Scripture Verse

O Lord…I hide myself in Thee. Psalm 143:9

Introduction

portrait
William O. Cushing (1823–1902)

Words: Will­iam O. Cush­ing, 1876.

Music: Ira D. San­key, 1877 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tune:

portrait
Ira D. Sankey (1840–1908)

Origin of the Hymn

Hiding in Thee was writ­ten in Mo­ra­via, New York, in 1876, writes Mr. Cush­ing.

It must be said of this hymn that it was the out­growth of ma­ny tears, ma­ny heart-con­flicts and soul yearn­ings, of which the world can know noth­ing. The his­to­ry of ma­ny bat­tles is be­hind it.

But the oc­ca­sion which gave it be­ing was the call of Mr. San­key. He said, Send me some­thing new to help me in my Gos­pel work. A call from such a source, and for such a pur­pose, seemed a call from God.

I so re­gard­ed it, and prayed: Lord, give me some­thing that may glo­ri­fy Thee. It was while thus wait­ing that Hiding in Thee pressed to make it­self known. Mr. San­key called forth the tune, and by his ge­ni­us gave the hymn wings, mak­ing it use­ful in the Mas­ter’s work.

Sankey, p. 149

Lyrics

O safe to the Rock that is high­er than I,
My soul in its con­flicts and sor­rows would fly;
So sin­ful, so wea­ry, Thine, Thine, would I be;
Thou blest Rock of Ag­es, I’m hid­ing in Thee.

Refrain

Hiding in Thee, hid­ing in Thee,
Thou blest Rock of Ag­es, I’m hid­ing in Thee.

In the calm of the noon­tide, in sor­row’s lone hour,
In times when temp­ta­tion casts o’er me its pow­er;
In the tem­pests of life, on its wide, heav­ing sea,
Thou blest Rock of Ag­es, I’m hid­ing in Thee.

Refrain

How oft in the con­flict, when pressed by the foe,
I have fled to my re­fuge and breathed out my woe;
How often, when tri­als like sea bil­lows roll,
Have I hid­den in Thee, O Thou rock of my soul.

Refrain