O God, My Refuge, Hear My Cries

O God

my re­fuge

hear my cries

Behold my flow­ing tears;

For earth and hell my hurt de­vise

And tri­umph in my fears.

Their rage is le­veled at my life

My soul with guilt they load

And fill my thoughts with in­ward strife

To shake my hope in God.

With in­ward pain my heart-strings sound

I groan with ev­ery breath;

Horror and fear be­set me round

Amongst the shades of death.

O were I like a fea­thered dove

And in­no­cence had wings

I’d fly

and make a long re­move

From all these rest­less things.

Let me to some wild de­sert go

And find a peace­ful home;

Where storms of mal­ice nev­er blow

Temptations nev­er come.

Vain hopes

and vain in­vent­ions all

To ’scape the rage of hell!

The migh­ty God on whom I call

Can save me here as well.

By morn­ing light I’ll seek His face

At noon re­peat my cry;

The night shall hear me ask His grace

Nor will He long de­ny.

God shall pre­serve my soul from fear

Or shield me when afraid;

Ten thou­sand an­gels must ap­pear

If He com­mand their aid.

I cast my bur­dens on the Lord

The Lord sus­tains them all;

My cour­age rests up­on His Word

That saints shall nev­er fall.

My high­est hopes shall not be vain

My lips shall spread His praise;

While cru­el and de­ceit­ful men

Scarce live out half their days.