O God, My Refuge, Hear My Cries

O God, my Ref-uge, hear my cries Be-hold my flow-ing tears, For earth and hell my hurt de-vise, And tri-umph in my fears. Their rage is lev-eled at my life, My soul with guilt they load, And fill my thoughts with in-ward strife To shake my hope in God. With in-ward pain my heart-strings sound, I groan with ev-ery breath; Horr-or and fear be-set me round A-mongst the shades of death. O were I like a fea-thered dove, And in-no-cence had wings; I'd fly, and make a long re-move From all these rest-less things. Let me to some wild des-ert go, And find a peace-ful home, Where storms of mal-ice nev-er blow, Temp-ta-tions nev-er come. Vain hopes, and vain in-ven-tions all To 'scape the rage of hell! The might-y God on whom I call Can save me here as well. By morn-ing light I'll seek His face, At noon re-peat my cry, The night shall hear me ask His grace, Nor will He long de-ny. God shall pre-serve my soul from fear, Or shield me when a-fraid; Ten thou-sand an-gels must ap-pear If He com-mand their aid. I cast my bur-dens on the Lord, The Lord sus-tains them all; My cour-age rests up-on His Word That saints shall nev-er fall. My high-est hopes shall not be vain, My lips shall spread His praise; While cru-el and de-ceit-ful men Scarce live out half their days.