O God, Our Help In Ages Past

“Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations…” (Psalm 90:1)

January 1st marks the beginning of new year.  But where is the future going?  What unknowns await us?  What will happen this coming year in our community? …in our church? …in our nation?  What will happen in our personal and family lives?

Whatever happens, I am comforted by the fact that there is nothing that we might face that’s bigger than the God we serve.  In 1708, Isaac Watts wrote one of the most famous of his hymns to remind people of his day of the faithfulness of God in the midst of the unknowns of the present:

God, our help in ages past,

our hope for years to come,

our shelter from the stormy blast,

and our eternal home.

Under the shadow of thy throne,

still may we dwell secure;

sufficient is thine arm alone,

and our defense is sure.

Before the hills in order stood,

or earth received her frame,

from everlasting, thou art God,

to endless years the same.

A thousand ages, in thy sight,

are like an evening gone;

short as the watch that ends the night,

before the rising sun.

Time, like an ever rolling stream,

bears all who breathe away;

they fly forgotten, as a dream

dies at the opening day.

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.

            [--Isaac Watts (1708), UMHymnal #117]

As we begin this new year, always remember that the same God who has been with and for us all in our past will guide and direct us in our future, no matter what it holds.  And never forget that God loves you and I do, too!