This Is Happiness to Me

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Description

This is a song about trials from a man well acquainted with them: William Cowper. Author of famous hymns such as "God Moves in a Mysterious Way," He suffered from serious depression throughout His life and struggled with His faith as well. Genuine Christians struggle with reconciling their afflictions with a sovereign God who supposedly loves them, and Cowper's beautiful poems about suffering are a great help to believers everywhere in this regard. We have chosen not to edit the lyrics at all, even including the sometimes-offensive word "bastards," but hope that you can look past the affect of the word to its meaning (which was not easy to replace) and see the beautiful truth that Cowper set to verse.

Lyrics

Verse 1:
Tis my happiness below
Not to live without the cross,
But the Savior's power to know,
Sanctifying every loss:
Trials must and will befall;
But, with humble faith to see
Love inscribed upon them all-
This is happiness to me.
This is happiness to me.

Verse 2:
God in Israel sows the seeds
Of affliction, pain, and toil;
These spring up and choke the weeds
Which would else o'erspread the soil:
Trials make the promise sweet;
Trials give new life to prayer;
Trials bring me to His feet,
Lay me low and keep me there.
This is happiness to me.

Verse 3:
Did I meet no trials here,
No chastisement by the way,
Might I not, with reason, fear
I should prove a castaway?
Bastards may escape the rod,
Sunk in earthly vain delight;
But the true-born child of God
Must not, would not if he might.
This is happiness to me.

Words by William Cowper (1731-1800), Music by David L. Ward
©2013 ThousandTongues.org, admin by Thousand Tongues

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