May the God of grace protect thee,
Guard thee, keep thee in His peace,
Looking onward to the moment
When the wilderness shall cease.
When His blessed trump shall gather
All His own to be with Him,
Then no farewell will be spoken,
Then no loved one’s eyes be dim.
Here it is that on life’s journey
Come the partings and the tears;
Yet, O God! Thy grace abounding
Lifts us high above our fears.
‘Tis not only onward looking
That relieves our hearts distressed,
Thou wouldst have us looking upward,
Finding there our peace and rest.
Here it is that all is transient,
Here that strife and snares abound;
There the peace that knows no changing,
There eternal rest is found.
Seas may part thee from thy loved ones,
Many a mile thine own divide,
Yet thy God is there to shield them—
God with them, yet by thy side.
Sweet to bend in His blessed presence,
There to tell Him all thy care;
Bridged the distance that divides thee
When thou bow’st thy self in prayer.
May it be a comfort to thee,
Solace when the tears would start,
That the way is surely nearest
Round by heaven to every heart.