Peace, doubting heart – my God’s I am!

Verse 1
Peace, doubting heart—my God’s I am!
Who form’d me man forbids my fear:
The Lord hath call’d me by my name,
The Lord protects for ever near:
His blood for me did once attone,
And still he loves, and guards his own.

Verse 2
When passing thro’ the watry deep
I ask in faith his promis’d aid,
The waves an awful distance keep,
And shrink from my devoted head:
Fearless their violence I dare:
They cannot harm, for God is there!

Verse 3
To him my eye of faith I turn,
And thro’ the fire pursue my way;
The fire forgets its pow’r to burn,
The lambent flames around me play:
I own his pow’r, accept the sign,
And shout to prove the Saviour mine.

Verse 4
Still nigh me, O my Saviour, stand,
And guard in fierce temptation’s hour;
Hide in the hollow of thy hand,
Shew forth in me thy saving pow’r.
Still be thy arm my sure defence,
Nor earth nor hell shall pluck me thence.

Verse 5
Since thou hast bid me come to thee,
(Good as thou art and strong to save)
I’ll walk o’er life’s tempestuous sea,
Upborn by the unyielding wave;
Dauntless, tho’ rocks of pride be near,
And yawning whirlpools of despair.

Verse 6
When darkness intercepts the skies,
And sorrow’s waves around me roll,
When high the storms of passion rise,
And half o’erwhelm my sinking soul;
My soul a sudden calm[1] shall feel
And hear a whisper “Peace, be still.”

Verse 7
Tho’ in affliction’s furnace tried,
Unhurt on snares and deaths I’ll tread;
Tho’ sin assail, and hell thrown wide
Pour all its flames upon my head,
Like Moses’ bush, I’ll mount the higher,
And flourish unconsum’d in fire.

[1] Wesley changed “calm” to “voice” in 1743.

Hymnal/Album: Originally titled: "Isaiah xliii. 1, 2, 3." This is the original version of this hymn, as first published in "Hymns and Sacred Poems (1739)," published by John and Charles Wesley (London: William Strahan, 1739). Published in The Poetical Works of John and Charles Wesley, Collected and Arranged by G. Osborn, Vol. 1 (London: Wesleyan-Methodist Conference Office, 1868), page 135.
Publishing: Public Domain