Poems with Power to Strengthen the Soul Part 103

--Charles F. Deems.

NO CARES

O Lord! how happy should we be If we could leave our cares to thee; If we from self could rest, And feel at heart that One above, In perfect wisdom, perfect love, Is working for the best.

For when we kneel and cast our care Upon our G.o.d, in humble prayer, With strengthened souls we rise; Sure that our Father, who is nigh To hear the ravens when they cry, Will hear his children's cries.

How far from this our daily life; How oft disturbed by anxious strife, By sudden wild alarm!

O could we but relinquish all Our earthly props and simply fall On thine Almighty arms!

We cannot trust him as we should, So chafes weak nature's restless mood To cast its peace away; But birds and flowers around us preach All, all, the present evil teach, Sufficient for the day.

O may these anxious hearts of ours The lesson learn from birds and flowers, And learn from self to cease, Leave all things to our Father's will, And, in his mercy trusting, still Find in each trial peace.

--Joseph Anstice.

CARE CAST ON G.o.d

Lord, I delight in thee, And on thy care depend; To thee in every trouble flee, My best, my only Friend.

When nature's streams are dried Thy fullness is the same; With this will I be satisfied, And glory in thy name.

Who made my heaven secure Will here all good provide; While Christ is rich can I be poor?

What can I want beside?

I cast my care on thee; I triumph and adore; Henceforth my great concern shall be To love and please thee more.

--John Ryland.

G.o.d KNOWS ALL

Nay, all by Thee is ordered, chosen, planned; Each drop that fills my daily cup; thy hand Prescribes for ills none else can understand.

All, all is known to thee.

Be trustful, be steadfast, whatever betide thee, Only one thing do thou ask of the Lord-- Grace to go forward wherever he guide thee, Simply believing the truth of his word.

Whatsoe'er our lot may be, Calmly in this thought we'll rest Could we see as thou dost see We should choose it as the best.

--Eliza Cleghorn Gaskell.

O FOR A PERFECT TRUST

O for the peace of a perfect trust, My loving G.o.d, in thee; Unwavering faith, that never doubts, Thou choosest best for me.

Best, though my plans be all upset; Best, though the way be rough; Best, though my earthly store be scant; In thee I have enough.

Best, though my health and strength be gone, Though weary days be mine, Shut out from much that others have; Not my will, Lord, but thine!

And even though disappointments come, They, too, are best for me-- To wean me from this changing world And lead me nearer thee.

O for the peace of a perfect trust That looks away from all; That sees thy hand in everything, In great events or small;

That hears thy voice--a Father's voice-- Directing for the best; O for the peace of a perfect trust, A heart with thee at rest!

A SONG OF TRUST

I cannot always see the way that leads To heights above; I sometimes quite forget that he leads on With hands of love; But yet I know the path must lead me to Immanuel's land, And when I reach life's summit I shall know And understand.

I cannot always trace the onward course My s.h.i.+p must take, But, looking backward, I behold afar Its s.h.i.+ning wake Illumined with G.o.d's light of love; and so I onward go, In perfect trust that he who holds the helm The course must know.

I cannot always see the plan on which He builds my life; For oft the sound of hammers, blow on blow, The noise of strife, Confuse me till I quite forget he knows And oversees, And that in all details with his good plan My life agrees.

I cannot always know and understand The Master's rule; I cannot always do the tasks he gives In life's hard school; But I am learning, with his help, to solve Them one by one, And, when I cannot understand, to say, "Thy will be done."

--Gertrude Benedict Custis.

ALL IS WELL

The clouds which rise with thunder slake Our thirsty souls with rain; The blow most dreaded falls to break From off our limbs a chain; And wrongs of man to man but make The love of G.o.d more plain.

As through the shadowy lens of even The eye looks farthest into heaven-- On gleams of star and depths of blue The glaring suns.h.i.+ne never knew.

--John Greenleaf Whittier.

CHOOSE FOR US, G.o.d

Still will we trust, though earth seem dark and dreary, And the heart faint beneath his chastening rod; Though rough and steep our pathway, worn and weary, Still will we trust in G.o.d.

Our eyes see dimly till by faith anointed, And our blind choosing brings us grief and pain; Through him alone who hath our way appointed, We find our peace again.

Choose for us, G.o.d! nor let our weak preferring Cheat our poor souls of good thou hast designed; Choose for us, G.o.d! thy wisdom is unerring, And we are fools and blind.

Let us press on in patient self-denial, Accept the hards.h.i.+p, shrink not from the loss; Our portion lies beyond the hour of trial, Our crown beyond the cross.

--William H. Burleigh.

ALL THINGS WORK GOOD

With strength of righteous purpose in the heart What cause to fear for consequence of deed?

G.o.d guideth then, not we; nor do we need To care for aught but that we play our part.

Most simple trust is often highest art.

The issue we would fly may be a seed Ordained by G.o.d to bear our souls a meed Of peace that no self-judging could impart.