Scripture Verse

I will love Thee, O Lord, my strength. Psalm 18:1

Introduction

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Isaac Watts
1674–1748

Words: Is­aac Watts, The Psalms of Da­vid 1719. Vic­to­ry and tri­umph ov­er tem­po­ral en­e­mies.

Music: Al­ba­no Vin­cent F. No­vel­lo (1781–1861). First pub­lished in the 1868 ap­pen­dix to Hymns An­cient and Mo­dern, from No­vel­lo’s orig­in­al man­u­script (🔊 pdf nwc).

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Vincent Novello
1781–1861
National Portrait Gallery

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Lyrics

We love Thee, Lord, and we adore;
Now is Thine arm revealed:
Thou art our strength, our heav’nly tower,
Our bulwark and our shield.

We fly to our eternal rock,
And find a sure defense;
His holy name our lips invoke,
And draw salvation thence.

When God, our leader, shines in arms,
What mortal heart can bear
The thunder of His loud alarms,
The lightning of His spear?

He rides upon the wingèd wind,
And angels in array
In millions wait to know His mind,
And swift as flames obey.

He speaks, and at His fierce rebuke
Whole armies are dismayed;
His voice, His frown, His angry look,
Strikes all their courage dead.

He forms our generals for the field,
With all their dreadful skill;
Gives them His awful sword to wield,
And makes their hearts of steel.

He arms our captains to the fight,
Though there His name’s forgot;
He girded Cyrus with His might,
But Cyrus knew Him not.

Oft has the Lord whole nations blest
For His own Church’s sake;
The powers that give His people rest,
Shall of His care partake.