O God. Our Help in Ages Past - Hymn with Lyrics

 

1. O God, our Help in ages past,
our Hope for years to come,
our Shelter from the stormy blast,
and our eternal Home.

2. Under the shadow of Thy throne
Thy saints have dwelt secure;
sufficient is Thine arm alone,
and our defense is sure.

3.Before the hills in order stood,
or earth received its frame,
from everlasting Thou art God,
to endless years the same.

4. A thousand ages in Thy sight
are like an evening gone,
short as the watch that ends the night
before the rising sun.

5. Time, like an ever-rolling stream
bears all its sons away;
they fly forgotten, as a dream
dies at the op’ning day.

6. O God, our Help in ages past,
our Hope for years to come,
be Thou our Guard while life shall last,
and our eternal Home!

Scripture; Genesis 1:2-10; 1 Samuel 12:23; 

1 Chronicles 16:7-36

"O God, Our Help in Ages Past" is a Christian hymn written by Isaac Watts in 1719. It is based on Psalm 90, which reflects on the eternal nature of God and the fleeting nature of human life. Watts, a prolific hymn writer, sought to create a hymn that would inspire reverence for God's sovereignty and provide comfort to believers facing the challenges of life.

The Origins

The hymn was written during a period when Watts was working to make the Psalms more accessible to English-speaking congregations. At the time, the Anglican Church primarily used the Psalms in their original translations, but Watts felt the language could be more poetic and meaningful. He often took inspiration from the Psalms, paraphrasing them to express theological truths in a more contemporary and understandable way. "O God, Our Help in Ages Past" is one of his most famous paraphrases, focusing on the themes of God's eternal nature, His providence, and the temporal nature of human existence.