God Hath Not Promised

1
God hath not promised skies always blue,
Flower-strewn pathways all our lives through;
God hath not promised sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.
  But God hath promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labor, light for the way,
Grace for the trials, help from above,
  Unfailing sympathy, undying love.
2
God hath not promised we shall not know
Toil and temptation, trouble and woe;
He hath not told us we shall not bear
Many a burden, many a care.
3
God hath not promised smooth roads and wide,
Swift, easy travel, needing no guide;
Never a mountain, rocky and steep,
Never a river, turbid and deep.
23
Nicky Caber

Mandaluyong City, Manila, Philippines

Through all the hardships that we been through we must still PRAISE THE LORD!!! all things are working together for us to be conform to the image of His firstborn Son. the Lord will never leave us while He is in the third heavens; He is here in our spirit... Hallelujah that no matter what happen to us surely everything is under His sovereign hand. Thank You Abba Father for all of these experiences that You have given to me. I love You so much Lord Jesus. Till we meet dear Lord. I love You so much.


kim

Dagupan, Pangasinan, Philippines

It simply tells me that God always gives rainbow after the rain..


Allison

United States

Here are the lyrics... It helps me realize that God is sovereign in everything He does. Those who have faith to trust Him - can accept whatever will be will be. And though trials come; their are hidden blessings besides that the Lord wants us to experience to add to our faith in suffering - the fruit of the spirit... Love, Joy, Peace, Goodness, Patience, Kindness,

and Self Control! Praise the LORD!

Verse 1

God hath not promised skies always blue, Flower strewn pathways all our lives through;

God hath not promised sun without rain, Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.

Refrain

But God hath promised strength for the day, Rest from the labor, light for the way, Grace for the trials, help from above,

Unfailing sympathy, undying love.

Verse 2

God hath not promised we shall not know Toil and temptation, trouble and woe;

He hath not told us we shall not bear Many a burden, many a care.

Refrain

Verse 3

God hath not promised smooth roads and wide, Swift, easy travel, needing no guide;

Never a mountain rocky and steep,

Never a river turbid and deep.

Refrain

As an elderly person, I have passed through a great many different experiences in human life. Many unpleasant things have happened to me. There is no such thing as a life without difficulties. As the line from a hymn says, "God hath not promised skies always blue" (Hymns, #720). But although I have passed through many situations of unhappiness and unpleasantness, I have been a happy person because I have the Lord Jesus. Even the demons can testify that I am happy in the Lord. I do not have the Lord Jesus merely in an objective way as the One in the heavens. My Christ is both in the heavens and also in me. Hallelujah, Christ lives in me, and I can breathe Him, drink of Him, and feast upon Him! Daily I enjoy the best breathing, drinking, and eating.

As fallen ones, we may have the fallen natural concept that if we fear God, serve Him, love Him, and follow Him, we will prosper in everything; the unhealthy will become healthy and the foolish will become wise. However, God has not promised this. Hymns, #720 was written by an experienced Christian. Verse 1 and the chorus say,

...

Many times, God has placed those who love Him into trials and sufferings that they may experience more of Him. When everything is calm and peaceful, we seldom think of enjoying God and know very little about experiencing the Lord. Only when we fall into sufferings can we be humbled to trust the Lord wholeheartedly, call on Him, and enjoy Him.