The Merciful

I will extol Thee, O my King,
Forever with uplifted face;
Forever magnify Thy grace,
While harp can sound or voice can sing.

Thy works adore Thee, stars and suns,
The stable earth, the flying storms,
The broods unborn, the living swarms,
The multitude of sainted ones.

We fall; we grovel in the dust;
Because of sin we cannot stand;
Yet dost Thou reach a loving hand,
As though our sorrow made us just.

The eyes of all look up to Thee:
Because we hunger we are fed:
And if Thou gavest not Thy bread,
How soon our life would cease to be!

But chiefly those who seek Thy throne
Discover that Thy love is sweet:
They never walk with stumbling feet;
They never walk, O Lord, alone.