ALONE by S. J. G. Thayer

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, Cal. · Oct 18, 1883

ALONE.

By S. J. G. Thayer

BY S. J. G. THAYER.

ALONE! yet not alone, my God, thy hand is leading me; Let me not murmur at the rod that brings me nearer thee. Let me behold thy smiling face, though all the world may frown, For when I share thy saving grace, I cannot be cast down. O Father, comfort thou my heart; life's ills have rent it sore, And time no healing does impart; it rankles more and more. Oh, lift me up above these snares, oh, fix my thoughts on high; I would forget these small affairs, and let them all pass by; I would forget what others do, whenever they do wrong, And have my heart attuned anew,—filled with a new, sweet song.

My Tower of Strength, O be thou still my comfort and my stay; Submissive to thy righteous will, let mine be day by day; And when the clouds are lowering down, and sun forgets to shine, And evil seems to wear the crown, and all its force combine, Oh, then how sweet it is to know there is a calm retreat, Where foaming billows cannot go,—beneath the mercy-seat! There let my longing heart abide, there let it ever rest,— Above earth's ceaseless, surging tide, above the billowy crest; And let me hear above the roar, and din, and clash of will, That voice,—aye, hear it o'er and o'er,—still speaking "Peace be still."

Alone! ah, did I say alone? A mighty host is here! Shall I the loss of friends bemoan when Israel's God is near? The sea divides at his command, the haughty are made low; In him the weakest child can stand against the mightiest foe: Ah! 'tis the sweetest joy to know,—I feel it o'er and o'er— That wheresoe'er we're called to go, he goeth on before; The pillar moves by night, by day; it stands when we should rest; And we may follow in this way, and be forever blest.

It is not best the path should wind beside the cooling stream; It is not best that we should find things ever what they seem; So prone are we to take our ease, so prone to glide along, We need the mountains, and the seas, the host of Egypt strong. 'Tis only when we're thus shut in, we test the power above, And learn to trust through thick and thin, and, trusting, learn to love.

Sometimes the furnace glows with heat,—there seems no draft of air; With burning coals beneath our feet, we sink in deep despair,— We sink, and then there comes to mind a furnace once before, Where three were cast in, but to find not only three, but four. And oh, the fourth! my heart be still! let every murmur cease; To-day as then he will fulfill his promises of peace. Then let me trust, then let me wait, yes trust and wait on Thee, And if the storm that comes be great, great will the rescue be.

When I recall thy wondrous love, O Father all divine, In the great gift sent from above,—a Saviour to be mine,— Then my weak heart grows strong and brave, my faith takes hold on thee; For since thou gav'st thy Son to save, what wilt thou keep from me? When I compare my crosses all, with dark Gethsemane's woes, Ashamed am I, they look so small; each bitter tear that flows Is witness that self is not dead, though painful is the thought, And Christ is not my living head, though with his blood I'm bought. O let me lose myself in thee, my Saviour and my friend, Then calm, or troubled be the sea, thou'rt with me to the end; And, having thee, all will be right, unmoved my heart will rest Above the storms, above the blight, peaceful, serene, and blest.