GOD THE FATHER >> Faithfulness of God

SDAH 103

O God, our help in ages past,
our hope for years to come,
our shelter from the stormy blast,
and our eternal home!

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Make each hymn more meaningful with these helpful tools: Short, ready-to-use hymn introductions for church bulletins, multiple ways to introduce a hymn based on your worship theme and in-depth history and insights to enrich your song service.

Hymn Spotlight: O God, Our Help in Ages Past

This hymn is Isaac Watts’s powerful paraphrase of Psalm 90, a reflection on God’s eternal nature and humanity’s frailty. Written in 1714 during a time of political uncertainty for English Dissenters, it became a source of comfort and hope. Its poetic simplicity and enduring message have made it a timeless favorite. Since 1961, it has served almost like a second national anthem for the British Commonwealth.

The tune ST. ANNE was composed by William Croft while he was organist at St. Anne’s Church in London. It has inspired great composers like Handel and Bach, and remains a fitting companion to Watts’s majestic text. As we sing, may we find assurance in our unchanging God—our help in ages past, our hope for years to come.

Reference: Feel free to share but please cite hymnsforworship.org when reproducing.

Introductions for Sabbath School Song Service (based on specific lesson quarterlies):

Our lesson tells us that God proved His unique divinity by demonstrating that He alone knows the future. There might be some time when we feel anxious of what tomorrow may bring, but remember that God gave us the assurance that He will always be with us everyday of our lives. (Lesson 9, 1st Quarter 2021 -Tuesday, Persian “Messiah”, 2/23/2021)

Trust in God is not just a result of a realization of who He really is. Trust in God is an acceptance of who He is and the promises that He offer if would trust in Him. (Lesson 4, 2nd Quarter 2021 -Wednesday, Covenant Stages, 4/21/2021)

This paraphrase of the first part of Psalm 90, which is attributed to Moses, appears in Watt’s Psalms of David, 1719, in nine stanzas. Isaac Watts (1674-1748; see Biographies) titles it “Man Frail and God Eternal.” He wrote it at a time when the Dissenters, that is, those who did not conform to the established Church of England, were in danger of severe persecution and of having their schools and academies closed. However, the death of Queen Anne on the very day that the Schism Bill of 1714 was due to go into effect and the coming to the throne of George I, brought them relief.

John Wesley changed Watt’s opening word “Our” to “O,” and there have been two other slight changes from the original. The second line of the second stanza was “Thy saints have dwelt secure,” and the third line of the last stanza was “Be Thou our guard while troubles last.”

Watts was a master of simplicity; in SDAH’s five stanzas there is a total of 140 syllables, 91 of which are one-syllable words. The last stanza has 23 monosyllabic words, one of two syllables, and one of three. Since the inclusion of this text and tune in the 1961 Hymns Ancient and Modern, it has served the British Commonwealth almost as a second national anthem.

ST. ANNE was composed by William Croft and commemorates the 12 years when he was organist at St. Anne’s Church in Soho, London. Handel used in the tune in his anthem “O Praise the Lord,” and J.S. Bach constructed his “Fugue in E-flat,” usually called “St. Anne’s Fugue” around the tune. Ralph Vaughan Williams utilized it also in his “Lord, Thou Hast Been Our Refuge,” 1921.

William Croft was born at Nether Ettington in Warwickshire, near Stratford-upon-Avon, on 1678. HE became a chorister at the Chapel Royal, and then organist at St. Anne’s, Soho, in London from 1700 to 1712. He was also joint organist with Jeremiah Clarke (see SDAH 19) at the Chapel Royal from 1704, and in 1708 organist at Westminster Abbey. The University of Oxford granted him the degree of D.Mus. in 1713. At first, Croft wrote songs and odes for the theater, but later composed music for harpsichord and violin, and hymn tunes for the church. He wrote 30 anthems and psalm tunes. He died at Bath, Somerset, on August 14, 1727. Croft also composed SDAH 256, HANOVER.

Text

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,
still may we dwell secure;
sufficient is thine arm alone,
and our defense is sure.

3
Before the hills in order stood,
or earth received her 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
O God, our help in ages past,
our hope for years to come;
be thou our guide while life shall last,
and our eternal home!

Hymn Info

Biblical Reference
Ps 90:1-4

Author
Isaac Watts (1674-1748)

Year Published
1719

Hymn Tune
ST. ANNE

Metrical Number
C.M.

Composer
William Croft (1678-1727)

Year Composed
1708

Theme
FAITHFULNESS OF GOD

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