Scripture Verse

Thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and He that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art Mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. Isaiah 43:1–2

Introduction

portrait
Philip Doddridge (1702–1751)

Words: Phi­lip Dodd­ridge (1702–1751). Pub­lished post­hu­mous­ly in Hymns Found­ed on Va­ri­ous Texts in the Ho­ly Scrip­tures, by Job Or­ton (Shrop­shire, Eng­land: Jo­shua Ed­dowes & John Cot­ton, 1755), num­ber 102: God call­ing His Is­ra­el by name and lead­ing them thro’ wa­ter and fire.

Music: Lou­el­la in Har­mo­nia Sac­ra, by Jo­seph Funk, 12th edi­tion, 1867 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Lyrics

Let Jacob to his maker sing,
And praise his great redeeming king;
Called by a new, a gracious name,
Let Israel loud his God pro­claim.

He knows our souls in all their fears,
And gently wipes our falling tears,
Forms trembling voices to a song,
And bids the feeble heart be strong.

Then let the rivers swell around,
And rising floods o’erflow the ground;
Rivers and floods and seas divide,
And homage pay to Israel’s guide.

Then let the fires their rage display,
And flaming terrors bar the way;
Unburnt, unsinged He leads them through,
And makes the flames refreshing, too.

The fires but on their bonds shall prey, *
The floods but wash their stains away,
And grace divine new trophies raise
Amidst the deluge, and the blaze.

* Allusion to the story in Daniel 3:19.