This hymn, considered one of the grandest in the whole realm of English hymnody, is a paraphrase of Psalm 90, a psalm of Moses:
Lord, Thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever Thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God.
It is more than a metrical version of this Psalm; it is a grand commentary on the whole subject of time, which is the theme of the Psalm.
The hymn was originally part of The Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament, published by Isaac Watts—often called the father of English hymnody—in 1719. In this book, Watts paraphrased in Christian verse the entire psalter with the exception of twelve Psalms which he felt were unsuited for Christian usage. This hymn undoubtedly ranks as one of the finest of all Watts’s 600 or more hymns. It is the one hymn that is still sung at all festive occasions in England. Other hymns by Isaac Watts include “I Sing the Mighty Power of God,” “Jesus Shall Reign,” “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross,” “Am I a Soldier of the Cross?,” and “Joy to the World!”
A great hymn text deserves majestic music. The tune for this hymn, “St. Anne,” was composed by William Croft in 1708. Croft was a well-trained church musician, having earned his Doctorate in Music at Oxford University. He was known as one of the finest English musicians of his time. As evidence of the musical worth of this tune, master composers such as George F. Handel and J.S. Bach have borrowed it for their own works. Handel used the tune in an anthem entitled “O Praise the Lord,” while Bach made use of it in his great Fugue in E-Flat Major, often called “St. Anne’s Fugue.
O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come;
Our shelter from the stormy blast
And our eternal home!
Beneath the shadow of Thy throne,
Still may we dwell secure.
Sufficient is Thine arm alone,
And our defense is sure.
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.
Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
Bears all who breathe away;
They fly forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the op’ning day.
O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come;
Be Thou our Guide while life shall last,
And our eternal home.