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O God, Our Help in Ages Past | Rhonda Woodward | Video 1 of 3 from Lyle Stutzman's Choir

1,968 views โ€ข Feb 3, 2026

Description

"O God, Our Help in Ages Past" composed by Rhonda Woodward. Sung at the 18th Annual Choral Festival 2025 of Shenandoah Christian Music Camp (VA). Conducted by Lyle Stutzman. https://www.musiccamp.info/
The Historic Faith · Hymn Companion

O God, Our Help in Ages Past

Words by Isaac WattsMusic by William CroftWritten Tune ST. ANNE

O God, our help in ages past,
our hope for years to come,
our shelter from the stormy blast,
and our eternal home.

Under the shadow of thy throne
thy saints have dwelt 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 our years away;
they fly forgotten, as a dream
dies at the opening 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.

Story Behind the Song

Isaac Watts wrote this paraphrase of Psalm 90 for his 1719 collection The Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament; the original opening was commonly printed as โ€œOur God, our help in ages past.โ€ The hymn is most often sung to ST. ANNE, a tune by William Croft first published in 1708. It has become one of the best-known English hymns on Godโ€™s eternity, human frailty, and divine refuge.

Scripture

Found In

The Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament, Hymns Ancient and Modern, The English Hymnal, Trinity Hymnal, The United Methodist Hymnal, The Presbyterian Hymnal