Help Sought From God Poem by John Bowring

Let Thy gracious spirit reach us
In this earthly solitude;
What we know not do Thou teach us,
Thou who art all-wise and good.


Left alone, we stray unheeding,
Through a dang'rous, darksome way;
But when Thy kind hand is leading,
We can never, never stray.


All we do, or think of doing,
Let Thy providence control;
Still our onward path pursuing
Till we reach th'appointed goal.


And since all that sparkles round us
Fragile is, and weak and fleet-
Earth's vain limits shall not bound us;
Man's desires are infinite.


Far above the heavenly arches
Shall th'enfranchised spirit soar;
Onward to its goal it marches,
Joy and triumph smiling o'er.