Oh, why despond in life’s dark vale?
Why sink to fears a prey?
Th’ almighty power can never fail,
His love can ne’er decay.

Behold, the birds that wing the air,
Nor sow nor reap the grain:
Yet God, with all a father’s care,
Relieves when they complain.

Behold the lilies of the field:
They toil nor labor know;
Yet royal robes to theirs must yield,
In beauty’s richest glow.

That God who hears the raven’s cry,
Who decks the lily’s form,
Will surely all your wants supply,
And shield you in the storm.

Seek first his kingdom’s grace to share,
Its righteousness pursue:
And all that needs your earthly care
He will bestow on you.