O God, our help in ages past

O God, our help in ages past, 

Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.

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.

O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guard while troubles last,
And our eternal home.

 

Words by Isaac Watts, pub. 1719; St. Anne hymn tune

Sung at the Westmister Abbey in 2011 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsHIwXTjAOU