguish show--
The love that in their hours of sleep
Unthanked may come and go.
And blessed are the ears that hear,
Though kept awake by woe.
Happy are they that learn, in thee--
Though patient suffering teach--
The secret of enduring strength
And praise too deep for speech:
Peace that no pressure from without,
No strife within, can reach.
There is no death for me to fear,
For Christ, my Lord, hath died;
There is no curse in this my pain,
For he was crucified.
And it is fellowship with him
That keeps me near his side.
My heart is fixed--O God, my strength--
My heart is strong to bear;
I will be joyful in thy love,
And peaceful in thy care.
Deal with me, for my Saviour's sake,
According to his prayer.
No suffering while it lasts is joy,
How blest soe'er it be,
Yet may the chastened child be glad
His Father's face to see;
And oh, it is not hard to bear
What must be borne in thee.
It is not hard to bear by faith,
In thine own bosom laid,
The trial of a soul redeemed,
For thy rejoicing made.
Well may the heart in patience rest
That none can make afraid.
Safe in thy sanctifying grace--
Almighty to restore--
Borne onward, sin and death behind,
And love and life before,
O let my soul abound in hope,
And praise thee more and more.
Deep unto deep may call, but I
With peaceful heart will say--
Thy loving-kindness hath a charge
No waves can take away;
And let the storm that speeds me home
Deal with me as it may.
--Anna Letitia Waring.
Walking along the shore one morn,
A holy man by chance I found
Who by a tiger had been torn
And had no salve to heal his wound.
Long time he suffered grievous pain,
But not the less to the Most High
He offered thanks. They asked him,
Why?
For answer he thanked God again;
And then to them: "That I am in
No greater peril than you see:
That what has overtaken me
Is but misfortune--and not sin."
--Richard Henry Stoddard.