Scripture Verse

He weakened my strength in the way; He shortened my days. I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: Thy years are throughout all generations. Psalm 102:23–24

Introduction

portrait
Isaac Watts (1674–1748)

Words: Is­aac Watts, The Psalms of Da­vid 1719. Man’s mor­ta­li­ty and Christ’s eter­ni­ty; or, saints die, but Christ and the Church live.

Music: Re­turn (Squires) Will­iam H. Squires, 1895 (🔊 pdf nwc).

If you know where to get a good pho­to of Squires (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

Lyrics

It is the Lord our Sav­ior’s hand
Weakens our strength amidst the race;
Disease and death at His com­mand
Arrest us, and cut short our days.

Spare us, O Lord, aloud we pray,
Nor let our sun go down at noon;
Thy years are one eter­nal day,
And must Thy child­ren die so soon?

Yet in the midst of death and grief
This thought our sor­row should as­suage:
Our Fa­ther and our Sav­ior live;
Christ is the same through ev­ery age.

’Twas He this earth’s foun­da­tions laid;
Heav’n is the build­ing of His hand;
This earth grows old, these heav’ns shall fade
And all be changed at His com­mand.

The star­ry cur­tains of the sky,
Like gar­ments shall be laid aside;
But still Thy throne stands firm and high,
Thy Church for ev­er must abide.

Before Thy face Thy Church shall live,
And on Thy throne Thy child­ren reign;
This dy­ing world they shall sur­vive,
And the dead saints be raised again.