The Power and Triumph of Faith

I

  Supported by the word,
  Though in himself a worm,
  The servant of the Lord
  Can wondrous acts perform:
Without dismay he boldly treads
Where’er the path of duty leads.

II

  The haughty king in vain,
  With fury on his brow,
  Believers would constrain
  To golden gods to bow:
The furnace could not make them fear,
Because they knew the Lord was near.

III

  As vain was the decree
  Which charged them not to pray:
  Daniel still bow’d his knee,
  And worshipp’d thrice a day.
Trusting in God, he fear’d not men,
Though threaten’d with the lions’ den.

IV

  Secure they might refuse
  Compliance with such laws;
  For what had they to lose
  When God espoused their cause?
He made the hungry lions crouch;
Nor durst the fire his children touch.

V

  The Lord is still the same,
  A mighty shield and tower,
  And they who trust his name
  Are guarded by his power;
He can the rage of lions tame,
And bear them harmless through the flame.

VI

  Yet we too often shrink
  When trials are in view,
  Expecting we must sink,
  And never can get through:
But could we once believe indeed,
From all these fears we should be freed.