1 Forever blessed be the Lord,
My Savior and my shield!
He sends his Spirit with his word,
To arm me for the field.
2 When all my foes their force unite,
He makes my soul his care;
Instructs me in the heav'nly fight,
And guards me through the war.
3 A friend and helper so divine
My fainting hope shall raise:
He makes the glorious vict'ry mine,
And his shall be the praise.
Source: A Collection of Hymns and Prayers, for Public and Private Worship #134
First Line: | Forever blessed be the Lord, My Savior and my shield |
Title: | He Makes My Soul His Care |
Author: | Isaac Watts |
Meter: | 8.6.8.6 |
Language: | English |
Copyright: | Public Domain |
For ever blessed be the Lord. J. Watts. [Psalms cxliv.] In his Psalms of David, 1719, this version in 3 stanzas of 4 lines forms the first of three CM. hymns on Psalms cxliv., and is accompanied with the following note:—
"The sense of a great part of this Psalm is found often repeated in the Book of Psalms. I have therefore only taken three small parts of it, and form'd three distinct hymns on very different subjects."
Although frequently found in the older collections its modern use is limited.
--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)