O God, Our Help in Ages Past

Words by Isaac Watts, 1719.

Verse 1. O God! our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come;
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.

Verse 2. Under the shadow of thy throne,
Still may we dwell secure;
Sufficient is thine arm alone,
And our defense is sure.

Verse 3. Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting thou art God,
To endless years the same.

Verse 4. A thousand ages in thy sight
Are like an evening gone;
Short as the watch that ends the night,
Before the rising sun.

Verse 5. The busy tribes of flesh and blood,
With all their cares and fears,
Are carried downward by the flood,
And lost in following years.

Text copied from The Otterbein Hymnal (1892). The words were published in 1719, which places them in the public domain in the United States, so your church may print them, show them and sing them without a license.

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