Lord, Through All the Generations

Lord

through all the ge­ne­ra­tions

Of the child­ren of our race

In our fears and tri­bu­la­tions

Thou hast been our dwell­ing place.

Ere the vast and wide cre­ation

By Thy word was caused to be

Or the mount­ains held their sta­tion

Thou art God eter­nal­ly.

Each suc­ceed­ing ge­ne­ra­tion

At Thy migh­ty word ap­pears;

Thou dost count in time’s du­ra­tion

One day as a thou­sand years.

Death

with swift and sud­den warn­ing

Calls us from life’s dream away

Like the grass

green in the morn­ing

Withered ere the close of day.

In Thy wrath our spir­its lang­uish

Sinful ’neath Thy search­ing eye;

All our days are passed in ang­uish

In Thy wrath we pine and die.

Threescore years and ten we tar­ry

Fourscore years the strong may stay

Long the load of grief to car­ry

Till at last we fly away.

Who can weigh Thy just dis­plea­sure

Who can fear Thee as he ought?

Teach us now our days to mea­sure

And to wis­dom turn our thought.

Lord

re­turn

re­gard our sad­ness

With Thy serv­ants now abide;

Fill our days with joy and glad­ness

With Thy mercy sa­tis­fied.

Long the clouds of ev­il low­er;

Bless us now with glad­some days;

Let Thy serv­ants see Thy pow­er

Let their child­ren learn Thy praise.

On us let the grace and beau­ty

Of the Lord our God re­main

Strengthen us for no­ble du­ty

That our work be not in vain.