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Our God, to whom we turn
When weary with illusion,
Whose stars serenely burn
Above this earth’s confusion:
Yours is the mighty plan,
The steadfast order sure,
In which the world began,
Endures, and shall endure.
You are Yourself the Truth;
Though we who fain would find You
Have tried, with thoughts uncouth,
In feeble words to bind You.
It is because You’re best
We’re driven to our quest;
Till truth from falsehood part
Our souls can find no rest.
Your Beauty speaks to me:
The mountains and the rivers,
The line of lifted sea,
Where spreading moonlight quivers.
The deep-toned organ blast
That rolls through arches dim
Hints of the music vast
Of Your eternal hymn.
Wherever good lurks
We catch Your tones appealing.
Where earth for justice works
You are Yourself revealing.
The blood of woman, man
On friendship’s altar spilt
Betrays the mystic plan
On which Your house is built.
O hidden Fount of Love,
Of Peace and Truth and Beauty,
Inspire us from above
With joy and strength for duty.
May Your fresh light arise
Within each clouded heart,
And give us open eyes
To see You and Your art.
Edward Grubb (1854-1939) was a historian of Quaker thought and hymn writer. In addition to the hymn published here, Grubb also wrote Quaker Thought and History: A Volume of Essays.
