Overwhelmed with restless griefs and fears

Representative Text

I. O'erwhelm'd with restless griefs and fears,
Lord, I approach thy mercy-seat,
With aking heart and flowing tears,
To pour my sorrows at thy feet.

II. Can mournful penitence and pray'r
Address thy mercy-seat in vain?
Unnotic'd by thy gracious ear,
Can sorrow and distress complain?

III. Thy promises are large and free,
To humble souls who seek thy face;
O where for refuge can I flee,
My God, but to thy throne of grace?

IV. My God!—for yet my trembling heart
Would fain rely upon thy word;
Fain would I bid my fears depart,
And cast my burthen on the Lord.

V. Thou see'st the tempest of my soul,
These restless waves of fear and sin;
Thy voice can all their rage controul,
And make a sacred calm within.

VI. Amid the gloomy shades of night,
To thee, I lift my longing eyes;
My Saviour God, my life, my light,
When will thy chearing beams arise?

VII. My thoughts recall thy favours past,
In many a dark distressing hour,
Thy kind support my heart confess'd,
And own'd thy wisdom, love and pow'r.

VIII. And still these bright perfections shine,
Eternal their unclouded rays;
Unchanging faithfulness is thine,
And just, and right, are all thy ways.

IX. And can my vile ungrateful heart
Still harbour black distrust and fear?
O bid these heavy clouds depart,
Bright sun of righteousness, appear.

X. Let thy enliv'ning healing voice,
The kind assurance of thy love,
Relieve my heart, revive my joys,
And all my sins and fears remove.

Source: Poems on Subjects Chiefly Devotional, Vol. 1 #146

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Author: Anne Steele

Anne Steele was the daughter of Particular Baptist preacher and timber merchant William Steele. She spent her entire life in Broughton, Hampshire, near the southern coast of England, and devoted much of her time to writing. Some accounts of her life portray her as a lonely, melancholy invalid, but a revival of research in the last decade indicates that she had been more active and social than what was previously thought. She was theologically conversant with Dissenting ministers and "found herself at the centre of a literary circle that included family members from various generations, as well as local literati." She chose a life of singleness to focus on her craft. Before Christmas in 1742, she declined a marriage proposal from contemporar… Go to person page >

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